How to Grow Your Hair

Photo by Andreas Kuehn

Long time no see! I'll admit I do get a little bored without an internet connection, or even a working laptop. But the well-organised girl knows that less time for one thing means more time for something else!

Ever wondered how some people have these gorgeous manes of hair, sometimes in feet, or even in metres? Full of shine and bounce and not a strand out of place. It's enough to make most people epically envious of it. But we can't all look like models... right? In fact, looking after your hair isn't so hard when you know what to do. Just a few simple changes to your haircare routine will give you head-turning hair in no time! Whether you want hip-length hair, have a bad haircut to grow out or would just like to inject your locks with a healthy dose of life and lustre, fear not - help is on hand! Or, hair, in this case...

Brushing - or Not

Rule number 1: don't brush your hair! Not unless you have a specific reason to - for example, if you've just used some dry shampoo (which, by the way, is really handy for overnight stays). Brushing is more forceful on the hair and more likely to rip the ends off, which means two things - you get more flyaways and split ends, making your hair look frizzy, and if you break off enough of the ends, you'll end up losing all of your growth. Just as you can grow half an inch of hair a month, you can break it right off again if you're too rough on it.

So what's the alternative? Comb! Get yourself a good smooth wide-toothed comb to use instead - it's much gentler on the hair but just as good for detangling. If you really must, use a fine-toothed comb for styling, but not before combing with the wide-toothed one to get rid of tangles. Tortoise shell effect combs are best - they're made of a resin that gives a gorgeously smooth comb and in turn gives gorgeously smooth hair. They can, however, be hard to find in wide-toothed form and slightly more expensive than some others. Sometimes a regular wide-toothed comb will do just as well, as long as its seams aren't too prominent. 

Remember to comb from the bottom up - that is, comb the bottom couple of inches of your hair, then comb the bottom 4-6in of your hair, and so on, until you're combing the whole length of hair. If it's extra long or you just want to be careful, do this with sections of your hair. I tend to do it in three sections - left, back and right. Comb no more than a couple of times a day if you can, use a detangling or leave-in conditioner spray while you're at it, and try not to comb when wet. Unless you're like me - naturally curly hair, when dry, is much more likely to rip if there are more tangles in it. So to get around this I pump it full of conditioner and comb very gently, then comb it as I rinse and tie it up to dry. Speaking of which...

Drying Without Drying

Heat treatments are bad news for hair. Hair is dead, meaning it doesn't produce its own oils. The scalp produces the oil, and any products you use can add to that. If your hair's dry, it's brittle, and if you blowdry, straighten or curl, you're drying it out. Ideally we'd never do any of these things, but where's the fun in never styling hair! If you're lucky and have hair in the exact texture you want, and are okay with always having it that way, then just leave it to air-dry. But if you're like me and like to straighten your hair to smooth it out and keep it nice and flowing, or curl it for variety, then you'll need some tips on how to get around the damage caused by it. 

One thing is to only heat-treat when you need to. I never blowdry unless I'm in a rush and need my hair to dry quickly, I only straighten when I'm going to see somebody, and I only curl for special occasions. More unnecessary damage can be avoided by using only as much heat as you need. Admittedly very thick, wiry curly hair can only be straightened using high temperatures - African hair, for example. You'll need to go up to 230◦ to get decent results if that's the case. Of course this means more damage, so be sure to only hold the irons on your hair for a few seconds at a time. 10 seconds max for curling (which, by the way, needs a lower heat level than straightening does), and for straightening it should take you about 8 seconds to get from your parting (assuming it's in the centre) to the bone of your shoulder, hopefully twice maximum for each strand. Try to apply this speed to the rest of your hair too. 

And I hope it goes without saying that you should never straighten or curl straight from wet, and always spritz with some heat-protecting spray beforehand!

Softly Softly

But what to do if your hair's already dried out? Simple - oil treatments! I always find the best oil to use is coconut or monoi. They don't call it monoi miracle oil for nothing - it really is the best way to get soft, supple hair fast. You can apply it little at a time as an end serum to keep your ends in good shape, or use it as an intensive conditioner. Be sure to pick a day you're not going anywhere important! Put it into small strands at a time (the best way to save it - it's not the cheapest in the world) until all your hair is covered and looking slightly damp. Leave it in for at least a couple of hours, or overnight for some serious softening, then wash it out with your normal shampoo. It may take a couple of shampoos to get it all out so that it doesn't still look greasy afterwards, and you may not even need to condition it. I'd also like to note here that dry hair sometimes doesn't need washing more than once or twice a week - any more and you can start washing out the natural oils and making it drier. And presto! 

Got greasy hair? Be sure to wash it every day, or twice a day if you need to. Use products with tea tree oil in them - this is a good natural essence that dries and disinfects, and is also very useful for greasy skin. If you want to use the oil in its pure form, use it very sparingly - occasionally it can burn. But in ready-made products it's in smaller concentrations and much friendlier. Carry dry shampoo around with you. This is a spray available in places like Boots and Superdrug that you spray evenly throughout your hair, leave for a few seconds for it to soak up the oil, and then brush out. You can comb it out, but it takes a very long time, and brushes are much more effective - as I said before, the only time your hair will forgive you for using a brush on it! 

What To Do...

...to make it look good in the meantime? Because let's face it, untied, unclipped, free-flowing hair au naturale is beautiful - but not half as much fun as hair full of accessories! The problem with this is that some types of clips and ties are bad for your hair and can cause damage, so here are a few quick tips to help you make your choices:

- Stay away from hair ties with metal joins. It's easy for hair to get caught in it and break off. Fortunately it's not so hard to get ties made without them.

- As far as clips go, avoid anything that snaps into place. French barrettes, ponytail barrettes and regular snap clips are the worst for this, though a snap clip covered in fabric can be a little kinder. Instead go for kirby grips, pins and sticks. Claire's Accessories sell some nice ones, or for something more elaborate, have a look online.

- Finally, be sure to take everything out gently and properly. Don't pull a clip straight out or at an angle and always unwrap a hair tie fully before taking it out. 

Et voila! Keep at it and you may find you get a whole inch of growth in a month, perhaps even 2 if you're careful enough (as tried and tested by yours truly!) but no matter what, your hair will be in much much better shape and look healthier however you style it.

"Hairstyle is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself."

~ Hubert de Givenchy

Loves you muchly,

Your fairy godsister, Pixie Choux