I have a LOT of hair! Since I was a little girl I’ve had long, thick, curly hair! I never had it cut short, long hair was just my thing.
However, right before my freshman year of college, my hair was extremely unhealthy and basically fried from straightening it every day in high school. That summer while at Miss Texas, my sweet friend who is a professional – Martha Cobb, trimmed the dead ends to help get it healthy again. I ended up with the shortest haircut I’ve ever had in my life because so much of my ends were destroyed from heat. After that summer, my hair just kind of stopped growing. It remained thick and curly, but I could not get it to grow long again for the life of me.
Summer 2013 – Unhealthy Hair
Fast forward a couple years and my hair finally began to grow a bit, but never fully back to what I considered “long.” Throughout my year as Miss Texas it was relatively long and a lot healthier than I thought it would be considering the amount of styling and heat put on it daily, but it wasn’t until later into 2019 that I noticed a huge difference!
Summer 2018 – Length as Miss Texas
Within the last six months my hair has grown tremendously and I found a lot of different factors that have contributed to that growth. So now I’m here to share my best tips and tricks for hair growth!
Spring 2020 – my hair length currently
Tips for Hair Growth
1. Stay away from heat
This can be such a difficult one, especially if your natural texture is not one that is easily styled! My natural hair is curly and frizzy, so for years I always blew it dry, straightened it and then if I wanted it curled, I would curl it on top of being straightened. I put SO much heat on it for years, I am surprised I have any hair left!
After my year as Miss Texas I basically stopped blow drying my hair and started wearing it naturally curly more often. I found curl products that worked to help tame the frizz and enhance my natural curls, and it has made such a difference in the overall health of my hair, and also cut down SO much time in getting ready!
I do occasionally still blow-dry and curl my hair with a curling iron, but I have since found ways to minimize the amount of heat I use when I do that process. My revlon hair dryer has helped so much with this. I also invested in a nice curling wand (expensive, but worth every penny) that helps my hair hold a curl for several days, so I’m not applying heat to it multiple days in a row.
2. Collagen!
I am convinced collagen in my morning coffee is the secret ingredient that magically gave me long hair again! I add a scoop of powdered collagen to my cup of coffee every day. You can’t taste it, but the benefits of collagen are so good. Collagen has multiple benefits for your body, including healthy hair, skin and nails. I’ve used two different kinds, this one from Amazon, and I am currently using this Vital Proteins one bought from Target. I think they both work fantastically!
3. Hair Vitamins
I was influenced on Instagram, and bought these Sugar Bear Hair vitamins to try out, and I really think they work! Not to mention, they are delicious! I take these in addition to collagen in my coffee. I have tried various other brands of hair, skin and nail vitamins, as well as just plain biotin, but these are my favorite I’ve tried!
4. Moroccanoil
I love using Moroccanoil Treatment on my hair, especially the ends to keep them healthy! I apply it to wet hair, as well as dry hair after blow drying or styling to give it a little extra shine. This specific product is infused with antioxidant-rich argan oil and shine-boosting vitamins! I am a big fan of many of the Moroccanoil products, and this is one of my very favorites for healthy hair.
5. Invest in Good Haircare Products
What you put in and on your hair matters! We all have different needs when it comes to hair based on our texture, color, type of hair, etc. I recommend you talk to your stylist to see what specific needs your hair has, and see what kinds of products or brands they recommend! Some of my favorite brands include Moroccanoil, Amika, Aveda and Redken.
6. Regular Trims
Every three months I am in the stylist seat at Brittany Deen Co. for a trim to freshen up my hair. In the last year I had to start coloring my roots because I was graying so much. With that being said, Brittany is fantastic and very gentle with the amount of dye she puts onto my hair to help keep it healthy. Be careful with bleaching and coloring your hair too often, and find a stylist that does the same!
If you have anymore hair questions leave them in the comments below and I’ll answer them here!
xx,
Madison
