new thread
Hey friends, I'm a hairstylist and big fan of guys with long hair. Here's some information I can share to help you have the longest, strongest, most awesome hair possible.
1: Remember most people's hair grows about a half-inch per month. So if you're not cutting your hair at all, thats about 6 inches a year. Hair grows faster in the summer, and your hair growth is a reflection of your general health and hydration levels. A healthy diet with plenty of protein and lots of water will give you stronger hair faster.
2: Our hair follicles constantly cycle through three phases. A growing phase (hair strand getting longer) a dropping phase (hair strand sheds out) and a dormant phase (rest period before the new hair begins growing). This cycle repeats over and over for life, and the max length you can grow depends on how long your growing phase lasts. If your growing phase lasts 8 years for example, your hair will never get longer than 4 feet, even if you never ever cut it (see above, #1) This is determined by heredity. Luckily, our hair follicles aren't all synched up or we'd lose all our hair at once, but even so, most people lose about 100 hairs a day from follicles in the dropping phase, and thats no big deal.
3: Curly hair takes longer to get long than bone straight hair. It travels in circles rather than in a straight line. The curlier your hair is, the more likely it is to get "big" rather than "long" but stick it out and you'll get there eventually.
4: The right shampoo and conditioner does make a difference. No matter what you use, lather the shampoo at your scalp only, and just let the runoff clean the ends. Then towel blot your hair really well, and saturate your lengths with conditioner. Comb it through for a few minutes, and rinse it well with cool water. Here are some recommended products for you guys....
For everyone: Nioxin Shampoo #1 and Scalp Therapy #1. This inexpensive shampoo/conditioner was developed for men who are suffering from male pattern balding because it removes the hormone from your scalp that causes your hair to fall out. For those of us who are not balding, it makes your scalp as healthy and clear as possible which allows it to grow the best hair possible. I find this also makes hair growth speed up considerably. Seriously. Leave the lather on your scalp for 5 minutes, and use this particular conditioner on your lengths AND your scalp for the best result. It feels fantastic.
For everyone: Once a month, shampoo with Kevin Murphy Maxi Wash. This paraben and sulphate free shampoo has alpha hydroxy acids which exfoliate your scalp and hair strands. If your hair is frizzy or tangled, part of the problem is raised cuticles on your hair strands. They're like little velcro hooks all down the length of a strand, and they grip onto eachother which tangles your hair. The alpha hydroxys in Maxi Wash will buff them right off and leave your hair nice and smooth.
For hair thats particularly dry, frizzy, or fuzzy: Use a silicone based serum on your hair after you've washed and conditioned it, and again as needed between shampoos. This is not a styling product, but more of a protective sealant that will hydrate your hair and give it a little buffer over ever strand so it wont get ratty. Try Moroccanoil Light, Sebastian Flashlight, or if you're feeling fancy, Oribe Supershine.
Good luck!
nothing terribly new - the existing advice is perfectly good.
Hi Adam,
Great comments, thanks so much!!!
Your advise pretty much matches my partner's advise (who also happens to be a longhair). He went to a So. Calif. Cosmotology school many years ago. Although he didn't complete that schooling, many of the things you've said are the types of info that he has often shared with me (like: rinsing conditioner off the freshly shampooed hair in cool water, etc., etc....)...
I have not tried any of the products that you mentioned; in fact, I've never even seen those names anywhere that I normally shop. I prefer shampoos and conditioners that I can find at health food type stores, or markets like Whole Foods, etc. EO (which stands for "Essential Oil"), and also Avalon Organics (which often can be found even at Trader Joe's) are two of my favorites; but also "Mane & Tail", "Nexxus", and "RedKen" are other companies that I've used in the past and found makes shampoos & conditioners that works well for me.
Another thing that you didn't mention, but which I'm convinced is invaluable for longhairs, is the use of beneficial oil on the hair ends and lower half of a person's mane. The beneficial oils that I've used the most for this purpose are these: Jojoba oil, Almond oil, Kukui nut oil, and just plain old Olive oil. I've found they all work wonders in helping to prevent split ends, as well as eliminate the frizzies altogether; but out of all of the above-mentioned oils, my new favorite is now just good old fashioned olive oil! In addition, the bonus is that whenever I use one of these oils on my hair, my mane feels just plain AWESOME!! It also helps to keep my hair hydrated, makes if feel very very soft, and full of body & shine... and one more thing: ummmm, it helps to save me lots of $$ on having to go to professional hair stylists very often! (LOL)
Thanks again for you helpful advise, Adam, and nice to read all your informative comments!
- Ken in San Francisco
Ken - Olive Oil? That's great! I'm going to have to try that. I've loved evoo in my cooking, willlove it even more in my hair! Thanks
BILL
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the info.
Raymond