0 Hair care: #1 Rule for Longer, Healthier Hair

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There is one basic rule to achieving longer, healthier hair and that is to "Keep It Simple!". All of the women I have seen that have longer hair (I'm talking about waist-length and beyond) have simple regimens.

Having a simple regimen doesn't mean you can't be a product junkie or that you have to keep your hair in protective styles. It simply means, you know what works for your hair and you stick with it.

You have to first find out what YOUR hair needs. Your hair isn't like anyone elses, no matter what you may have in common with them.

Here is a list of "bandwagons" that have worked for some but, don't work for all. You can try them and see how they work for you but, these are by no means that end all be all of haircare.

Co-washing- "Conditioner only wash", you wash your hair with conditioner only, no shampoo. Usually, this is done throughout the week about 2-3 times. Some women do it daily. Some women don't shampoo at all and some shampoo once a week.

Deep Conditioning- This is when you give your hair a "boost" of moisture. You can be as simple as you like by just using coconut oil or as fancy as you like and buy an expensive "deep conditioning treatment". For some these are a "must" and for others these are not necessary.

Scalp Greasing- Simply taking some oil and rubbing it onto your scalp to stimulate growth and add moisture. This is said to help counteract dandruff and a dry scalp. You can use grease (think Blue Magic), some nice oil like almond oil or a herbal salve.

Protective Styling- Keeping the ends of the hair tucked away to prevent splits and breakage. Some women wear wigs, do twists, wear braids or rock buns. For some women this is the only way they retain any length and for others they retain length without it.

It wouldn't hurt to try these techniques but, don't think you have to do these things. Plenty of women that don't do these things have long hair. Do what works for you.

I personally, co-wash, deep condition and protective style (when I feel like it, still trying to find a PS that works for me). I don't swear by either method and I have hair just short of Bra Strap Length. So again, do what works for you.

One of the funnest parts of this hair care journey is formulating your own personal regimen!



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0 How to create a simple haircare regimen in 5 steps

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Creating a haircare regimen can be an exciting as well as a daunting task. We all know that having a great haircare regimen and sticking with it is one of the key factors to retaining length.

Here are 5 tips you can use to create your haircare regimen:

1. Start simple. Don't add a lot to your list at once. Keep it simple, wash, condition, moisturize, seal and style. Figure out how often you need to do these 5 steps and work from there.

2. Trial and error. Learn from what doesn't work.just because you read that co-washing is great for someone else that doesn't mean it's going to be great for you. Try it and if your hair doesn't like something, move on.

3. Don't trim. Learn how to spot split ends and what causes them for your hair. Don't make the mistake of trimming too often, you will end up cutting off healthy hair and length. Some people only trim once a year, others twice a year.Basically, don't worry about trimming just yet, that's putting the cart before the horse.

4. Water, water and more water. You can have all the products in the world and have soft hair but, if you aren't both drinking and applying water to your hair, you won't get the proper moisture your hair needs.Make sure you're moisturizing and conditioning your hair often enough.

5. Patience. You can deep condition every week, moisturize and seal every night, protective style every month but, if your hair only grows 1/2 inch a month, it's only going to grow a 1/2 inch a month. Just be patient.

Here is a simple beginner regimen you can use as an example:

• Wash and condition once a week.
• Detangle on wash day.
• Moisturize and seal 2-3 times a week. 
• Deep condition once a month.

Keeping things simple will help you get a better idea of what works and what doesn't, without having to weed through a bunch of products or a lengthy regimen.