Growing hair takes consistency and patience. However, long hair can be hard to maintain. It gets harder to clean it and make it look healthy. You have to change certain aspects of hair maintenance to avoid breakage. It can be the way you use a hairbrush or the way you dry your hair. If you have long hair, you have to come up with a hair routine. Continue reading to know more about taking care of long hair.

Wash And Condition Your Hair

To improve the health of the hair, you have to wash the hair. Washing and conditioning should happen two to three days, depending on your schedule. In every cycle, you should wash your hair twice. The first cycle eliminates the gunk and dirt in the hair, and the second cycle cleans it.  Shampoo your hair on the scalp, and make sure you scrub it gently using your fingers.

Give your head a good massage to ensure the shampoo reaches the areas where there is oil build up. This will help encourage circulation and detoxification. To restore moisture lost after washing, use a conditioner on the rest of the hair. Conditioners also aid in reducing frizz and detangling hair. Rinse the hair with cool water because extreme hot water can make your hair dry out, leading to breakage.

Detangle

After washing and conditioning the hair, brush gently to detangle it. It would be best to use the right equipment, such as a wide-tooth comb, to avoid breaking the hair. Some people claim that a wet brush is better than a wide-tooth brush. One thing to keep in mind is your hair type, which will guide you on which tools to use. You can use the following tools and products;

  • Comb- Wet hair is weak and can easily break when combing. However, it does not apply to some types of hair, such as tightly curled or textured. The best tool for this activity is a wide-tooth comb to lessen the damage.
  • Brush: There are many types of brushes in the market. Some brushes have stiff bristles that make the hair break. A plastic brush is the best to maintain long hair. You should not brush your hair excessively. Once a day is enough.
  • Spraying: If you find it too painful to comb or brush your hair, you can apply a spray that helps detangle your hair before combing.
  • Serum: If you want an easy way out without much hard work, apply a detangling serum that also conditions the hair. It makes the hair to be soft, making it easy to pass a comb through the hair.

Moisturize Your Hair

You should always moisturize your hair to help it retain moisture and avoid breakage. To ensure the hair has as much water as possible, apply moisturizer while it is wet. If moisture is present, moisturizers can easily trap moisture.

These products contain emollients, oils, and humectants, which is excellent if you have protein sensitive hair. Using a leave-in conditioner is also another option. It has many benefits, including strengthening and moisturizing your hair. Leave-in conditioners are an improvement to deep conditioners because you can let them settle in the hair without washing.

Before purchasing a leave-in conditioner, ensure that you check all ingredients because some may not have hydrolyzed proteins. This means that they serve the same function as moisturizers without strengthening your hair. If you have curled hair, then you know the importance of moisturizing. Some go further and apply oils on top of the leave-in conditioner. Applying oil after washing is called sealing, which protects the hair from heat damage. If you apply oils, it is best to use essential oils such as olive, castor, coconut, or jojoba oil.

Style And Protect

There are different ways of styling your hair. You can either decide to use heat or not. If you are going to style using heat, you need to protect your hair. Blow-dry your hair slowly and gently on a shallow heat setting. You should also use heat protection products before applying any heat. These products protect the hair, and also nourishes it.

When it comes to styling tools, it is best to use tools of excellent quality. They should have temperature control settings to protect your hair. If you do not use heat, ensure you moisturize your hair. You can also use good quality gels and volumizers to ensure your hair maintains its style for a long time.

Conclusion

Coming up with an individual hair care routine can take some time. However, you will figure it out as you go along. Ensure that you follow the necessary steps mentioned in this article, and you will see effects after some time. Remember that results are not an overnight thing. You need to take care of your hair with high-quality products consistently.

Additionally, what you eat affects the health of your hair. You can take hair vitamins to help nourish your hair completely.