longing for long hair?

For the greater portion of my life, I've been "letting my hair grow". I've always been so envious of girls who can grow their hair what seems like 5 inches per month (not humanly possible, but you get what I'm saying), when I'm sitting here refraining from haircuts for a year and seemingly not getting ANYWHERE. I even once considered taking pills to stimulate hair follicle growth, promising waist-long hair in a matter of weeks. Usually, when something sounds too good to be true, it is.

Two days ago, I was sitting in my mom's apartment when she expressed shock at how long my hair was getting. Then, a day later at brunch, a friend asked, "Is that your REAL hair?" Keep in mind that in the past, I've had clip-in hair extensions as well as Great Lengths "bonds" that cost as much as a trip to Hawaii. Still paying them off.

Anyway, people were noticing how long my hair was getting - it's officially down to my mid-back, sitting happily near the clasp of my bra - and as soon as I finished doing my little happy dance, I thought long and hard about how my long hair dream became a reality. 

First, I stopped bleaching the hell out of my hair. Ever notice how people with hair lightened much lighter than their natural color NEVER have really long hair? Bleach = breakage. Keep your hair close to your real hair color and you'll be able to grow it out - simple as that.

Second, I cut way back on flat ironing my hair. Heat styling at high temperatures equals - you guessed it - more breakage. If you must use that straightener, keep it at the lowest temp that will deliver results - for most people with fine or medium textured hair, it's in the 250-300 range. Get that arrow OFF 410, people. 

Lastly, I began to use the right product for my hair. My go-to shampoo and conditioner is Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Don't let the name fool you - PBL is not like fertilizer for your head. It does NOT make your hair grow faster, but it is a huge help when you're trying to grow it out. It has worked wonders at strengthening my hair and preventing breakage. And although I'm a beauty junkie, I used to hate using hair product. That has changed - I now make sure to use a heat protecting cream on the middle to ends of my hair before every single blow-dry session. Kerastase Nectar Thermique is un.be.lieve.a.ble. My wallet always cringes when I utter the K-word, but seriously, the stuff is like gold for my hair. The good news is that a little - I'm talking a dime-sized amount - goes a long way, so you'll have the tube forever.