Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something.
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Long hair. Some of us crave it. My hair is now longer, but in this photo I wore extensions to get my shoulder length hair to be the look I wanted. |
I began my hairdressing career in 2004 and from that time I feel like I have heard it all. As a licensed professional there is nothing better than being told by clients a) how to do your job or b) that they know better than you (and your mentors, instructors, textbooks, licensing exams) or that your knowledge is incorrect.
From my time working in salons I have heard quite a lot of myths from misinformed clients. There is one type of client I have had in my chair that confuses me the most. The girl who believe her hair can grow to a certain point and stops growing. Those people you know who you are.
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‘Who me?’ Yes. You. |
The thing you should know about hair growth is that your hair is in a continual cycle of phases. About 90% of your hair will be in the Anagen or growth phase. The other 10% will be either in Catagen or regressing phase and Telogen, the resting phase. On top of that there are many different factors that can affect your hair growth and the health of your hair. Things like your health, age, medicines, your diet, and how much sunshine you are exposed too. Ever heard of a Vitamin D deficiency? Its very common in England. Then of course theres alway the factor of heredity. I have known a few friends who were blessed with always having very strong and very long hair and nails that grew like wildfire. It is in there genes.
So back to the client who is telling me her hair touches her shoulders and then it all stops growing. Though there are many kinds of hair loss, including after pregnancy, this is not one of them. If it was I was I would have heard about it. It is also not a disorder, which I have gotten most recently from a woman as part of her defense for my ignorance in hair growth.
Your hair does not have eyeballs. So it cannot say ‘hey I am now to her shoulders, we must all stop growing now. Heaven forbid she gets long enough hair to do this!’ (See image directly above). If you were to shave your hair at that point you would see that your hair is still growing a week later. It works just the same as the hair on your legs. If you dont shave it, it will keep growing.
Aside from what was mentioned earlier there are other factors that can affect your goal of getting longer length of hair. This includes how well you take care of your locks.
1) SHAMPOO: If you are using a really harsh shampoo and using it every day you have higher risk for less than awesome looking hair. I honestly believe that washing your hair with shampoo should happen no more than twice a week. The in between times you use really warm water in the shower and scrub your scalp well. I suggest natural shampoos free of chemicals, but to go the ‘sulfates free’ route if you are choosing a shampoo from your stylist or salon.
2) TRIMS: This can go both way. If you skip your regular trims because you want to ‘keep all your length’ you risk losing more length in the process. Why? Split ends. The truth of the matter is split ends can split faster than your hair can grow. So chew on that for a while. However if you are getting regular trims and you do not see your hair getting any longer it could be a case of too much of a good thing. Either you are getting your hair trimmed too frequently and/or your hair stylist is cutting off too much in the trims. If you wait forever to get your hair trimmed and then do it just twice a year you probably see less growth because more has to be taken off due to the health of your ends.
3) TOOLS: Basically anything you do to your hair affects the growth. It is sorta like how people say ‘everything will kill you’. Everything can damage your hair, including twirling it around your finger. Your hair is dead once it leaves the follicle, despite the snazzy advertising campaigns of shampoo and hair product companies. Heat can be the worst. So if you are a slave to your hair dryer and other heat tools you may want to second think that if you want to grow your hair longer.
4)WET TO DRY: Do you brush your hair when its wet? Your hair can stretch so much longer when it is wet than when it is dry, which means breakage. You honestly should never let a hairstylist use any sort of brush in your hair until your hair is 70% dry. A wide tooth comb and your fingers is good enough until your hair gets to that point. Then switch to brushes.
Honestly there are so many factors that can affect your hair it may take a little time to tweak things in your life and see how it changes things over time. I do not blame you if you were under this assumption that your hair can only grow so long and then it just stops. But lets be real.
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Image found from Tumblr not sourced. |
If you are feeling a bit bummed about this shocking truth, here is a funny image I found about how girls react to getting their hair cut. It is funny because it is true.
So if you want long hair and you cannot wait you can always go the extensions route. It is what I did and I am not ashamed to say it. I only wish I had known about it before. 😉 I currently do not wear them now because my hair has caught up with them so its kinda pointless. Even if you do not wear them daily, it can be fun for special occasions and nights out on the town.
PS. COCONUT OIL. I swear by it. Best thing for your hair and for growth.
Q: Hit me with your hair and beauty questions, what do you want to know?