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I've been growing my hair out for a year and a half and caved in to get a trim because of damaged ends. I swim a lot and am outside a lot, so lots of damage. My hair would get snagged and in knots at the end when I tried to comb it, even after conditioning.
In the long run, how do you guys help avoid/curtail damaged ends? I think my stylist trimmed about 2 inches.
Hey, Carter,
Two inches' unwanted trim blows...that's about four months' growth! Sorry you had to go through that.
Most here will recommend tying your hair in a bun or knot, close to your head, any time you're engaged in some activity where it is likely to get snagged. Some kind of head covering (in addition to tying it back) also helps.
If you're bicycling or motorcycling, the consensus seems to be that braiding is about the best as a bun will interfere with helmet wear. A braid will prevent tangling in the wind better than a ponytail. I'm guessing that this is more critical on a motorcycle than on a bicycle; I bicycle with a ponytail and don't experience much tangling. I'm also guessing that your hair is not quite yet long enough to braid, in any case...
When you do get tangled ends, most of us find that pulling them out by hand is the best way to prevent damage. You can then comb and/or brush after getting most of the tangles out with your hand. But always try to comb/brush gently!
I also swim; I've learnt to wet my hair with cool water in the shower, tie it up, and then cover it as well as I can with a silicon swim cap in the pool. The cap won't keep your hair dry, but since you've wet it with fresh water first, the chlorine supposedly won't attack your hair to the same degree in the pool. Of course, washing and conditioning it afterwards is a must. If I were swimming daily or near-daily, I would research the most gentle shampoos available.
Hope this helps and keep it growing and flowing!
Don
This post reveals: I've been growing my hair out for a year and a half and caved in to get a trim because of damaged ends.
So you want to know what the new Long Hairs do and experience? I guess that I qualify in this respect. Older Long Hairs (those with long hair not matter the age) have forgotten the little ins and outs of growing their long locks kinda sorta like they arrived simply by sliding on the ice since back then only hippies and the like had long hair and nobody had a real plan. So in protest now 9 years ago I had my then hair style buzzed and then I shaved the first time since I had retired from the Army (ya Queers in the Army) and I started to shave my head for 6 long years. In retrospect I wasn't caring for my hair (possibly even myself at the time) and my stylist really wanted to help although that didn't work out; I just couldn't work the magic that she had done. One day in June, which will be 3 years ago this very June 2015 I just stopped shaving my head. I had met up with a hot leather daddy with hair to his belt in full leather drag. Oh he was the man my mother warned me about. Trust me the sex was great and I loved it when he would purposely drag his hair across my back or with a flick of his head cover my face. So I just stopped shaving really quickly I knew that this was what I wanted to do. The shaving had gotten old anyway and there were just to damned many of us with shinny bald heads. I started to spend a lot of time using Google to learn how to care for long hair which is what I had decided to do when it came natural that I loved the feel of hair on my back. Google is very inventive so what you ask for is helpful and could be inventive. The first post that I read was what to expect in the first year basically to do nothing was the posters hypothesis. The post that I have saved in a folder said split ends are going to happen, changing shampoo in the first year is not necessary and don't use baby shampoo that is asking for trouble. I learned in addition later that Coconut Oil on the ends will slow down or stop the split ends and it is a leave in natural conditioner so now coming on 3 years I use a very small amount warmed to body temperature with my hands it liquefies easily and comes in a pint jar from the grocery. I use it about 1 time a week and before I exercise with a hair cap riding my inside trainer bike for about 1 and 1/2 hours of pedaling. Then with the sweat I just rinse and naturally condition but don't normally use any shampoo I am now using Aveda for baby fine naturally wavy hair. I am also ingesting 1/2 ounce of Cold Pressed Olive Oil every morning. I weigh the oil using a kitchen scale. The taste well the taste is manageable to I hope I can get used to this crap which I have. Olive Oil was the only way that I could get the oil to the roots of my hair and not about 5 months into this system I am noticing hair that is shinny and it does seem to be growing somewhat faster. I don't wear my hair in a pony tail at least not right now I hold this to a future discussion with myself. I have noticed that when I finger through my hair the tangles come out easier and I have as I probably started this post that I have not had any trims other than my full beard since starting this journey 3 years ago. The use of Coconut Oil helps to soften the hair especially when you have a lot of body from waves and curls. My hair hangs longer and just water on the fingers brings back the body naturally. I don't use heat at all during these 3 years. When you consider a new shampoo and conditioner watch for the products that contain Coconut Oil those that do use it seem to have a good handle on the effect even when they don't crow about it. I hope that this might help the readers.