You’ve put in heaps of effort, you’ve waited literal years, and your hair has finally reached that luscious long length you’ve always dreamed about. Now, it’s time to reap the rewards of your swishy new style and turn your attention to maintaining those precious locks with some noteworthy hair care tips from us.
We’ve used our expertise to compile a list of simple yet seriously effective ways to get the best out of your hair.
From maintaining strength and health from the inside to improving softness and shine on the outside, you’ll be giving Rapunzel a run for her money once you slot these rituals into your routine.
#1. Try Not To Wash Your Hair More Than Twice A Week
We know, the urge to wash your hair every time you sweat during a workout, get rained on, or simply have plans in the evening is all too real. Unfortunately, overwashing is a recipe for dry hair that looks and feels dry, dull, and unhealthy.
While conditioners, oils, and hair masks can help a great deal towards replenishing dried-out locks, you really need to give the natural oils from your hair follicles time to redistribute themselves between washes for truly healthy long locks.
So, instead of washing three, four, or five times a week, try cutting it back to two. You can work your way there slowly, of course, but make it your end goal.
#2. Incorporate Nourishing Hair Masks To Revive The Ends Of Your Hair
Shampoo, conditioner, and heat protectant? You’re doing good. However, if you want to do great things for your hair, try incorporating a nourishing hair mask into your weekly routine too.
Since we only tend to trim the very ends of our long hair on trips to the salon, the hair that remains will see more damage over time. You may notice split or thinning ends forming, you might also feel your hair has become a little flat and lifeless.
Usually, this is simply because longer hair needs more nourishment than shorter locks do. After washing, it takes time for those oils we mentioned to make their way down the lengths. What’s more, by the time they do, you’ll likely be ready to wash it again anyway.
To make sure all of your hair gets the moisture it needs and deserves, use a great conditioner in tandem with your go-to shampoo, then give it a little extra TLC with a moisturizing hair mask once a week. We recommend formulas with shea butter, almond oil, argon oil, vitamin E, and aloe vera to promote healing and shine from within.
We’ve done hands-on product reviews of the Davines Nounou mask and Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair mask.
#3. Use Dry Shampoo In Between Washes
Need a quick and easy way to cut down on those all-consuming hair wash days? A little dry shampoo can save you a lot of time.
As our hair begins to regain its natural oils in the days after we wash it, roots can look and feel oily or greasy making our hair look and feel flat and heavy. We’re also willing to bet you’re not a fan of how that oil feels as you run your fingers through your hair.
Well, instead of resigning yourself to alternate mornings spent furiously washing, brushing, and blowdrying to get it looking voluminous again, try a few spritzes of dry shampoo in your roots for an instant lift.
Not only will it make your hair look and feel freshly washed, it’ll also smell incredible and diminish any signs of excess oil. We find it’s enough to buy you at least an extra day, but depending on your hair type you may get away with two or more days before sudsing up again.
Just remember, like any product, dry shampoo can cause build-up in the hair over time. So, make sure to use it sparingly and not for longer than a couple of days. Excess powders in these formulas can cause the scalp to dry out and become flaky.
#4. Invest In A High-Quality Brush
If you only invest in one hair tool to keep your long locks in order, take our advice and make it your hairbrush. It’s no secret that long hair gets easily tangled and requires a lot more brushing than shorter styles.
With that in mind, you need one capable of working its way gently yet effectively through your hair without snagging those strands or the bristles bending. Do some light research, read reviews, and make your purchase based on the best brushes for your hair type.
Oh, and if you’re still weighing up whether it’s worth spending a little more on your next brush, remember that with proper care brushes can last twelve months or even longer before they need replacing.
#5. Keep Your Lengths Tangle-Free & Always Brush From Tips To Roots
As if you needed another reason to hate having tangles in your long hair, not removing them in the wrong way can actually damage your precious tresses. This goes for hair of any length of course, but it just feels so much worse when there’s more volume of hair (and more tangles) to deal with!
Firstly, remove any tangles before washing because trying to get them out of wet locks is virtually impossible and guarantees some breakage.
Secondly, as you brush them out, go about it gently and with plenty of patience. You can even start by separating the tangles with your fingertips then introduce a soft-bristled brush or wide tooth comb to tease the tangles out. Ripping at them with a hard bristle brush is a no-go and can easily break strands off altogether.
Lastly, always, and we mean always, brush your hair from the bottom to the top. Take small sections of hair at a time, hold them quite firmly to prevent the hair from stretching and snapping as you brush, then work your way gently upwards from the ends to the roots.
We promise you’ll be surprised how much easier the brush works through your hair this way.
#6. Always Use Heat Protectant
Now, this tip isn’t strictly for those with long locks as protectant is a must before applying heat to hair of any length.
That said, since longer hair usually requires holding heat tools on your hair for longer to set a style in place, you’ll want to ensure you’re giving your tresses that added protective layer. Use yours every time you reach for your curling iron, blow dryer, or straightener.
#7. Keep Up With Regular Trims
Those dry, split ends we spoke about before? Aside from making your hair look and feel dry, they can also cause damage to the healthier parts of your hair.
Firstly, as they become drier, they may end up snapping off altogether. Alternatively, they could work their way up the hair shaft causing the affected strands to split in two.
Keeping up with regular trims is a simple and effective way to stop that from happening. It’ll also leave your hair in excellent condition prompting healthy growth for long luscious locks all year long.