help me get it long puhleeezzz

hi everyone... i have shoulder length hair... i want to grow it really long, but my hair is not cooperating...i had it last trimmed on march, i think (just one inch off the edges), and i feel that it has not grown an inch after.

i guess one problem is that my hair breaks easily. i have tried lots of shampoos for "falling hair"...but it only results to my hair becoming more frizzy!!

when my hair is dry, it looks thick, because of the frizziness, but if you actually gather it in a bun, or when it's wet, it's very thin. i guess that's another effect of the brittleness of my hair...

btw, i do the traditional wash and condition method...and i shampoo everyday...is it helping or actually doing more damage to my hair?

what should i do?

many thanks in advance

Every day is a lot of washing, in my opinion. Every day is 365 times a year, and more than 2000 washings in the lifetime of a single hair. If your hair breaks easily, it would be best to minimize handling it. Hair is most fragile when it is wet.

These links go into more detail-- it's not a lot of threads but it will get you a jumpstart on minimizing damage. Hope this helps!  

Do you do clarifying rinses? If your conditioner has silicones then you will want to clarify often to prevent product buildup. Buildup often causes breakage, starting with breakage at the ends. Either your hair is breaking at the ends from buildup, or it's the combing method. Do you detangle from the ends and work your way up?

Frizz is best solved by quitting shampoo: by switching to the Conditioner-Only method or using C-COW-C

Hugs

Anais

There's no "recommended" frequency for CO washes. Some people CO every day, others CO once a week. The best thing to do is start CO'ing as often as you shampoo, then gradually decease.

HTH

Anais

wait when I'm not COing I should be using my normal shampoo?

I'm semi confused...

should I be washing my hair ever day when I take a shower, or like 3 times a week (CO method)... or do you mean do CO 3 times a week and the other 4 days I do normal shampooing... thanks!

P.S. I'm trying the CO idea and my hair is still frizzy and "independent".. how long does it take?

thanks, anais...

i tried the CO today, and still the hair is FRIZZEEEE...ugh...should i wait it out till i see results? or immediately change my brand of conditioner?...good news, though, is that i think i have less falling hairs and breakages for a change...maybe i should really minimize the daily washing...and use less shampoo...

before CO, shampooing was scary because i would be having these clumps of hair on my hands. this morning, it was less...hallelujah

many thanks again...

Frequency of washing is dependent on YOUR scalp's needs. Some people alternate between CO and shampoo. They shampoo when the scalp gets too greasy to be cleaned with just conditioner. Over time, the scalp adjusts to CO and produces less oil. When you incorporate CO into your routine, it's totally better than what you'd have with only a shampoo&conditioner wash. Really, you can't go wrong.

It takes about a month for CO to make a visible difference. But.... I think you'll be finding less split ends and less dryness before the end of the month, as well as less shedding.

another idea for shampoo - dilute it in water before applying.

HTH

Anais 

Anais,

how do you apply the diluted, cheap conditioner... I made the roostertail thing, and everytime I try to apply it, it's so diluted that half of the stuff spills out of my hand before it gets anywhere.

Also, when applying the conditioner (normal, nondiluted kind), it's just to the roots of my hair, right? And shedding for me occurs during the conditioner part, rather than the shampoo (maybe because I use Pantene?), but I welcome because I think it's a way of de-thick-ifying my hair, heh.

I hope I wrote the directions right.  The conditioner-shampoo-diluted mixture is to be done in a squeeze bottle, like an old ketchup bottle. And the last conditioner should be applied to the hair's ends and the hair's length. Hope this helps.

Anais

Whatever works for your lifestyle. Tea works nicely too if you just need a quick rinse.

Anais

Cone users are strongly urged to clarify, either with a "clarifying shampoo" or a vinegar rinse, but non-cone users should also clarify (although less regularly). Perhaps every couple weeks or so would work well for you? The vinegar smell should also go away after your hair is dry, You could also try a vinegar that smells slightly different, e.g apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, etc.. there's lots to choose from. Keep in mind it will still smell sour, since all vinegars are similar.  

People like to do their rinses differently. ... I wash my scalp (with CO), rinse with water, vinegar rinse, rinse with water again, condition normally, and rinse again.

Tea rinses work nicely without a water rinse afterwards. Tea rinses tend to work best if it's after rinsing out the final conditioner.

Hugs and faery blessings 

Anais

gee thanks...i guess i really need to do the clarifying rinses because i've discovered i can't live without the cones...but, just how often should i do the clarifying rinses? right now, what i do is to C-COW-C every 3 or 4 days, and the rest of the days is just CO.

hey...hair's definitely improving...thanks a lot...problem is, it's not still growing as fast as i want it...my last hairtrim was march, and i should be due for a hairtrim now, right? but if i do, i would go back to the length that it was last march... which means it grew just over an inch for almost 4 months

what could be wrong?

many thanks again...

Hi Glorya,

Clarify as often as you need to. Every 1.5 - 2 weeks is a good frequency for most people.

Nobody's ever "due" for a hairtrim if they don't want to be. Personally I haven't done a dust-trim or any trim since December. However trimming would be necessary if you are slowly growing out perm/dye/dryness/etc damage, if your ends start to tangle a lot, or they're split ends.

If you don't want to lose any growth, you can always do a dust trim (cutting about 1/16 of an inch off all the ends), or like, 2mm. If you cut it yourself, or get a really meticulous OCD friend to do it, then you can control how much comes off.

HTH  and faery blessings

Anais

hey anais...

whew...i think i would have to avoid the scissors for a while then because i don't think i really have the need for it right now...

hmmm...still working on the patience thing...especially now that i understand why it's taking it ever so slow to grow...

but, just the same, waiting it out has been oh so fun because of all the experimenting on the cones or no-cones, clarifying rinses...dodging the shampoo really, it's addictive...

thanks very much for all the info...now i'm shampooing just once a week. i will try until i go to just twice a month...

all of these routines is starting to diminish my focus on how long it is taking to grow...one day, i hope, i just might be surprised to find it has grown...midback would be my goal for now...when i get there, who knows where my quest for long (AND GORGEOUS) hair would lead me into...

all in all...thanks... 

blessings to you too!

Isn't it fun??  That's how I would pass the time. Finding ways to take better care of my hair and skin, and not just beauty related stuff, but stuff like healthy eating habits and exercise too. That was never true before the decision to grow. Pampering NEVER has a downside!

Hugs, and enjoy the journey.

Anais

re: exercise... i wonder if yoga might do miracles to my hair... i have learned a lot of the asanas and i'm on my way to learning and achieving the more difficult poses...

i just hope it would do good to my hair...just so i would continue doing it...i don't get much exercise (COUCH POTATO!) ... but with yoga, its a much more relaxed, yet fun way to stretch the bones and muscles...

thanks again

The more exercise, the better your blood circulation. And whether or not it helps your hair growth, it's definitely going to make you a happier you  Happy growing

Anais

Hey Glorya,

The best thing is to follow your instincts and experiment until you find something that makes you say ... WOWIE ZOWIE This routine is THE ONE!  If C-COW-C works better for you (or COW-C if you don't need the first step) then by all means go for it.

If you cut back to using diluted shampoo, and if you find that it works better and leaves no buildup/dandruff/gross stuff, then maybe diluted shampoo is better for you WITHOUT adding conditioner.

Again, experiment. Don't forget that you can mix up routines and alternate between two different methods. There are no limits to customizing your routine!

Hope this was helpful

Anais