How To Look After Your Hair So It Grows Long And Luscious - Seven Easy Tips

Megan Fox with long luscious hair

Do you ever wonder why your friend's hair is long, shiny and natural looking, whilst yours looks overworked and dry. It can be really frustrating when you feel that you spend so much more time over your hair than she does, but hers looks much more natural and in better condition. Maybe the answer is in just that, perhaps you are trying too hard to treat and style your hair. We recently read a brilliant survey on a blog which had asked it's readers who considered that they, or their friends, had great hair to share their secrets, and their seven top tips are listed below. Maybe if we all follow them we will have long, shiny flowing locks like Megan Fox who is notorious for her hair care regime which keeps her long hair red carpet ready.

  • Shampoo sparingly - shampoo your hair at the most every other day, or even limit it to two or three times a week to keep it from drying out. If you have oily or greasy hair then try to get used to washing it every other day using only a mild shampoo, like Johnson's baby shampoo - you will start to see the difference.
  • Change around your shampoos and conditioners - hair likes a change of product, and it doesn't like the same thing all the time. The best recommendation is to choose a few different shampoo formulas which you feel address any specific needs you have, such as a moisturising one, a clarifying one to remove product etc, and then switch them around each time you shampoo. This prevents a build up of one product on your hair and should retain your hair's moisture balance.
  • Don't brush your hair to often (or at all!) - use a wide tooth comb to get rid of any tangles after washing, but if you do need to brush your hair then use a natural fibre brush and brush gently - this will gently brush the natural oils from your scalp down the hair shaft.
  • Let your hair dry naturally - we are all addicted to using hair dryers and straighteners, but our hair isn't addicted - in fact it hates the high heat that makes it brittle. Constantly using heat on your hair may actually be making it more frizzy, which in turn has you switching on the straighteners every morning. It's a vicious circle which can be broken girls - you just have to be strong, and let your natural style shine through. Your natural waves are probably a lot more attractive than knife straight hair which is suffering from the burning heat of your GHDs. To encourage waves use a diffuser with a gentle heat setting.
  • Have a regular trim - for long hair don't leave it any longer than three months. It's always a temptation if you are trying to grow your hair to leave it without a visit to the hairdresser, but nothing looks worse than ragged, split and breaking ends.
  • Only colour your hair if you really need to - most women with perfect hair don't dye it as it is infusing the hair with chemicals. The texture of your hair changes immediately and this is particularly apparent when you try to comb it through when it is wet - it tangles much more easily. If you have greys consider having subtle tones put through your hair to disguise them, rather than an all over colour, and particularly stay away from bleaching.
  • Treat yourself well and take your vitamins every day - better still eat a healthy diet that is full of vitamins and nutrients. The mineral silica nourishes your hair and makes it stronger and you can find it in rice, soy beans and green vegetables. Also calcium is a great supplement for bones, nails and hair.