Most women like myself, lust for long locks .. For women with curly hair like myself, it requires a lot of patience. Maybe twice as much.The amount that I play with the shape and width of my curls is unimaginable. I abuse my hair but generally we are all sinners in that area. However if you want those ringlets to get longer you have to make some sacrifices.
You guys have to trust me on this one when I say it. My hair is the most easily damaged type of medium curly hair imaginable. It breaks faster than a cheap hair curler and is most likely drier than my wallet (oh, lame joke). From my experience the main thing about getting curly hair to grow longer is to AVOID BREAKAGE. At all costs you must try to keep your hair from breaking off. Got it?
1)Cut Those Split Ends (If Necessary):
"Isn't the whole point of this post to get LONGER hair?" I know, I know. But honey, your hair is gonna end up shorter from the breakage if you don't get rid of those dead ends. You don't have to trim if your hair is not that broken if you don't feel like it. But it's always better to be safe than sorry!
This happened to a friend of mine who straightened her hair excessively and it obviously damaged her hair. Eventually those long beautiful tresses of hair that reached mid-waist length, broke off all the way to her shoulders. If you messed your hair up, you don't have to go to great lengths, just get those ends trimmed before it's too late! Speaking of straighteners and damage...
2)Ease up on the heat:
This tip is mighty obvious and expected. Nothing ruins hair faster and more than heat. I love my curling iron, I will confess. But using too much heat will cause your hair to break off. And remember our main rule? That's right, heat causes breakage and LOTS of it.
Try to use heat less frequently like once a week or so, if you don't want to completely give it up.
3)Change Your Scrunchies:
For the last two years I've been wearing my hair naturally with minimal heat, and my hair was still breaking. It was frustrating! I didn't know this at the time, but the elastics that I used ruined my ends. Stay away from elastics that snag on your hair. And, you know those ones with metal? When you see them, run for the door.
Buy soft, simple elastics. There are some snag-free elastics especially made for curly hair on sale, but I just buy the ones I see at local stores. Just make sure they are SOFT and won't snag your hair and you'll be fine.
4)Feed! Feed! Feed!
Curly hair is prone to dryness. Don't expect to get good results from dry, brittle hair. There are a large selection of cheap, home-made, and ready-made hair masks and conditioners to choose from. Whatever floats your boat, my loves.
5)Don't Wash Your Hair Everyday:
At first this sounds disgusting: I've found that skipping a day actually balanced my hair out a great deal. Washing your hair everyday can end up drying your hair out. We need those natural oils too ladies!
6)Lubricate Your Ends:
This is my biggest and most important tip. I swear by this. Like I've mentioned before my hair is very dry and it needs to be treated very delicately. This tip was a lifesaver for me.
Now remember you don't have to oil or lubricate your whole head of hair. You could if you wanted to, but you don't have to and I don't like the feel of oil near my roots. So, I only put oil on the ends of my hair. I'm currently using sesame oil. I don't drench my hair in it, I just try to soften my ends with it.
You guys don't have to use sesame oil like me. There are a wide variety of oils to choose from. Just try to use whatever works for you. Almond and avocado are my second and third favorites if you guys are lost, and want some suggestions or advice.
Remember guys: No matter how long your hair is, it will look bad if it's unhealthy. Try to focus on having healthy hair in the meantime, since it's gonna grow whether you like it or not anyways.
