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tips for growing out your hair

5 Tips To Help Grow Out Your Hair

Figuring out how to grow long hair can feel like a never-ending yet stagnant cycle marked by frustration, hairstyles gone wrong, and more products than we can even count.
23 Feb 2021
To add insult to injury, when it does seem like we’re getting somewhere with slowly but surely growing hair out, we realize our strands are riddled with split ends, which almost always leads to a style-altering haircut.

But growing hair longer doesn’t always have to be painful, and when equipped with the right tips for growing out your hair, you’ll find that the changes you should be making aren’t difficult—or expensive—at all. All it takes is a little patience, the right products, and a trusted hair professional you can count on.

Ahead, check out the hair growth tips you need if you’re in search of longer, stronger hair.

How do I make my hair grow faster and thicker?
Here’s a bit of news: The rate of hair growth has very little to do with what you do to it, consume, or apply to your strands. Rather, it’s almost completely rooted in genetics. Furthermore, the rate your hair grows begins to decrease after the age of 30. But it’s not all negative. In fact, there are quite a few tips to growing out your hair, but you have to understand how hair works first. That starts with realizing that it’s less about how to get your hair to grow and more about how you can retain the length you have.

So what should you be doing if growing hair longer is your goal? Your number one goal is to stop breakage in its tracks—less breakage = longer hair. The best way to do that is to minimize tension from styling, keep heat styling to a minimum, maintain a regular trim schedule, and use the right products for your hair. Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving the long hair of your dreams.

Should I trim my hair while growing it out?
When growing hair out, getting rid of length can seem counterintuitive, but it’s so necessary. Making sure that you’re properly trimming split ends is one of the most important things you can do to retain length. Here’s why: If you don’t cut your split ends, the hair will continue to split upward, which will ultimately result in more breakage. The further the split travels up the hair shaft, the weaker it becomes, making length retention nearly impossible. Furthermore, it makes hair more prone to tangling, which inevitably results in even more breakage of the ends.

But how often you’ll need trims all depends on how you wear and take care of your hair in-between. For those who rarely, if ever, apply heat to their hair, and keep strand manipulation to a minimum, trims every four to six months should suffice for growing hair out. However, if you constantly use heat and opt for styles that require more tugging or tension, you should aim for trims every two to three months. It all depends on your personal rate of hair growth, so consult with a trusted hairstylist to come up with the most optimal hair schedule for your hair.

Who trims your hair is also equally as important. Going to a hairstylist who knows how to care for your hair type and understands your hair goals makes all the difference in your hair growth journey. So do your research and find a professional that you trust, and whatever you do, don’t try trimming your curls yourself.

How should you wear your hair when growing it out?
When it comes to growing hair out, less is certainly more when it comes to styling, especially with heat. The best thing you can do is opt for protective, low-tension styles that don’t require excessive blow-drying or straightening. Excessive heat can weaken the hair shaft, not only risking breakage but also the integrity of your curl pattern. Instead, opt for styles like knotless braids, Senegalese twists, wash-and-gos, and heatless sets like Bantu knots, perm rods, and twist-outs.

Or, if you’re like most of us these days, suffering from a severe case of laziness, you can simply tuck your hair away and not style it at all. Simply tuck your strands away into a silk or satin scarf or bonnet until you’re ready to style your hair again.

What products should I use when growing out my hair?
A clean and healthy scalp is the first line of defense when growing hair out. This means you need to add a great sulfate-free shampoo to your collection. One of our favorites is the Wash Day Delight Micellar Shampoo, which has a gentle lather and minimizes tangles. You should also consider a penetrative hair treatment if growing hair is your priority. The Almond Milk Ultra-Nourishing Hair Mask should be used weekly or bi-weekly on wet hair, sitting for 10-minutes before rinsing.

To avoid the looming risk of breakage, keep the Monoi Repairing Anti-Breakage Spray on hand, using it as a leave-in that can hydrate your natural hair when necessary. Hair oils are another great product to help with maintaining healthy, hydrated hair. They’re handy for the occasional curl pick-me-up and are especially ideal if you plan to take the “let it be” route for styling the hair.

So there you have it, the essential tips for growing out your hair that are realistic, sustainable, and actually work. Now that you know all the tips and tricks to achieving longer strands, learn how to tell the difference between short hair and shrinkage.

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