My hair has been through a lot over the years. It’s very curly naturally, and I’ve been rebelling against the kinks for as long as I can remember. When I was in 8th grade my mom let me get it relaxed, but the solution my hairdresser used was too strong, and as a result, a chunk of my hair has never grown in the same. When I was a freshman I cut it all off and began straightening it regularly. It hasn’t been long since; I’ve had a faux hawk, a pixie, a bob, you name it. Senior year I tried growing it out again, because I wanted to be able to wear it without straightening it all the time, and things were going great until my boyfriend and I broke up and, in an idiotic act of defiance against my ex, who loved that my hair was getting longer, I chopped it off again.
I’m back in the process of growing it out again, and, as anyone who’s tried to go from short to long again knows, it’s a pain.
A few weeks ago Cosmo ran an article on how to grow long hair. Here are their tips:
- Rub and Scrub. You wouldn’t just stick your face under a spout to clean it, would you? Similarly, your scalp needs to be touched. “New hair has trouble sprouting through a layer of dirt, oil, and old skin cells,” says Kingsley, who suggests massaging your scalp vigorously with a scalp brush or the pads of your fingers for two minutes preshower. See how to give your roots a megaboost.
- Pamper hair. Look for shampoos and conditioners that contain moisturizing shea butter or avocado oil. They keep strands saturated — key for growth since brittle, splitting strands break off before they can get long, says San Francisco derm Paradi Mirmirani. Check out how to party-proof your curls.
- Rethink Your Styling Routine. Heat (from appliances) and friction (from brushes) can damage hair’s protective covering, or cuticle, making strands susceptible to snapping off. Detangle with only a wide-tooth comb, use heat-shielding sprays prestyling, and declare Sunday a lazy-do day. “Laying off the blow-dryer or iron once a week can help,” Serratore says. For easy waves, braid wet hair; unravel when it’s dry. Watch this video to get loose, sexy waves.
Another tip I’ve always heard is to regularly trim your hair. Many think this is an old wives’ tale, understandably, because it makes no sense that cutting hair off would make it grow faster. This is true, but not the reason. When you trim your hair you get rid of dead ends, which are more likely to break off, and split ends, which are more likely to continue splitting until they hit the root. Certain vitamins are also supposed to be good for hair growth, so try foods with vitamin A (dairy products, fish, spinach, apricots), vitamin B (meat, fish, bananas, leafy green veggies), vitamin C (citrus, melon, tomatoes and potatoes) and vitamin E (nuts, broccoli, whole grains).
