Growing out long hair

Are you trying to grow your hair long, but with frustrating results? Be patient, and take care of your hair, and it will grow. Hair typically grows about half an inch a month. To help your hair grow as fast and as healthily as possible, it's important to avoid damage to your hair and to give your body the nutrients necessary for hair growth.

The first thing to consider is the current health of your hair. Look at your ends - are there many splits? If so, consider trimming your hair to get rid of them. If there are only a few, you may be able to cut them out individually. Invest in a pair of scissors designed for hair (obtainable at any beauty supply and not expensive) so you can cut your hair cleanly. There's little point in making the effort to treat your hair better if it will break anyway from pre-existing damage. Splits will travel up the hair shaft, eventually causing the strand to break. If the ends break off, it will seem as if your hair is not growing.

Always treat your hair as gently as possible. Rough handling will cause split ends and hair breakage. Putting your hair up, as soon as it is long enough, will avoid damage from causes such as wind, getting caught in purse straps, seat belts, etc. For different ways to put hair up, see our 'hair styles' posts on this blog, or visit our website Art for Hair. Be gentle when brushing your hair, and don't use a comb or brush with sharp parts or a molded comb with a rough 'seam' in the middle. Start brushing at the ends of your hair and work your way up towards your head. If your hair is long enough, consider putting it in a quick, simple three-strand braid at night. This really reduces tangles in the morning. You could also use a satin sleep cap, and satin pillowcases to help stop damage and tangles from hair rubbing against coarser cotton pillowcases.

Try to extend the time between hair washing, and do not brush your hair when it is wet, as hair is more delicate when it is wet. Experiment with different shampoos and conditioners to find ones which really suit your hair (we'll discuss hair washing in another post soon) - everyone's hair reacts to different ingredients in different ways. Don't rub your head with a towel after washing, as this will knot and tangle hair, increasing damage on brushing. Avoid blow drying and use of heat (for example straighteners) as much as possible.

Hair will not grow quickly and strongly if you do not give your body the nutrients it needs. If you do not eat a balanced diet, a multivitamin will ensure that you receive daily vitamins and minerals. Nutrients such as silica, biotin and MSM benefit hair, and there are special 'hair vitamin' pills that contain these and other ingredients to ensure healthy, strong growth.

Styles 2 - The Flip

This is a different way to put hair up in fun, casual style. It uses one hair stick only. It takes some practice to get the tension right, and will not work if done too loosely. Done correctly, it should hold all day.

Hold hair back in a ponytail (do not use a hair band). Hold a hair stick vertically on the left of the ponytail.

Rotate the hair stick clockwise so it is horizontal, bringing the hair down behind the hair stick.

Continue rotating until the hair stick is vertical again, but now pointing upwards.

Now rotate the hair stick by bringing the decorated end upwards, until the stick is horizontal again, as if you are going to push it into your head.

Continue bringing the decorated end up until the hair stick is again vertical and pointing downwards.

Push the hair stick down through the hair until it looks balanced and feels comfortable.

Styles 1 - Simple Cinnamon Bun

This is one of the simplest ways to put hair up using hair sticks. It is suitable for hair which is shoulder-length or longer. You can use a single stick or a pair, or even a hair fork. Depending on the hair stick(s) used, this style is suitable for any situation, from formal office wear to special occasions or weekend casual wear.One hair stick should be all it takes to hold this style; the second stick provides decoration and helps hold if you have very thick or long hair. If you like, practice with a pencil first and remember to always hold the 'stick' part of a hair stick and don't use the decorated top to manipulate it.

Follow these instructions to easily put your hair up in a cinnamon bun:

First, pull your hair back and hold in a high-ish ponytail. Do not secure with a hairband, just hold it.

Next, keep hold of the base of the ponytail with one hand, while twisting the tail into a rope. It may be easier to let go of the base of the ponytail now and use both hands to hold and twist the tail.

When the twist is fairly tight, it will feel like it wants to wrap around itself. Start coiling the tail around the base of the ponytail.

Continue coiling your hair around and tuck the ends under the outer coil.

Now take a hair stick, and insert it horizontally (as if you are going to push it straight into your head) into the outer coil, at about the 1 o’clock position. When it touches your head, rotate so that it is now pointing diagonally downwards, towards the 7 o’clock position.

Slide the hair stick down through the bun, taking care to ‘weave’ it in and out of the scalp hair and bun hair, so that the bun is held onto your head.

If you like, insert a second stick for decoration and to help hold the style. This stick can either be parallel to the first, or diagonal to form a cross.

A hair fork can also be used to hold a simple cinnamon bun.