5 Quick Tips To Grow Your Hair Long

Ever wondered what it takes to grow super long hair besides patience? Read on for my 5 top tips and tricks.


GET A TRIM 

1. Yes I am afraid you will have to get a trim to rid yourself of split ends to stop your hair splitting up the hair shaft. Once your hair is cut you can get a micro trim ( just the very ends dusted) when needed. If your hair is in good condition you don't need to trim every 4-8 weeks. Cutting your hair every month is counter productive as you are cutting your growth . Hair grows on average 0.5 inches A month. I can trim my hair twice a year. 


PATIENCE IS THE KEY TO LONG HAIR

2. As your hair grows 0.5 inches a month that's 6 inches a year (or 15cm). It can take years to get long locks. Get busy and you will soon forget about wishing for long hair. you will reach your goal before you know it. 

CUT OUT THE BLEACH AND HEAT

3. Yes I am sorry but super long hair will be faster achieved if you can cut out the hair dye and heat styling. Avoiding chemical treatments and high heat on your hair will help prevent breakage and split ends. Try to use your hairdryer less and let your hair air dry once in A while

EAT YOUR GREENS

4. A good diet is not only key to A healthy body but also your hair. If your diet is lacking your hair will be the last place to get the nutrients. A balanced diet in vegetables, fruit, fats, proteins  and whole grains is A great start.

CONDITION AND OIL

5. Moisture is your best friend. Invest in A good conditioner and oil. You don't have to spend a fortune I love brands from the drug stores. Using oil on the mid lengths to ends will really help with sealing in the moisture helping to prevent spit ends, I find using oil on damp hair gives great results.

Wearing  A Beanie is A great way to Cover up roots if you want to stop the bleach to grow long hair.

What Make's Dandruff Shampoo Work?

Dandruff is a condition that affects a lots of people and there are a lot of choices out there to help clear up the problem but have you ever wondered what makes your anti dandruff shampoo work?




Pumpkin seeds contain Zinc

ITS THE ZINC IN YOUR SHAMPOO

 

Our scalps are constantly renews its skin cells so the old cells die and flake away. When you suffer from dandruff it takes days rather than months for your skin to shed. The faster rate of shedding skin cells is what causes these annoying white flakes.

 

 

 

Dandruff is a type fungus only found on the scalp everyone has this and it is a yeast called pityrosporum ovale. 

 

Zinc Pyrithione is the active ingredient in your your anti dandruff shampoo, this inhibits the fungal cells from dividing and causing you a flaky scalp. Zinc Pyrithione soothes the scalp helping slow down the fast turnover of cells.

 

 

 

IS YOUR DIET CAUSING YOU DANDRUFF?

 

Could be that you have a Zinc deficiency. As Zinc Pyrithione is the active ingredient in anti dandruff shampoo it will only soothe the scalp. If you suffer from a Zinc deficiency. 

 

Foods rich in Zinc are in Pork, Beef and Poultry ,chickpeas and peanuts to name a few. A healthy diet will promote a healthy scalp. If considering Zinc vitamins always consult your Doctor first.

 

 

 

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

 

Your scalp could also be irritated by products that you use on your scalp from hairsprays to essential oils. Stress and yeast infections can also contribute to dandruff problems. If you are worried its best to contact your doctor. 

 

 

 

OTHER ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

Zinc Pyrithione is not only the active ingredient found in products, they work in the same way by slowing down the shedding skin cells;

• Coal Tar- shampoos with a coal tar base
• Selenium sulfide shampoos- this can discolour bleached blond or coloured hair
• Salicylic acid- this can cause a dry scalp and possibly make your dandruff worse.

 

 

Citric Acid for Hair?

So admit it we have all tried it right, wanting your hair colour A little lighter in the Summer by adding some pure lemon juice in our hair.





This is how I like to use my Lemon!

Pure Lemon juice (Citric Acid ) will dry out your hair as it opens up the hair cuticle and can leach any minerals out of your hair leading to breakage stripping out moisture and changing your natural hair colour . This works by the acid in the lemons and the UV rays and acid oxidation.

But Citric Acid isn't all bad it does have some purpose too. Citric acid is used in shampoos to bring the pH levels down in shampoo and helps remove soap scum . This helps to the hair follicles lay flat giving your hair a smooth and shiny appearance. Citric acid also hinders bacterial growth in your favorite shampoo.

• So the pH levels of Lemon and your hair and shampoo and water are;

• pH levels are as follows 7 being neutral. Any number before 7 is Alkaline and any number before 7 is an Acid.

• Shampoo pH of 5.5


• Lemon (Citric acid) pH of 2


• Hair and skin as a pH level between 4.5 and 5.5


• Water pH level of  7

Mixing lemon juice in water will bring the pH balance down but this depends on how much water to lemon juice is used.

So to conclude should you use Lemon in your hair as a rinse? This is up to you but I would water it down a lot. Citric acid is used in shampoos and will give the the same results / similar results as a Lemon or Vinegar rinse helping the cuticles lie flat. But the shampoos have been tried and tested. As for putting on pure Lemon juice to lighten hair is a risk I would not want to take.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate how much so you use?

So what is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? 

(SLS), SLS is an inexpensive chemcical added to shampoo and cosmetics to generate lots of bubbles and lather. This a cheap chemical is also found in your toothpaste, engine degreasers and house hold cleaning products. But does this mean that this product is bad?

SlS is a surfactant which means that it is a cleaner that sticks to a surface and cleans it. The molcules in SLS are hydrophilc (loves water) and hydropobic (hates water). This two forces work together, this is why it makes it such a good degreaser, as these two forces the water hating (hydrophilc) and water loving (hydropobic  plus the act of washing your hair loosens the dirt and grease and gets suspended it in water, which rinses out down your drain. 


But have you thought about this? Could you be washing your hair too much? SLS is  good at removing dirt and grease. The shampoo adds will always encourage you to wash your hair daily. Have you read on the back of shampoos most bottles say suitable for frequent use. But have you questioned what is frequent use to the individual consumer? Some people will wash their hair every day, some once a week or some people every other day (such as myself). So could your reaction to SLS just be that you are washing your hair too much?


So how much SLS is in your shampoo? it could be as much as 15% , this is depending on different brands and different laws and guidelines. Does this 15% pose a risk to your skin ?  Firstly the concentration of of SLS is a lot less than what would be in floor cleaner. This product will irritate your eyes and skin and some people will have a genuine reaction to SLS, this could be due SLS's high alkalinity and to foam heavily. Foam is not needed at all to clean your hair it just is makes the product more appealing. 

Traction Alopecia

Traction Alopecia is a condition that causes hair loss this is caused by excessive pulling and tension on the hair and scalp. If the problem is not addressed it can lead to irreversible hair loss.

This is a preventable condition if you look after your hair and scalp properly and follow these tips;

• Avoid: Wearing very tight hair styles such as ponytails , cornrows and tight braids can cause damage over time by the constant tension  and tugging that is put on the hair and scalp. If it feels too tight or uncomfortable this could lead  the development Traction Alopeica.

• Avoid using hair extensions, this leads to pulling of the hair due to the weight of the extensions, These extensions if applied with glue are removed with acetone!  This not only will damage your hair but can also damage the follicle .

• Avoid regularly colouring your hair, the reason being that the chemicals used will dry out your hair leaving it dry and brittle and prone to breakage. For example if you were to bleach your hair and add in extensions with glue your hair and scalp will have more stress put upon it, this could lead to unwanted bald spots on your scalp.

The best thing for your hair and scalp is to just learn to love your hair as it is. This will give your hair a chance to recover and repair itself. So no bleaching , use of heat tools or extensions are needed. The less you do to your hair the longer your hair will be in the end ,and the less chance of permanent hair loss.

What is Isopropyl Alcohol?

Isopropyl alcohol is a solvent. It is also a denaturant that changes another substances natural quality. It is a petroleum -based substance.

Isopropyl alcohol has a powerful drying affect on the hair and skin. In some cases it can cause
the hair to become brittle and split. Isopropyl alcochol is used in hair products (such as hair
spray) to increase the absorption of other ingredients into the hair follicles. This ingredient mainly is found in hair dyes and rinses.

Moisturising shampoos and products may also contain Isopropyl alcohol to aid the absorption of the conditioning ingredients, which can make your hair dryer than it was before due to the alcohol content.

Brazilian Blow Out and the dangers of Formaldehyde

So what is a Brazilian Blowout? And why is it bad for you? This is a process straightening the hair using chemicals, this product claims to protect the hair by adding a protective protein layer round the hair shaft resulting in smooth straight glossy hair . Sounds great doesn't it? The problem with the product is that it contains dangerously high levels of Formaldehyde.

This is a known carcinogen. Customers and Hairdressers have suffered a number of reactions, these include eye and nervous system disorders, chest pains, vomiting, rashes and respiratory problems. Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, and Germany have banned the Brazilian Blowout due to Formaldehyde.

The scary thing is that Formaldehyde is used under different names for example. When Methylene glycol is heated up it produces Formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde can also be found in shampoos under the ingredient name called Quaternium-15. This is a preservative that kills bacteria by releasing Formaldehyde. Both of these chemicals can cause rashes and potent allergens to the human body. Formaldehyde is also found in other beauty products particularly nails varnishes and nail hardeners.