Whoever said long hair don't care lied. You spend forever and a day growing your hair to your idea length and no-one quite tells you how it is or you have a selective memory like myself - the tangles, the mini dreadlocks that form while you sleep and all the sheer elbow grease that goes into maintaining long hair.
I've learnt the hard way from getting a tangle teaser stuck in my matted locks to having to get several inches of hair lobbed off, so let me share a few products that should aid those with longer than average locks...
For me a good conditioner is a must and I have tried so hard to find as natural as possible hair products that suit my hair needs and as a result I have found L'Oreal Ever Strong Shampoo and Conditioner to be the best. Neither are particularly heavy or thick formulas so they won't weigh the hair down but they do a great job of nourishing the hair, making it that little easier to comb and of course to protect and repair damage be it past or future. I aim to deep condition my hair at least once a week which involves applying organic coconut oil to my hair before washing and following up with a good dollop of Aussie's 3 minute miracle conditioner - in my book nothing beats it. However a close runner up would have to be RE.Plenish Colour Preserving Mask (or any of their hair masks) , the only problem with this is that it will be too heavy for fine hair and unlike its Aussie counterpart I can't use it frequently without my hair growing tired of it.
Obviously if you are growing or have grew out your hair the ends tend to be a little more fragile than the rest of your hair and need extra TLC. There is countless treatment aimed hair care products out there but for me it is all about Redken Anti Snap - a silky almost leave in conditioner type product which strengthens the hair preventing future breakage and of course hair snapping off, crucial if you want to keep your long tresses. I also rather like L'Oreal Ever Riche Oil Precieux if I am blow drying my hair which is very seldom, this light weight oil not only nourishes the hair but it really smooths down any static or fly away hairs giving a smooth and silky finish - almost garnering a salon style blow dry at home.
As mentioned I try to avoid using too much heat on my hair instead I tend to use surf style sprays to add a little texture and definition to my natural waves. Of course there is the ever famous Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray but for something a little softer both in terms of results and texture I tend to use L'Oreal Studio Line Wave Creating Spray which does require a little heat. I spray this over wet hair, comb through and then pull my hair up into four small buns and quickly blast with the hair dryer. I tend to only use the hair dryer once 80% of my hair is dry, that way the damage is minimal and that it sets the waves which occur once I loose the buns the next morning. As I don't wash my hair daily I do find that Toni and Guy Casual Rough Texturiser works a dream for adding a little oomph into my hair as well as somewhat acting like a dry shampoo.
Sometimes straight hair is all the heart desires and although I do tend to steer clear of heat when possible it is nice to switch things up a little. Since my favourite heat defence spray has been discontinued I have been trying out several alternatives in the hopes of finding something to take its place. At the moment I am rather enjoying Tresemme Pro Shine Heat Protect Mist- a quick and easy spray on heat defence that doesn't leave my hair feeling dry or crispy for that matter, smells great, is reasonably priced and easy to find in the supermarket. Win. My only complaint is that it doesn't openly state the temperature of which it protects up to which can be risky when using really hot styling tools - GHD I'm looking at you.
It's rather bizarre seeing all the products I use at one time - I didn't realise quite so much went into my hair!
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I love this post! I have pretty long hair and you're so right about it being a bit of a struggle to maintain. The only thing that works for me is a tangle teezer and regular deep conditioning, otherwise my hair is a birds nest. I use the Ever Riche intense conditioning mask, it's fantastic to use on the ends of your hair. Definitely going to get my hands on the Redken now though, it's looking too good to resist! xx
ReplyDeleteGreat post< i am also growing out my hair and I know how hard it can be. I have super fragile hair and every now and then I just want to chop it all of and give up on my dream of long hair. Lets hope I can resist the scissors!!
ReplyDeletehttp://allaboutevesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you for the tips. I have been trying to grow my hair out for years and it seems to be stuck in the same spot and has been for quite some time. I do flat iron my hair a few times a week and know that's bad for it but I don't see any other way to style my hair without looking like I have an afro. I use heat protectant mousse as well as a pre-flat ironing spray so hopefully that's not too terrible. This post was great! xx
ReplyDeleteI love aussie! Such great products.
ReplyDeleteAmeliaRose | Beauty Blogger
Agree...long hair are high maintenance...I swear by L'Oreal and Tresemme products...Loved your haircare stuff too hun :)
ReplyDeletewww.beautynbuzz.com
Just the post that I needed since I decided recently to grow my hair out. Everybody has been raving about the Redken Anti-Snap, so I did buy it over the weekend and I'm excited to try it out :)
ReplyDelete-Nita
xsimplynitax.blogspot.com
Glad its not just me with the mini dreadlocks..
ReplyDeleteThe next shampoo I buy will be the loreal ever riche. My housemate has it and she loves it!
ReplyDeletewww.emandthem.co.uk
Great tips, must try this Redken stuff.. Have you tried twisting your hair into a butterfly clip overnight to minimise the overnight friction against the pillow? I find this really helps prevent tangles and 'matting'!
ReplyDeleteYou should check out Unite 7Seconds Leave In. I've used it for years (before all the blog community hype) and guarantee it's the best leave-in detangler I've ever tried (and I've tested out quite a few).
ReplyDeleteI actually did a similar post a couple months back, and I SWEAR by these products. I've always had long hair, and these products have made maintaining it significantly easier. You should definitely check them out. They're incredible.
xx Lauren // Dirty Blonde Ambition