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Hi, Im 19 years old, and in November Ill finally finish my highschool years (school shedule in my country is different than US's) anyways, this means I can finally let my hair grow. The max Ive been able to let it grow has been 8 months, after that I have to cut due to school rules, since now that won't be a problem, I completely made the decision to let it grow. I want some more than shoulder length, not waist though..
I also decided that if I was going to have the patience and the time to let it grow, I might as well take some damn good care of it. so I need some tips on taking care of my hair, because the last thing I want is really dry hair that will almost look like wires lol.. my hair isnt curly, but it isnt completely straight either.. its kinda in the middle. I also want to know if using hair gel is really bad for having good healthy hair.. the thing is that my hair tends to go kinda crazy after around 4-5 months, like Itll kinda start growing to the sides (even though Im not curly) and I have to apply large amounts of hair gel to be able to keep it stable.
thanks
Daita
by the way, forgot to ask.. I heard some people apply oils to their hair.. that way they dont have to apply gel because supposedly its bad to the hair.. any of you know if oil works or if its good or bad on the hair..?
thanks
this is what i recommend..
I would just avoid gels and oils because:
1. personaly I dont like the way gel and oil looks.. it makes your hair look slimy sorta
2. it can be rough on your hair if you use it daily
3. it tends to crystalize and turn white :(
that said here is what you need to do for shiny healthy thick hair
- everyones hair is different so get a shampoo that works for your hair. try diferent brands out. if your hair is naturally dry, try a moisturizing shampoo.
- if you have a dandruff problem i highly recommend head and shoulders.
- i am really against the concept of shampooing once a week or every couple days. unless your hair is really dry you should have no problem shampooing daily. this will make your hair look much cleaner which looks much better. im a bit of clean freak but this is more sanitary.
next is conditioner..
try to condition every day or so. this will help prevent split ends and gives your hair vitamins. like shampoo, try different brands. i'd just avoid the really cheap stuff. however you dont have to spend tons, stuff like sauve is afordable and works good.
so basically here is what you should do in the shower
1. wet hair
2. lather in your shampoo for 2 minutes.
3. rinse
4. lather in conditioner for 2 or 3 minutes and focus on the ends
5. rinse in cool water - i find this helps.. refreshing in summer, worth it in winter imo.
trims:
if you end up with lots of split ends go to a place like hair cuttery, salon, just not the barber. ask to get about 0.5" inches trimmed. some people recommend doing this every 3 months. but you really dont need to unless you get split ends.
you will probably want a trim anyway just to even things out. if you want to set urself up for much longer styles in the future, try getting a bob type look. trim your side burns, your neck, and the hair on the side of your head until it is all one length. this will let your bangs grow out.
make sure you tell the stlist you are growing your hair out and you dont want more than an inch (or two whatever you're comfortable with) taken off. hair grows verrry slowly and just an inch off could set you back 2 months.
alright last but not least is general health. if you are unhealthy your hair wil be too.
make sure to:
1. take a daily vitamin (helps lots)
2. exercise regularly (try to get in 30 minutes every day). not only will your hair feel nicer but you will too.
3. eat healthy and make sure you get protein too. protein helps hair grow. you can find protein in just about any meat, beans, milk, etc.
in no time ur hair will be long and shiny :)
thanks! funny you mention the daily shampoo issue because I believe that too, when I shampoo daily my hair is so much softer and feels healthy, even when I apply hair gel.
I use Pantene, this one: http://www.pantene.com/en_US/browse-products/regimen/smooth/index.jhtml both shampoo and conditioner, what do you think? its really a good shampoo.
lately Ive been washing my hair with this shampoo every night, because in the morning I dont have much time to apply shampoo and I figured that if Im going to be applying gel on my hair daily until the awchward stage passes, I might as well shampoo my hair daily. and I really dont have a problem with taking a shower twice a day, since I feel uncomfortable not bathing on the morning and night :)
so I understand the gel damages my hair but Its so impossible to go by the awckward stage without it, any tips on how to manage my hair to not go crazy without using products like gel that will damage it?
I dont know about that all one length hair because Im looking for my hair to look something like this: http://the-light.com/mens/5/full/sptr.jpg (guy on the right) I know I can oull it off because like I said my hair isnt curly but neither straight, kinda wavy..
and an all same length hair would be something like this: http://the-light.com/mens/1/rlg260.jpg ? right?
please correct me Im wrong.. both pictures are probably al same length hair and Im seeing it wrong.
so thanks
Daita
Sounds good.
Well some people need gel to keep their hair under control while they're growing it out. Eventually your hair will be heavy enough to weigh itself down and it'll be alot easier to manage. I don't know much about gel but all I can recommend is buying brand name quality products. The generic stuff is the worst.
Pantene is good, I like it. All about preference but I think Pantene makes some of the best stuff.
As for the pics, all of the guys have pretty much same length hair. Its a little harder to tell when its curly like theirs tho.
Good luck with your hair
alex