Tips for growing your hair

[Sugarcloud]

Recently Ive realised that my hair is thinning and as you can imagine its really upsetting me! My mum has very thin hair and i want to do everything i can to avoid the same happening to me.

Over the last few years Ive had 2 kids and my hair has been the last thing on my mind, so most mornings i give it a quick brush and throw it into a high ponytail. Sometimes I go a few days without washing it, and I thought this was a good thing but I've realised that whilst Ive been cutting down on the shampoo, having it constantly tied up has done much more damage than shampooing it would have

I also tend to like my hair a little shorter than shoulder length, problem is i have to blow dry and straighten it to make it look decent,but again... more damage.

Now I've decided to grow it out, even though it doesn't look as great one me, it does mean i can let it dry naturally. Here are somethings I'm doing which really seem to be helping a lot, its been about 3 months since I've started and it has really started to improve. Please add any tips you might have

- Got rid of my old crappy hair brush and replaced it with a tangle teezer. It's a bit pricey, but seriously the best brush ever!!! I use to lose so much hair brushing, I think because it would break the hair, especially when blow drying, this has definitely cut down heaps. I also got a boar bristle brush but i think i might be a bit allergic to it because i got pimples on my scalp which ive never had.

- Tried the no poo method for about 5 weeks, have now started using a sulfate free argan oil shampoo. Both seem to have helped.

- Coconut oil deep treatment once a week (my new obsession!!! LOL see my other post all about coconut oil)

- Tiny bit of argan oil on the the ends only (i have oily hair) on damp hair after washing.This stuff is awesome, it lets me air dry without any frizziness.

- I don't blow dry unless i absolutely have to. It getting really hot where it am so it air dries really quickly.

-I leave it down as much as i can. If I really need to tie it up i let the pony tail out as soon as i get home, or as soon as i can.

The next things I'm planning on doing is getting rid of chemical hair dye and using henna instead, it it wasn't for my greys i would dye it at all. Ive been using Garnier Olia over the last year or so, its been nice but i feel it might me contributing to the thinning, heaps of people online have been saying this too.

So let me know if you're growing your hair out, what has been working for you?

 

[Dana ♥]

i don't know if i'd say i'm growing my hair out, so much as i've always had long hair and i try to keep it that way.

my hair is just past fingertip length right now, although it needs a trim.

i don't own a blow dryer, avoid products with silicone, dye my hair every so often when i can't stand the roots anymore, and generally wear it up in a bun most of the time, around the house.


i've never heard of the "tangle teezer" but i imagine it is like the "knot genie" i've got, but rarely use. i never brush/comb my hair when it is wet, and it really only ever tangles on the very very ends where the worst damage is... i use my fingers to untangle those knots.

 

[Sugarcloud]

Wow Dana your hair is so long!!! I would be happy just to get it down to mid back length. Do yo use any special shampoo or conditioner?

 

[Dana ♥]

 

[Sugarcloud]

Thank you Dana, I will definitely look into getting a satin pillowcase, heck I might get some satin sheets too while I'm at it

The shampoos you mention I don't think they sell here but I will have a look around. Ive been using an argan oil shampoo and conditioner form Aldi, its been pretty good, but they only sell it every so often so I'm looking at trying a natural coconut oil shampoo from Biologika next

 

[Dana ♥]

ohhh, sorry, i totally forgot you're not in the US!

the V05 is, essentially, one of the cheapest drugstore shampoos.

the purple shampoo from Sally's is simply meant to tone down the "brassy" hues in blonde or gray hair.


... i used to love to use satin sheets in the winter, they're so nice and warm with a nice thick blanket! they're not always practical, though, and blankets/pillows will slide off if you're not careful. my husband doesn't like them, so i just use the pillowcases now.
but i've used satin pillowcases pretty much my whole life.


but a satin pillowcase is a small investment (less than the cost of most shampoos/conditioners/fancy treatments/etc) and is always my best suggestion for anyone wanting to be kind to their hair.

 

[mom2dolls]

Take Biotin! I recently chopped about 6 inches off my hair and regretted it instantly. I started taking Biotin and drinking enough water, my hair has been growing like crazy.

 

[Sugarcloud]

Mom2dolls I have heard about Biotin and wondered if it worked good to hear it does! I will have to look into it a bit more

Any info you can tell me about it? Maybe side effects you've had or things like that?

 

[Windblownhair]

-I'm on the henndigo train myself. I love love love the color of henna, but it's hard to get the right tone on my skin.

-I take biotin and multivitamins daily. They certainly have sped up my hair growth. And no side effects

-I alternate between no-poo and CWC. Much as I love CO, I also like my hair feeling squeaky clean, particularly after working out. CWC is a good compromise for me.

-Coconut oil on my ends.

 

[Sugarcloud]

Hi Windblownhair (p.s. love the name

) Im really excited to try out henna and indigo really soon, but nervous too. And tips or advice you can offer? Im planning on buying a pre mixed combination from an online Australian suplier (Henna Moon) which is in the colour "Warm Medium Brown" made up to 1 part henna and 1 part indigo, although i was also considering "Rich Dark Brown" 1 part henna and 2 parts indigo, but im worried the indigo might come out too dark? What has your experience with indigo been?

Will definitly have to try biotin give it some help from the inside as well as the outside

I've never heard of CWC, just googled it, condition-wash-condition? Might have to try that out

As for the coconut oil, a couple of days ago i left it in my hair over night for the first time and shampooed it out in the morning, OMG awesomeness

my hair dried naturally and was all wavy and shiny and volumised.

 

[Windblownhair]

Aww thanks

So excited you're trying henndigo! I've done both 1-step and 2-step henndigo. When I first started, I did 1 step because I was worried that the color would come out too dark. 1-step really did prevent that from happening. The downside was that I could see the indigo washing out by about week 2. It never washed all the way out, but it did visibly lighten.

I spent the next couple years playing with the henna:indigo ratio and trying to get the perfect color. It was a lot of fun, although the lightening did get to me. After that, I decided I wanted to go even darker. I've switched to a 2-step henndigo. It does take extra time, but the indigo sticks to my head really well. No fading I only have to touch up my roots.

At any rate, there are pluses and minuses to each. I'd recommend starting with a 1-step if you're worried about going too dark. Easier to slowly change your ratio to get the exact color you want.

CWC is great. Conditioner on ends only, then shampoo scalp, rinse, then condition again (usually with a thicker conditioner. Its the perfect combo for me- soft ends and clean scalp.

Hehe I love that you're on the coconut oil boat. That stuff is amazing!

 

[Sugarcloud]

Thankyou for the advice!! The thing that worries me the most is im starting to get heaps of white hairs and I wonder if when the indigo fade my white hairs will look bright orange?!

Do you find that henndigo (lol i feel like im part of a club saying that word

) is very messy or stains you bathroom heaps? We are having our bathroom renovated and hubby is already freaking out my new hair colour plans is going to ruin everything

Yes the coconut oil has become by new best friend I love using it as a moisturizer though it is very oily ( and i use quite a bit beacuse my skin has been super dry lately) i use it all over before bed right after my shower and it is making my skin so soft!!

 

[Windblownhair]

Hehe! Welcome to the club

From what I've read, adding a bit of salt to the indigo helps it stick to gray better. I don't have any gray(yet!) so I can't speak from personal experience.

I've never stained my bathroom with henndigo. I go back and scrub out my shower as soon as I'm done, just in case. I imagine henndigo would need to sit for a few hours before it could manage to stain anything. I do have my henndigo clothes and towel and pillow case, because I put the henna on right before I go to bed and wash it out when I get up. I've never had any big spills or anything, but it does take care of the errant drip here or there.

 

[Sugarcloud]

Ok thanks for the tips!! Im really excited to try it out I was thinking of waiting a few weeks so the current colour in my hair can wear off a bit first just in case there is some weird colour result

 

[mom2dolls]

No side effects from taking Biotin.

 

[Sugarcloud]

I like the idea of the 2 step process if it means less fading. Do you think its possible to acheive a medium brown colour like that or will it only turn out really dark?