How do you keep your long hair in good condition?

[TheRhythmlessCarolMan]

I'd really love to grow my hair to about mid-boob length. It's reasonably thick, reasonably straight hair that comes just above my armpit at the moment. I wash it and blow dry every couple of days. It needs a trim but I want to ask all you long-haired (on the head obv.!) stylish MNetters how you keep your luscious locks in good nick??

And what hair cut do you have? Straight cut? Layers? I have layers at the moment. How often do you get it cut?

I googled. So if it’s in a buff it isnt loose!

I'm a hairdresser and I had a short Bob 2 years ago, my hair is now nipple length. I only started focusing on growing it out in March of this year (when it was mid shoulder length) so a good 4-5in longer than 10 months ago.

To start go to a hairdresser and tell them to take off all of the dead bits. After that a trim of just the dry/dead/bitty ends every 6-8 weeks.

I only wash my hair a maximum of twice a week. I really do try and go for once but if I have places to go then I will wash it twice.

Minimal heat styling. I mean minimal as in I never ever blow dry and only use straightening or curling tools about twice a year.

Never brush when wet.

Use hair protecting styles to sleep in - Learn how to style overnight (plaits, rollers etc.)

Oils on the tips of your hair each morning.

A decent massage and scrub when you do wash your hair as it stimulates blood flow which of course stimulates growth and hair renewal. Also brilliant for the scalp to keep it in good condition.

Do a double shampoo and leave conditioner in for as long as you can to give your hair plenty of time to soak up the moisture. Leave in conditioners are even better.

The aim is to keep the hair as strong as possible which means keeping it moisturised, away from heat, not handling it when wet and regular one length trims. Feathering is also very good but takes a very long time so not many hairdressers want to do it.

Just to add, regular hair cuts don't make the hair grown any faster. It just prevents breakage and damage going further up the hair shaft. A regular trim of the very ends is the only way to prevent this from happening.

That is why you get so many people with extremely long hair who are absolutely convinced every single stylist in the world wants to make them bald.

They don't, your hair is broken and horrible because you don't have it cut and that is why they recommend you get so much cut off, because your long hair is actually dead, broken and can not be styled because it is too weak.

Never brush when wet? Blimey if I didn't brush my hair after it's been washed it would end up in a terrible Bridget-Jones-after-the-convertible scene hairdo.

Really? Even with a tangle teaser?

Thanks so much for the advice though. Piling ends sounds good.

I'll have to look into bedtime styles to wear.

I'm also off to google what a buff is...

Not piling, oiling!

How exactly does hair soak up moisture.... my understanding is that hair is like nails .., dead keratin what’s it going to soak up ?
Personally I think diet is everything. Look at the Middleton women’s hair they are like a pair of red setters with shiny coats, that’s what the best diet produces

I’ve got long-ish hair which tends to get dry if I don’t keep up a decent hair care routine. My hair is naturally very wavy so I’ll often let it air dry, especially now I have a baby. I use keratease shampoo and conditioner normally, recentlyt bought Liz Earle and loved it.

I use a mask every week without fail, Sisley is my fave but is very pricey. Cheaper options: Keratese and H’suan (from lush).

I also use R&B from lush on wet hair to de-frizz the curls and use bumble and bumble thickening tonic (although my hair is already v.thck).

I take Biotin to strengthen my hair.

I wash it twice a week if possible. No more than 3 times a week if needs must.

I love the Aussie hair oils for the ends and don't blow dry it from wet. I wait until it's slightly damp from air drying and then finish it off.

Your hair is at its most vulnerable when it is wet as the water makes it easier for the hair to be pulled way past it's natural elasticity. This causes snapping and breakage and leaves the hairs cuticles (outer layer) broken which lets moisture leak back out, which in turn makes the hair weak as it cannot hold onto the vital nutrients and moisture it needs.

Brush your hair before you wash it and there will be no crazy knots or huge bird nest mattes in the back of your scalp

5 each hair strand is coated in cuticles which look like fish scales. The moisture and nutrients seep in and keep the hair strong, however that can't be done when the hair is damaged as the hair strand has 'holes' in it (cuticles missing) which means any moisture leaks straight back out.

Shiny hair is created by blow drying the hair downwards to lay cuticles flat and applying at least 3 different products. I can absolutely guarantee you that the hair you think looks amazing and shiny feels sticky and oily because of the amount of product used.

Personally I think it’s genes. I bleach my hair twice a year (at the hairdressers) wash and condition every day and brush it when wet (i brush conditioner through it). I blow dry it most days and ghd curl it. I always get loads of compliments about the condition of my hair. I think, in those photos, Blake’s hair looks dry and stringy.

• Never brush when wet? Blimey if I didn't brush my hair after it's been washed it would end up in a terrible Bridget-Jones-after-the-convertible scene hairdo.

Really? Even with a tangle teaser?*

Brush when dry (unless it's curly), comb when wet if needbe.

I think that too about Blake’s hair in those photos. Someone upthread posted a photo of their hair, lovely thick, healthy hair with bouncy large curls in it. That looks healthy. So much better than blakes.

Also, Kate M wears hair extensions.

Never brush when wet? Blimey if I didn't brush my hair after it's been washed it would end up in a terrible Bridget-Jones-after-the-convertible scene hairdo.

I rarely brush my hair to style..but do give it a good brush before I wash...seems to help with entangling etc

ILoveMaxiBondi - really, well I can understand that, my hairs never been the same since children

I use oil on the ends and do the mumsnet haircut occasionally

A good quality diet rich in foods such as avocado, oily fish and nuts and a normal BMI are also necessary for healthy hair. I have a history of bulimia and calorie restriction and definitely see a difference in the quality of my hair when my BMI drops below 20. It gets particularly thin and sad at 18. You see a lot of very slim celebrities with thick, luscious, glossy hair that is hugely unrealistic for your average person, never mind someone with such a low body fat ratio.

Topically, regular hair cuts, minimal processing like bleaching, chemical styling (perms, straightening), colouring, heat styling and no tight styles like pony tails that cause traction at the scalp and friction on the surface of the hair.

What's a mumsnet haircut?

Oh and those photos of blake's hair- for me they were a more realist target for me rather than styled-to-oblivion hairdos. But yes the photos posted upthread by pp of their own hair are gorgeous! I guess I identify with blake's hair texture which is a little like mine. A bit fly-away whispy and volumed.

What's everyone's opinion on curly ends vs. straight clean ends? I'd imagine curly ends hide a multitude of sins more than a razor sharp finish. But then this would of course make the actual hair quality worse.

Does Kate M wear hair extensions? Oh.

If you see a very slender person in the public eye with very thick and glossy hair, they are almost always wearing extensions/tapes/hairpieces to bulk out their own thatch.

It’s a disappointment but makes sense I guess. I love my protein shakes as I think they have more chances of getting the required nutrients into me than my idea of a meal but still I’m far from shiny and swooshy