How I maintain long healthy hair! My routine and more
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It’s no secret that people are often quite taken by women with super long healthy hair. I know this for a fact, since I tend to get compliments when I walk around in public with my hair down!
And I have to say, having long hair has in some ways become part of my identity, since it’s been this way for so long. My hair has been at least down to my waist since I was seventeen!
Well, amongst the compliments from strangers, I also get my fair share of questions about how I maintain my long hair.
“How did you grow it so long?”
“What do you do to keep it so healthy and long?”
“How long did it take you to grow it?”
So naturally, I thought, why not make a post about it, featuring all of the hair-related frequently asked questions I receive!
FAQ #1: How long did it take me to grow my hair?
It took me time to figure out a good answer to this question, lol! This is because my hair has been this long for a while, and I do cut it or trim it every now and again (though not that often!). So, what I tend to tell people is the following.
If you look it up, hair grows an average of half an inch per month, so that comes out to around six inches per year. Since my hair is around three feet long, that would come out to six years from root to ends.
But see, most people are wondering how long it would take them to get it that long, and usually they’ll already have some amount of hair to start with!
Let’s do some math…
So, if you’re wondering how long it would take you to grow out your hair, get a general measurement of the distance between where your current hair ends and where you’d like it to end. Divide by 1/2 and that is how many months you can expect it to take!
So, if you want your hair to grow ten inches, ten divided by 1/2 is twenty, which is twenty months.
Of course, hair rates do vary from person to person. Especially if you have health issues, such as hypothyroidism, this can greatly slow things down. And it can be hard to tell how fast your hair is growing. But, I’d say if the hair you shave (such as leg hair) grows back to a stub within a couple days, your hair probably grows at a normal speed!
FAQ #2: How did I get my hair so long?
This one has a simple answer… I got my hair so long by… drum roll please… NOT cutting it!
I know, unexpected, right? Seriously, though, that thing people say about “trimming your hair makes it grow faster” is a bunch of bs. True, trimming your hair will minimize your split ends and thus keep the ends healthier for long-term growth. However, in my opinion, you shouldn’t have split ends to begin with!
I remember ironing my hair straight in middle school and, let me tell you, I can still vividly see the smoke coming off my hair at times. Okay, maybe my technique wasn’t so great, but the point I’m making still remains: heat is bad for your hair!
Less is more for growing out your hair!
I never blow dry, straighten, curl, or do anything to my hair which involves heat. I blot it dry with a towel upon getting out of the shower and let it air dry. I don’t even own a hairdryer!
And thus… I don’t have any split ends. Even with super long hair that hasn’t been cut in over a year!
I also only wash my hair once a week. Yes, it does get greasy by around day four or five, but I see my hair’s oils as a natural conditioner and simply do up-dos for those days, such as the nautilus bun (hands down the BEST and easiest bun for long haired girls!) or a half-ponytail.
Frequent washing and braiding
I will say that, when I first had long hair, I washed it every day and I really think this took a toll on it. I used to also braid it every time I washed it to get it to dry in waves like this:
However, I found that, over time, both the frequent washing and braiding seemed to take a toll on my ends. They would gradually thin out, until my hair was very thin at the ends and I would feel it was time for a hefty trim. See how skinny my braid was at the end in this next pic?
Don’t get me wrong, it still looked pretty when down, but I think the over-braiding (and tightly at that) plus the extra washing was what got my ends unhealthy. Nowadays, I braid less frequently and more loosely and my ends have never been healthier!
FAQ #3: How do you keep your hair so healthy and long? Let’s talk about my hair routine!
Ah, I’m so excited to get into my hair routine! And that’s mostly because I keep it as simple as possible.
I wash my hair once a week
As I told you guys already, I only wash my hair once a week. This allows my natural oils to condition my roots for a few days and gives my hair a break from being stripped with shampoo too frequently.
Hot water itself can also be drying, so keeping my hair up in a bun while I’m in the shower and not getting it wet goes a long way to keeping it healthy!
I DO use a sulfate shampoo
I’m going to say right away that I have tried the no-poo method and, unfortunately, it did not work for me. I just have too much oil production and couldn’t get my hair adequately clean with any non-sulfate method.
I currently use this shampoo bar in addition to this Dr. Bronner’s soap bar to wash my hair. I simply rub the shampoo bar into my scalp, followed by the soap bar, get it super lathered, massage my scalp, and rinse.
Important note: I only let the soap get into my roots and hair near my head. When I rinse the shampoo, I hold my ends up and out of the path of the suds and water, thus keeping the soap as far away from them as possible. The ends of my hair need as much oil and conditioning as they can get!
Apple cider vinegar rinse – an absolute must if using this shampoo!
If you use a shampoo bar or ordinary soap in your hair, you’ll notice they leave your hair squeaky clean. This squeakiness is the residue from the soap left in your hair, and can make it dull over time. This is why I always keep a quart-sized mason jar in the shower along with a bottle of apple cider vinegar.
I add just a half inch of vinegar to the jar and fill the rest with water. I dip my ends in there (just in case any soap got on them) and then pour the rest over my head, massaging it into my roots. I rinse immediately and my hair then feels smooth instead of squeaky!
My favorite conditioner
I struggled for a while to find a silicone-free conditioner that I liked. I tried conditioner bars, but wasn’t a big fan. Finally, I gave Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle conditioner a try. I was happy with the ingredients (they seemed pretty natural) and I absolutely love how my hair does with it! I think the protein in there must really help my hair or something.
When it comes to protein, I stumbled across this internet rumor: If you’re unsure whether your hair needs protein, take a strand from your brush and pull, waiting for it to break. If it breaks without stretching, your hair likely has too much protein. If it stretches a LOT and then breaks, it likely needs protein. If it stretches just a bit, it’s probably got a good balance.
Does it work? Not sure, but my hair does the stretchy thing so maybe that’s why it likes the protein!
I let my hair dry naturally and don’t use products
If you want long hair, do not let heat anywhere near it! I gently blot mine with a towel when getting out of the shower and simply let it air dry. I do also gently brush it when it’s wet since I like the way it dries once brushed.
In addition to air drying my hair, I have stopped using any styling products. I don’t use gel, mousse, hairspray, or anything. I like to stay away from the chemicals in these products anyway!
I only gently style my hair
In addition to using no styling products, I am also very careful to not stress my hair. The nautilus bun I do often is kind to my hair, as it only uses a hair stick and I am careful not to make it too tight.
I also no longer braid my hair every time I wash it and, when I do braid my hair, I do it rather loosely to keep stress on the strands to a minimum. Over the years, my braid got thicker and healthier at the end!
I am careful with my hair
I sort of feel this one should go without saying, but I try to be careful with my hair. If I’ll be out in the wind or swimming, for example, I braid it to keep it from getting unnecessarily knotted. Braids are lovely for this purpose! When I brush my hair, I go relatively slowly to avoid ripping through any knots and breaking it.
Keep in mind, a strand of hair that is 2-3 feet long has taken around 4-6 years to grow that long! It takes time for hair to grow, so treat yours kindly and you’ll keep the ends healthier!
I use a boar bristle brush
Another secret to long healthy hair is using a boar bristle brush! Boar bristles are natural and, unlike plastic, they absorb your hair’s oils from the roots and transfer them through the length of your hair to its ends.
I wash my boar bristle brush in the shower every week when I wash my hair. I figure hey, if I’m going to wash my hair, I better also wash the brush that will be touching my newly washed hair! This helps keep my hair cleaner between washes.
Boar bristle brushes also tend to accumulate a ton of lint which is hard to remove. I like to use a little flea comb designed for cats to pull the stubborn lint out of mine before I wash it!
A few extra things to note
Before wrapping up this post on my haircare routine, I have two more things to note.
Potential benefit of eating healthy and taking supplements
First, my diet changed radically four years ago due to my diagnoses with an autoimmune thyroid condition. I eat a ton of meat (protein) and I avoid anything toxic like the plague. I never eat out and always stick to a whole foods diet. I can’t say for sure, but I definitely think this way of eating has helped my hair! It’s thicker and healthier than ever.
I also supplement with omega fish oil, iron, vitamin D3 and other vitamins every day for my health.
Don’t be afraid if your hair falls out sometimes!
Second, I want to mention that at times I notice I’m losing more hair than at others. Though I still hate when this happens, I try not to worry, because it is not consistent hair loss.
I remembering reading an article about an early 1900s opera singer with floor length hair. She was giving her haircare tips, and what she said here really stood out to me:
One thing which I find disconcerts some women, and is even a matter of grave concern, is that, at times, their hair falls out. Mine does, too. Sometimes, indeed, it comes out almost in handfuls. So much has come out that I have a great big box full of these “combings.” I never worry about it. I know from experience that just as the hair falls out, so it grows again. It is the law of nature.
Aline Vallandri
This gave me great comfort to hear from a lady with floor-length hair! (It’s also funny that they used to keep their hair when it fell out… Apparently they would use it to stuff their hair and add more volume! Clearly a lost art…)
In conclusion…
Well, now you know all my long healthy hair secrets! Honestly, the secret is really just doing less to your hair.
Don’t cut it, wash infrequently, no heat styling, etc. Just leave it alone and let it grow! I know this can be hard, but try to embrace your hair’s texture and color and let it be natural. Natural is healthy! As soon as I started to do this, my hair grew like crazy!
If you have any questions or would like to share your hair experiences, please do comment down below! I’d love to hear from you!
Wishing everyone luck with all things hair-related!
