Lover of Beauty

(Source: allofasuddenimisseveryone, via showmeyours-)

Trying to grow your hair out?

Breakage and split-ends tend to be the biggest villains of hair which prevent it from growing long and strong. Here’s a couple of tips to discuss with your hairdresser or to do at home.

1.   Professional Strength Damage Treatments. At Style Kitchen, we offer a really great selection of one of two Aveda Professional hair Treatments.  These cannot be sold to the public and can only be administered by a professional hairdresser—which is why I love it.  The price is great too—only $15 for a 5 minute spray treatment. I love using this right after a color service—-especially on blondes!

2. Keratin Treatments.  These specialized treatments really help to seal down that cuticle and infuse Keratin into the hair which really helps to rebuild from the inside out.  Ever feel like your hair won’t grow past a certain point? it’s likely caused by breakage/split ends that don’t allow the hair to surpass the point of breakage. I have had this service performed on my hair a couple of times and really feel it was the main reason for my hair’s long length. Here’s a really useful link to learn about the actually science of how it all works for those who are curious:http://bhavehair.com/keratintreatments.html .

3.  Natural Supplements.  Although I have to admit I have never tried these myself, I have heard great things about all natural Hair, Skin, and Nail Supplements.  With the amount of clients I’ve worked with and people I’ve talked to, there is such a thing as someones hair lacking the ability to grow over a period of time.  For example, I have some clients who’s hair after 6 weeks can have an inch - 1 1/2 inch of new-growth and another who may have just a 1/4 inch of new growth in the same period of time.  I often wonder why that is and If there was something people could do about it.  Taking all natural supplements seems to be a logical choice to possibly help accelerate hair growth by starting with a healthy more prepared internal system. I’ve also learned that Biotin supplements could help promote hair growth as well.  I am no expert, and am sure this info won’t solve all your hair growth problems, but I’ve seen it work for some people. What’s the harm in it? If you’re considering it, I would definitely stick to a reputable supplement company such as Nature’s Sunshine. In addition, keeping a greater handle on stress levels can really help prevent possible hair loss and hair trauma—a good thing to keep in mind always.

4. Horse Shampoo.  Caught your attention, huh?  Have you ever heard of the shampoo specifically for horses called ‘Mane and Tail’? I’ve used it before and I don’t know what it is—could be it’s thick coating on the hair—it really helps the hair during the growing out process.  I think what we can take from this suggestion is that a really great moisturizing shampoo and conditioner is the perfect platform for repairing damaged hair and sealing split ends.  Some other great products to try would be the Aveda Damage Remedy line—absolutely a salon favorite! It’s super nourishing and super thick consistency really helps to seal down that cuticle and offer aid to frayed and broken hair.  One of my personal favorites and if you need a more drastic approach, the Bumble and Bumble Mending line. It’s fairly new and offers 4 products that work together to really mend the hair from the inside out. It’s a 6 week regimen that consists of a shampoo, conditioner, masque, and complex which can be used wet or dry.  If Dryness is your issue, the Bumble and Bumble Quench line is perfect for a 6 week plan to repair moisture loss and also help balance moisture levels from the root to tip. Not quite sure if you need that much product? I’d definitely go with the Moroccan Oil Masque. 

5. Get haircuts only when you need them.  A popular question in my chair is whether or not it’s true that you need to get frequent haircuts in order to have your hair grow long. I simply do not agree. I believe that the right thing to do in this situation is to get a haircut every second-third time you have your hair colored, or if you don’t color your hair—every 12-20 weeks. Allowing the hair to grow 2 inches, then trim a 1/2 inch or 1 inch, and repeating, would make more sense.  If you kept getting a trim every 4-6 weeks it would take forever! Now, if you have over-processed blonde hair or super damaged hair, this would not be an easy task. In that case, I would suggest every other time because the more damaged hair that can be cut—the better for the ultimate goal of long, beautiful, but most importantly—HEALTHY hair.  Which leads me into my last suggestion:

6. Stop over processing your hair!! If you go to a hairdresser that places bleach onto the entire strand of hair—from root to tip every single time—she is murdering your hair! I really feel for those blondes who want to be super super blonde and have super super long hair, but i’m here to tell you that you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Especially if you have fine hair.  For those who have coarser or thicker hair, it’s really up to you. Your hair could probably take the heavy highlighting (still not on the ends though), but you’ll need some treatments and at home follow up with a great masque and a good trim every other time.  But again for my finer blondes, not possible.  If being super blonde is the only thing that will make you happy—compromise by adding lowlights, a nourishing toner, or an aggressive damage repair plan.  You should definitely be getting Professional Strength  conditioning treatments and a trim during every salon session, too. Maybe taking it slowly in to blonde would help-especially since the growing process will take some time.  I would really advise consulting with your hairdresser about this tope. Allow her to be honest with you about the real condition of your hair and take what she’s saying into account when you think about your color. If you still can’t live without it—there’s always extensions!!

Because honestly,  What’s the point of having long hair if it isn’t healthy?