How can I get good, shiny, conditioned, long hair?

Question

Ok, so I have medium length tight curly hair. When I blow dry and straightened, I love it but I would love to add extra length. Also my biggest issue is that my hair never seems like it is conditioned enough. I am biracial and I use to get relaxers a lot to make it straight but I stopped for almost 2 years now so my hair wouldn't be damaged. Any suggestions on good shampoos and conditioners that would make my hair more managible, shiny and conditioned? How do I get my hair to grow more, and fast?

Answer 1

Try using a deep conditioner, Garnier Strength and Repair Fortifying Deep Conditioner works great.

Answer 2

use Kenra moisturing shampoo and conditioner, it changed my hair. :)

Answer 3

Don't run out to a salon and get it all cut off immediately! I used to make that mistake and my hair never got any longer than my shoulders! Most hairdressers will just chop it off as they want you to come back regularly so they get paid. Plus, most aren't trained to deal specifically with long hair. If you can't find a long hair specialist, then try the following... (this is what i do and i now have silky, unsplit hair past my waist)

Every weekend cover all the hair lower than your ears in xtra v olive oil (it may smell, but its great!) warm it up a bit before applying and really coat the ends of your hair. Then wrap your hair (a plastic shower cap is good) and leave overnight. Rinse well the next day.

Eat enough meat, fish, eggs and bananas and yet more olive oil (tastes great with balsamic vinegar and crust white bread) and take a multi vitamin if needed. Obviously fruit and veg too!

Avoid lots of caffeine, smoking, alcohol, etc - all the things that are bad for you anyway! Your hair will look healthier if your body is!

NEVER EVER EVER brush/comb wet hair. Finger comb it or use a wide tooth seamless comb if absolutely necessary (ie. if you have thick curls) and keep dry brushing to a minimum. Treat your hair like fine silk and brush/comb slowly and carefully.

Keep it tied up/back during the day or if going out and cover it up in very windy/cold or sunny weather.

Never blow dry, colour, perm, straighten or heat-curl your hair as every time you will damage it a bit more.

Find some good products that work with your hair type. My hair strands are silky and thin, but there are a lot of them. I use Bedhead chocolate hair repair once a week and Bedhead health goddess (a vitamin spray) nearly every day. I vary between pantene and sunsilk shampoo/conditioners depending on time of year. Test a few out and find ones that suit you.

The above should minimise the splits, but if there are some left and you do need to trim them, make sure the scissors are very very sharp and keep your hair in one layer if possible.

When tying it up, use soft material covered bands (I mainly use silk ones) and don't pull it back too tight. Hair sticks are also great if you have long hair and want to try something different. They take a bit of practice to use, but look cool if your going out or have it up for work.

If you do a lot of swimming or sunbathing then try spraying the ends with jojoba or coconut oil before tying it back to protect it.

Hope that helps a bit. Keeping long hair in good condition takes a bit of work (although far less than when I had it cut short!), but with anything that takes effort, the results are worth it! Good luck : )