How to grow long gorgeous hair

By Editor1SYS | September 16, 2020 0 Comments

Everyone loves long healthy bouncy hair but not all of us can achieve it, here renowned hairdresser Michael Van Clarke (www.vanclarke.com) shares his advice and tips on getting the best from your hair

Healthier hair is often a lifestyle choice. If you are generally fit, a non smoker, have a good balanced diet, you are not going to get better hair than that coming out of your scalp. How quickly this hair dries out or has breakage is very much a lifestyle choice.

We all want our hair to look its gorgeous best, right now. But understanding how some things harm hair and what you can do to avoid them, or minimise the damage, will lead to much better hair quality.

Protection is better than cure! Once the hairshaft starts to break down, this honeycombed protein matrix will find it harder to hold onto water. This will accelerate the breakdown of the protein structure and the hair shaft will age and thin down quicker. Keeping the hairshaft as full and complete as possible is the best protection.

Keep hair hydrated

First it helps to understand how simple hair is. Once the hair follicle leaves the scalp it’s no longer connected to the metabolism so, unlike skin, cannot repair itself. The hairshaft is essentially made of 97% proteins and 3% water. The protein gives it the strength and structure, the water, its flexibility and shine. Take away the water and the hair no longer flexes and bends without breaking some of the internal bonds – which thins down the protein hairshaft, or completely snapping – which thins out the whole head. Keeping hair properly hydrated is so important. The more damaged the hairshaft the less water it can hold. The less water it can hold the quicker it decays and thins further. Try a hydrating hair mask like ‘3 More Inches Lifesaver’, instantly hydrates the hair banishes frizz and fluffiness, giving you smooth hair whilst also protecting from colour fade.

Damage usually starts with dehydration which leads to a brittle fragile hair shaft which then leads to loss of protein structure and thinner hair strands. That loss is cumulative and permanent once it starts, until new hair replaces it. On long hair that can be 3-5 years. Beautiful hair survives perfectly well with its protein and water structure, just needing some support and protection from modern living.

Beware of UV Light, and in winter too

When UV rays penetrate the hair’s outer cuticle, they create highly reactive free radicals which damage the melanin pigment causing colour changes, and attacking the protein structure of the hair, leading to thinning, breakage, and split ends. Whilst SPF has been adopted into many skincare regimes it is neglected still in haircare use an effective treatment with sunscreen for protection.

Poor quality shampoos & conditioners

Cheap harsh cleansers strip the hair leaving it vulnerable. Hydrophobic silicones leave the hairshaft dehydrated and fragile. Choose quality shampoos and conditioners. Some people don’t use conditioners because they’ve experienced heaviness particularly on fine hair. This would certainly have been the wrong kind of conditioner and most probably laced with silicones and heavy oils to give shine. None of our Cashmere Protein Conditioners use silicone, and our Cashmere Protein Volumising Conditioner is the lightest. It gives protection and body without weighing the hair down. Shampooing lifts the cuticle and the conditioner is important to reseal and protect the hairshaft. ‘3 More Inches Angelica Rose Shampoo’, fantastic scent smells like paradise, so enriching, hydrating and velvety too.

Aggressive hairdryer techniques

These can go way beyond just dehydration to actually melting the hair. There is no recovery from that until damage has grown out or been cut out. If you are trying to grow your hair, throw away your nozzle, keep a one inch distance from the hair and stop drying once that section is dry.

Trim ends regularly

Every 3-8 weeks depending on length and style. As the ends decay and disintegrate they look tired and unattractive; also any splitting can travel up the hair shaft if not caught in time, regular trims prevent the need for a more dramatic cut.