Hair FAQ

I’ve been growing my hair out since 2004. It’s taken a long time, because I did a lot of damage to it with the dryer and flat iron etc. but it’s finally getting to be long. I overheard someone at work describe me as “the girl with real long hair” so I guess by some standards it is. In my mind I still have a long way to go. Sometimes people ask me questions about it. I thought I would answer the most frequent questions on my blog and put up a few pictures to track my progress. I hope maybe some of these tips are helpful if anyone wants to learn more about long hair care. Q. How long is it? How long will you let it grow? How often do you cut it? A. Last time I measured (April 2009) it was 28 inches but since then I cut it about 1 ½ inches. The pictures are before the haircut and you can see the ends needed a trim. My goal is 40 inches, which will be just above hip length on me. I’ve been getting it cut about twice a year. Q. Is it hard to take care of? How long does it take to dry? What products do you use? A. Recently I have changed my hair care routine significantly, having become better educated about habits conducive to growing healthy long hair. You can get away with a lot more abuse if you are cutting a few inches every 6 weeks but I’ve come to realize that if I want the ends to look nice then I need to take better care of them. Here’s my basic routine: No silicone products. These coat the hair making it impossible for moisture to get into the hair shaft.

No heat. I miss the super straightness from the blow dryer and flat iron but it was really killing my hair. Now I wrap it in a bun to dry and it comes out with smooth waves. Unless it’s really humid in which case it frizzes – Bleh.

Wearing it up more. Wearing it up protects the hair from damage of sun, wind, getting tangled catching on things and breaking etc.

Coconut oil. Yep, the kind you find right in the cooking oil section of the grocery store. I apply a little to the ends each night. Once a week I use quite a bit all along the length and scalp, leave it in overnight and then wash it the next morning. My hair is coarse and thick and can handle that much moisture, if you try this start with a “less is more” approach.

No chemicals, I don’t color, highlight or use chemicals perms/straighteners.

Apple Cider Vinegar rinse once a month to clarify any residue and make it super shiny. As for products, I use Alberto V05 shampoo. Currently on sale at CVS for 77 cents! Specifically I am using the Passion Fruit Moisture Milks shampoo/conditioner. I think I’ll try the strawberry one next. After a lifetime of trying expensive products, I tried these at the recommendation of a long hair message forum I am on. They leave my hair soft and shiny. The only downside for me is that I don’t like beauty products to smell like food and all the VO5 products have food kind of smells (fruit, vanilla, green tea etc.). I don’t miss the high price of my old Aveda products and these products work better but I do miss the more sophisticated herbal smell (Aveda Shampure smells like heaven in a bottle). Now Will says my hair smells like jr. high! My routine is pretty simple. I wash about every three days. I do the deep coconut oil conditioning before every third wash. I bun it to let it dry. At night I braid it to keep it safe and out of the way. I try new buns and up-do’s if I have time. I’m looking forward to getting some new hair pins and sticks so I can do fancier buns and things. If it is down or in a pony tail it will dry in about 2 hours on its own. If it is up it takes about 8 hours to dry, if it is braided I think it would mold before it ever dried! But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. I Corinthians 11:15