Not a day goes by where I don't receive the comment "your hair is really long" as if I wasn't already aware. Yes, my hair is really long. I tie it in my apron, I sit on it, I shut it in my car door, and I break at least three hair ties a day. Having long hair sounds awesome right? Sure it looks cool, but do you really want to go through a bottle of conditioner a week, and deal with brushing it, drying it (aka getting your hair sucked into the back of your hair dryer), and then IF you feel like spending the hour it takes to dry it, spend even more time straitening it? Apparently all of that sounds super fun to people, as the second most common thing I hear is "how do you grow your hair so long and keep it healthy?" Everyone from strangers on Facebook to my customers at work have asked me, and here is what I tell them.

1. Don't cut it.

If you Google "how to grow long hair" probably one of the first tips you will read is "get it trimmed every six to eight weeks." But I am going to have to disagree. If you have decided to make the commitment to growing your hair long, cut off all your dead ends now so it is nice and healthy, and then break up with your hairdresser. The last time I got my hair cut was the summer before seventh grade, I am now a sophomore in college, that is why my hair is so long. I trim it myself once a year, about a quarter inch, and I am not kidding. If you go to a salon and say cut off an inch they'll say but you need six inches cut off, and before you know it everything you have grown in the past three months is gone. If you are getting your ends trimmed every couple weeks you will undo any progress your hair has made.

2. Stop dying it.

If you want to grow your hair, you have to stop cutting it, if you want to stop cutting it, you need to keep it healthy, if you want to keep it healthy, you need to stop dying it. I am guilty of this but I have gotten better. My hair has been every color from black to brown to red to purple to grey back to blonde. Any time I have ever died my hair I immediately regretted it and wanted to go back to blonde. About a year ago I got a nice blonde balayage done that matches my roots and I haven't died it since. I would recommend either a balayage matching your roots or getting highlights/low lights so that your roots blend with your hair so you don't have to die and damage your newly grown healthy roots.

3. Invest in good products

Put down you 79 cent bottle of VO5 and treat your self. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. If you can buy shampoo and conditioner for under $5 it probably isn't doing much good for your hair. Now this doesn't mean you have to go out and spend $50 on a single bottle of shampoo, my drug store favorites are Tresemme naturals sulfate free shampoo and their anti-breakage conditioner. If you don't mind spending a little bit more on hair products I would recommend literally anything by Matrix. Ulta usually has the bottles buy two get one free and you can also usually find them discounted at places like Marshall's and Ross.

4. Stop styling it.

Heat damages your hair! Stop blow drying it and limit straitening and curling to once a week. Braids are my favorite way to get away from the heat. Sleeping with braids in after you wash your hair is an added bonus, hello pretty wavy hair with no effort required. If you must use heat on your hair consider using a heat protecting spray, put your hair dryer on the cool setting, and don't turn your curling iron on to the hottest setting possible.

5. Stop washing it.

Go as long as you can without washing your hair, then go one more day. I know not everyone can get away with this, I am lucky my hair can go a super long time without getting greasy. It gradually gets better with time. Start off washing your hair every other day, your hair will adjust to the new routine of not being washed every day, eventually you will be able to get away with only washing your hair twice a week. Washing your hair gets rid of its natural oils which keeps your hair healthy. Which is also why it is important to use a sulfate free shampoo, sulfates also strip your hair of its natural oils.

P.S. Dry shampoo and hats are your best friend.

Having long hair is the best and worst thing ever. Most of the time it is the worst thing ever, but I just can't part with it. After all, we have been through everything together for the past seven years. I'm not an expert by any means, I just happen to have hair down to my butt. There is no big secret, there is no magic pill or DIY raw egg and mayo mask that will make you wake up with an extra foot of hair. Take care of your hair and your hair will take care of you.

Happy growing!