By Vrinda Gupta
Having long hair is all fun and Rapunzel montages- until they get tangled up, get stuck in your butt crack, shed everywhere, and start splitting up. Here are some age old, tried and tested tips to help maintain that mane!
1. Oil regularly
No matter how much you might want to refrain from staining your pillow covers, or having a greasy, medusa-like appearance- oil your hair regularly. It’s best to oil them overnight and wash them the next day, but if that’s not possible, a couple of hours will do. Trust me, it works like a charm. This is essential especially during the winter months, which sap the moisture out of everything.
2. Trim
You’ve worked hard, oiled those locks, maintained them and grown them. It’s hard to part with the length you so painstakingly achieved. But it’s important to trim regularly- the longer the hair, the more prone to spit ends and damage they are. Trimming them will ensure your hair grow out beautifully healthily, and with strength.
3. Tie them up (but not too much)
I understand the urge to let those locks flow and shine. But that is a straight path to dry, rough, and split-end infested hair. Not to mention the dirt that you’re inviting by leaving them open. Try and braid them, or put them in low ponytail. Tying them up in a high, tight ponytail all the time strains your hair and causes them to break off. It also won’t do your neck any favors.
4.Avoid heat/products
As pretty as your hair look after you’re done setting them with a curling iron, the sheer damage that they need to undergo to achieve that look simply isn’t worth it. Consistently styling your hair using heat, or slathering them with products might be harming your hair more than you realize. Also, remember to wash your hair with lukewarm or cold water- scalding water will damage your hair.
5.Comb when wet, not dry
Yes you heard me. You’ve always been told not to comb your hair when they’re wet for fear of breakage and damage. That does stand to some extent- you shouldn’t start with the process when your hair are dripping wet, but do not wait for them to completely dry. If you let them dry with the tangles in, it’ll be impossible to get rid of them, and THAT causes more breaking off than anything else could. Instead, let them dry a little. Just when you feel like they’re starting to dry, comb them gently. Take care to not viciously yank at the tangles, but take your time with them.
6.Do not wash them every day
This myth has been debunked time and again. Yet people seem to associate hygiene concerns with not washing their hair almost every them day. Rinsing your hair with shampoo every day strips them of essential oils that are present naturally. Washing them twice, or thrice a week is enough. Anything beyond that is just unnecessary.
