Are you a person who has long hair, doesn’t care attitude? Compared to short hair, long hair is more prone to tangles, dryness, damage, and discoloration and requires more attention. But with the fast pace of our lives, caring for long and flowing locks can be troublesome. But by following some simple tips and making changes in your lifestyle, you can care for your long hair naturally.
In this article, we present you with 15 quick and practical tips you can incorporate into your daily routine that will maintain your long hair healthily.
Best Tips to Maintain Long Hair:
Here is the list of the practical tips you can follow to get luscious locks that can stand against rapunzel.
1. Cleanliness Of Hair And Scalp:
Cleanliness plays an essential part in maintaining a healthy body, and the same goes for your hair. Your scalp needs to be healthy as it impacts the growth rate of your hair and creates a perfect environment for your hair to grow. To make your hair stronger and lessen hair loss, you need to start taking care of your scalp, resulting in nutrients and blood reaching the hair follicles (1).
Get rid of the oil, dirt, and product buildup by washing your hair with gentle shampoos. Stimulate the hair follicles and increase blood flow during the shampooing process by massaging in circular motions.
2. Oiling Tips:
Who doesn’t love a good oil massage? A good oil massage is considered one of the best remedies to help your hair grow longer and offer relaxation (2). Oiling the roots of your hair rejuvenates the dead shafts and helps your hair grow long and strong by providing the sources with nutrition. To promote hair growth, you can use coconut, lavender, or almond oil to massage your hair.
- Warm up the oil of your choice.
- Use your fingertips to apply the oil to the roots and massage in a circular motion.
- Let the oil soak into your scalp.
- Use a hot towel and wrap your head with it.
- Leave it there for at least one hour.
- Use mild shampoo and cold water to wash your hair.
3. Shampooing:
We shampoo our hair’s primary purpose is to rid your scalp and hair of all the dirt and product buildup. But since most of the shampoo products available in the market contain sulfates, you might get prone to breakage, frizzy, and brittle hair if there is excessive use of products that have sulfates in them.
Therefore, to avoid stripping your hair’s natural oils, depending upon your hair type and need, choose a sulfate-free shampoos. To prevent any hair breakage, make sure you are gentle while shampooing.
4. Ditch Regular Pillows:
We all face the dilemma of messy and tangled hair in the morning but did you know cotton pillowcases are the reason behind it? Yes! Cotton pillows leave you with dry strands or flaky scalp since they are more porous than silk, absorbing moisture from your hair.
Use silk and satin fabrics instead of cotton since they are soft and cause less friction. In addition, silk pillowcases preserve your hairstyle for a longer time by ensuring the hair moisture is intact. You can also prevent tangled hair and split ends with the help of these materials.
5. Skip Towel Drying:
Many of us are used to drying our hair with a towel. However, this process increases the chance of breakage if you use rough movements. So instead, you can either air dry it or use a soft towel to pat your hair dry.
There is a high chance of making your hair rough, frizz, flyaway, and tangles if you use bath towels to dry your hair. Instead, use microfiber towels as they reduce the drying time of your hair with their high water-absorbing power, and they are thin.
6. Comb Choices:
Tangles are one of the common issues of having long hair. But you can remove snarls and large knots by brushing your hair daily. Comb your hair from the bottom and then work up gradually to detangle your hair and prevent damage or pulling, especially when your hair is dry. Comb your long and beautiful hair with a wide-toothed comb to avoid injury.
To distribute the scalp’s natural oils throughout the hair, use boar bristle brushes. For better blood circulation, brush your hair before bedtime, and this is one of the best long-hair sleeping tips. When compared to dry hair, wet hair tends to break easily, therefore avoid brushing your damp hair.
7. Diet Should Not Be Neglected: (what to include?)
Along with the external factors that play a role in maintaining your hair consuming nutritious food is essential. Diet should not be neglected, and here are some tips about nutrition for long and thick hair.
- Vitamins: You can prevent hair loss and premature graying of hair by consuming foods rich in vitamins B, C, D, and E (3). Foods rich in these vitamins are green leafy vegetables, avocados, almonds, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, egg yolk, citrus fruits, and liver.
- Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids hydrate and nourish your hair with essential nutrients promoting hair growth (4). Some of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, avocados, and oats.
- Protein: Lack of protein in your body can lead to hair loss since hair follicles are made of protein (5). Therefore include eggs, legumes, yogurt, and fish into your diet to maintain long hair because they are rich in protein.
8. Trim Your Hair Regularly:
Trimming your hair regularly is one of the efficient yet straightforward hair care tips for long hair. Although it might sound counterintuitive, regular trimming can help eliminate the breakage and split ends from your hair, helping it thrive. To promote healthy hair growth and ensure minimum damage, trim your hair every six to eight weeks.
9. Choose Herbal Products:
Irrespective of the length of your hair, shampooing is an essential step. But the market is flooded with products with many harmful chemicals that cause more harm than good in the long run. It is detrimental to your hair health when there is prolonged exposure to such chemicals.
So, instead of chemical-laden products, choose mild, lightweight, and ayurvedic products that hydrate your hair without causing harm. You can also use hibiscus leaves to prepare a homemade hair cleanser.
10. Don’t Color Your Hair Too Often:
Hair color is something people have become comfortable experimenting with, irrespective of age and gender. But many of us are baffled with questions about whether hair coloring is safe for hair? Although several natural hair coloring options are available in the market, they might cause damage when used too often.
If you still want to experiment with colors, limit chemical-based products and use mehendi or henna instead. Henna nourishes, conditions, and gives your hair a beautiful hue.
11. Keep An Eye On Your Hairstyle:
We all love to try different hairstyles, don’t we? But ponytails or similar hairdos can lead to hair breakage since they create stress on the roots. So, to avoid tension on the cuticles, try loose hairstyles, and it is one of the best ways to care for long hair. You can showcase your beautiful long hair by either tying a loose top knot or braids.
See More: Hairstyles to Grow Your Hair Long and Strong
12. Avoid Hot Showers:
We all yearn for hot showers, especially during winters but did you know steaming hot water can damage your hair? Yes! The hot water has steam that weakens your hair by opening the pores. The heat also absorbs all the natural oil from your scalp, leaving it dry.
So, instead of using scalding hot water to wash your hair, use cool or lukewarm water. Use cold water, especially when you are cleaning a conditioner. This step will make your hair soft by locking in the moisture.
13. Avoid Blow-Drying Too Often:
Blowdryer is one of the standard instruments found in every women’s styling accessories list. However, using the blow dryer can make your hair rough and brittle when used in the hot air option.
Air dry your hair as much as possible instead of using a hairdryer. This is one of the tips that will help you in taking care of long hair.
14. Keep Yourself Hydrated:
Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the healthy and efficient ways to make you grow long hair naturally. On the other hand, dehydration in your body can lead to brittle, frizzy, and limp hair by making your skin and scalp dry. Drinking an adequate amount of water can affect hair health since it contains trace elements like zinc, iron, calcium, and copper.
15. Reduce The Usage Of Hot Styling Tools:
Although straighteners and curling irons can give you stylish-looking hair, they can also damage your hair with overuse. You need to cut down the use of these tools because they tend to reduce the shine and thickness of your hair.
Make sure to use a heat protectant if you cannot avoid heat styling altogether. This product ensures you have a sleek and frizz-free hairstyle by forming a protective barrier on the hair shafts.
Summary:
So, by following the simple tips mentioned in this article, you can strengthen and beautify your hair. Avoid damaging your hair as much as possible and implement proper food and sleep habits for efficient results. Consult a doctor if you have excessive hair loss despite following these tips. An accurate diagnosis helps you prevent serious issues.
