Healthy HAIR TIPS.

Keeping hair in excellent condition at extreme lengths takes more caution and conscious effort than may be necessary if you intend to keep your hair shorter... at mid-back length, for example. If your goal is to encourage healthy hair growth but not to the extreme, then certain modifications may be made to a few of the steps below and still maintain successful results. If you use common sense and don't allow damage to occur, you know you're doing the right thing to promote healthy hair at any length.

Remember, long damaged hair is never as pretty as shorter healthy hair, and because healthy hair needs to be trimmed less often and doesn't break as easily, the result is much faster growth overall. I learned this step the hard way and wasted ten years trying to grow damaged hair I refused to cut... hair that started literally growing like a weed when I finally gave in, did the dirty deed and stopped doing all the horrible nasties that initially resulted in the damage. Duh. Learn from my pain.
If your hair is not very damaged too far up the length of the hair shaft, you may start with a very healthy trim and then continue to trim monthly to maintain your length until all the damage is gone; however, keep in mind that if the amount of damage does not continue to decrease using this method, you didn't remove enough of the damaged hair to begin with and another healthy trim is in order. You'll save precious time by removing as much damage as possible from the very beginning and immediately implementing the steps that follow to your now beautifully healthy hair!

Because there is absolutely no way to repair damaged hair, you must start out with healthy hair to have healthy hair when it's long, there's no way around it. Bite the bullet and remove every inch of hair that is considerably damaged, reminding yourself that it's the most important step to take towards your goal and that this is the last time you will ever have to do it. If you are going for extreme length, from this point on you will have to treat your hair at all times like delicate, antique lace. Once your hair is at your waist the ends can be as many as six years old, and your hair will go through a lot of trauma in those six years no matter how careful you are with it. Because damaged hair will only get worse as time passes, it is especially important your hair be in excellent condition from the very beginning.If you don't have someone you trust implicitly to trim your hair for you, find a salon that caters to long hair, has a long hair specialist, or at least be sure to glare at your stylist as menacingly as you can while you clearly explain your hair-growth goals before letting her come at you with scissors. It also helps to ask the stylist to show you exactly their perception of the amount of hair you want trimmed by showing you what they think is the same distance from the end of their comb. I am convinced stylists are taught a completely different measuring system from the rest of the world, and not once have I ever had a stylist show me an accurate half inch on her first try. Not once. It also helps to remember, it is not in the best interest of most salons or stylists if you rarely make visits to their salon, which is definitely a conflict of interest! If your hair is short and styled, you are always there spending money for maintenance. If your stylist tries to convince you that your long, healthy hair should be cut, run screaming from the salon immediately!n the end, it is up to you to make sure that anyone whose advice you consider, be it a stylist, friend or family member, has only the best interest of YOUR acknowledged hair growth goals in mind. Otherwise smile politely and ignore every word they say. You absolutely are not too old, too thin, too short, too gray, too anything to have long hair.

Because damaged hair will only get worse as time passes, it is especially important your hair be in excellent condition from the very beginning.If you don't have someone you trust implicitly to trim your hair for you, find a salon that caters to long hair, has a long hair specialist, or at least be sure to glare at your stylist as menacingly as you can while you clearly explain your hair-growth goals before letting her come at you with scissors. It also helps to ask the stylist to show you exactly their perception of the amount of hair you want trimmed by showing you what they think is the same distance from the end of their comb. I am convinced stylists are taught a completely different measuring system from the rest of the world, and not once have I ever had a stylist show me an accurate half inch on her first try. Not once. It also helps to remember, it is not in the best interest of most salons or stylists if you rarely make visits to their salon, which is definitely a conflict of interest! If your hair is short and styled, you are always there spending money for maintenance. If your stylist tries to convince you that your long, healthy hair should be cut, run screaming from the salon immediately!n the end, it is up to you to make sure that anyone whose advice you consider, be it a stylist, friend or family member, has only the best interest of YOUR acknowledged hair growth goals in mind. Otherwise smile politely and ignore every word they say. You absolutely are not too old, too thin, too short, too gray, too anything to have long hair.

If your hair is not very damaged too far up the length of the hair shaft, you may start with a very healthy trim and then continue to trim monthly to maintain your length until all the damage is gone; however, keep in mind that if the amount of damage does not continue to decrease using this method, you didn't remove enough of the damaged hair to begin with and another healthy trim is in order. You'll save precious time by removing as much damage as possible from the very beginning and immediately implementing the steps that follow to your now beautifully healthy hair!

Keeping hair in excellent condition at extreme lengths takes more caution and conscious effort than may be necessary if you intend to keep your hair shorter... at mid-back length, for example. If your goal is to encourage healthy hair growth but not to the extreme, then certain modifications may be made to a few of the steps below and still maintain successful results. If you use common sense and don't allow damage to occur, you know you're doing the right thing to promote healthy hair at any length.

It is also important to keep in mind that just about everyone has a "terminal length" which is the longest your hair will grow based on the active growth period of your hair follicles (the growth cycle of individual hair follicles turns on and off as determined by your genetics). Nothing here can help you alter your genetically predetermined terminal length. That being said, you'd be surprised how incredibly often what was thought to be terminal length turns out to be nothing more than hair too damaged to continue to grow... an easily resolved issue!

Healthy Hair Tips.

If your hair looks dull or is hard to style, the problem could be your tap water. According to Minneapolis-based Gordon Nelson, international creative director for Regis Salons, well water contains natural minerals (called "hard water") that can leave hair lusterless and hard to manage and can impart a brassy, orange hue. Soft water, on the other hand, has fewer damaging minerals. (Ask your local water department if your water is soft or hard, or try using Robert Craig's No More Bad Hair Days Kit, $20; robertcraig.com; with strips to test your water.) To rid hair of mineral buildup, suds up every week with a clarifying shampoo. We like Frederic Fekkai Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo and Clean Conditioner ($18.50 each; saks.com).

4 Mist your ends with water before home coloring. The ends of your hair are more porous and, as a result, absorb more pigment. "Wet hair doesn't absorb color as readily as dry hair," explains Renee Patronik, a consulting colorist for L'Oreal in New York.

5 Trim your troubles. As the ends of your hair get older and damaged by rough handling, they become prone to splitting, Nelson says. Get regular trims, at least 1/2 inch every four to eight weeks. "Hair grows (on average) half an inch per month, so trim to maintain healthy ends," says stylist Stephen Knoll of the Stephen Knoll Salon in New York.

6 Use color-protective products. Chemical treatments like color can damage hair because the chemicals have to penetrate the outer layer of the hair (or cuticle) to allow the hue to be absorbed, explains stylist Rodolfo Valentin of Rodolfo Valentin Atelier for Hair in New York. Color-protective products are specially designed to minimize dryness, keep color true and prevent damage. "They typically have more nourishing ingredients, strip less color and are less abusive," Knoll explains. We love L'Oreal VIVE Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner ($3.69 each; at drugstores) and Matrix Biolage Color Care Shampoo ($10) and Conditioner ($11; matrix.com for salon locations).

7 Give wet hair extra TLC. It stretches and snaps more easily than dry hair does, so be extra-gentle with it. "Use a wide-tooth plastic comb while hair is wet; then, once it's towel-dried, switch to a good brush," says Jon Patrick, color director of the Mete Turkmen Hair Salon Plus in New York. And avoid wooden combs; wood can have microscopic divots that snag hairs. Instead try the Jilbere de Paris plastic shower comb ($1.49; sally beauty.com for store locations).

8 Deep condition once every two weeks. "These treatments penetrate the hair shaft and strengthen strands," says Patrick, who adds that using heat (from a blow-dryer) can intensify deep conditioning, as the heat causes the cuticle to open and the ingredients to penetrate.

For nourishing results, try Kerastase Masquintense ($36; 877-748-8357 for salons), available for fine or thick hair; Neutrogena Triple Moisture Sheer Hydration Leave-In Foam ($7; at drugstores); or Ellin Lavar Textures ReconstructMasque ($25; ellinlavar.com).

9 Try an ionic dryer. Ions are atoms with a positive or negative charge. These particular hair-dryers bathe your hair in negative ions, which help break up water molecules faster and cancel out hair-damaging positive ions, Valentin explains. Plus, your hair-drying time is cut in half. We love the Bio Ionic Super-Hydrator Pro Dryer ($165; bioionic.com for salon locations).