Growing Your Hair: Tips & Tricks

I am currently in the long and grueling process of growing my hair out. I cut my hair back in January to just above my shoulders, and I love it! My hair feels fresher and healthier, and is easier to wash and maintain. But it has come to my attention, that in less than a years time it will be my year 12 school ball, and I'd like to have longer hair. So with my regular salon appointments every eight weeks, a colour and small trim every other time is what I'll be asking for. So I've done a little bit of research on tips and tricks that supposedly help your hair grow, and here are a few that I've trialed and tested.

VITAMINS
I bought the Swisse Hair, Skin, and Nails vitamins from the supermarket for around $9 on sale. I've also found that it has helped strengthened my nails which is a nice added bonus! Vitamin C is full of the growing-strong-hair-goodness, and eating foods such as pineapple, strawberries, kale, broccoli, and capsicum can help drastically. Another is Vitamin D and foods like bananas- which are full of potassium, and spinach, seafood, peas, oats, and other grains can also be beneficial. After almost a months use, I have definitely noticed a difference in my hair.

BRUSH YOUR HAIR
Sounds simple, but brushing your for 1-2 minutes each day helps stimulate your scalp, and ease your hair follicles to produce more hair. Be careful to only brush wet hair with an afro or wide tooth comb, and gently, as wet hair tends to be more weaker and can snap easily.

EAT MORE PROTEIN
Not only is protein good for your body, but it's also great for your hair! Protein foods contain material building elements that help boost your locks to grow long and strong. Plus your body will be saying "thank you".

COLD RINSE
After applying a good deep conditioner to your ends, not your scalp, rinse your hair with as cold as possible water. A cooler water temperature helps to lock in the moisture and seal ends for prevention of them splitting.

AFTER SHOWER CARE
Now I don't know about you, but I'm the kind-of-person who cannot stand wet hair dripping down my back after a shower. I flip my head over (cue Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair") and wrap my towel around into a turban-like sculpture. What I've recently discovered is that if I wrap the towel slightly looser, my hair is less knotted together, and therefore is easier to comb.

MOROCCAN OILS
I've personally never been one to jump on the hair oils band-wagon! I've tried many at the hairdressers and friends houses, but never found the right one for me! But if your fortunate enough to find the right one, then it can drastically repair and seal the ends of your hair.

STRESS & THINGS TO AVOID
Stress is one little nasty pasty that tends to pop up into our lives when we feel like we've got too much on our plate, and this can take a huge toll on our hair. Thinning and hair loss is a direct correlation to stress. Things to avoid are things like shampoos and other hair products containing silicone, sulphate and other harsh chemicals. We read the back of our food labels, so why don't we read the things we put on our face, hair and body?

STAYING HYDRATED
Make an effort to drink those 6-8 glasses of water a day! Not only does it do wonders for your skin, and staying prompt during the day, but it also helps with the growth of your hair. I try to stick by this one as it's a quick and simple thing to just drink water.

HEAT
Try the "boho" look out, and give your hair a break from the straightening and curling. Even if it's as simple as letting your hair air dry, every time you aren't using those styling tools and blow dryers, your hair is recuperating and replenishing. Braids are a great alternative to using heat and are super cute and easy to tie in with your wardrobe all year 'round.