tips for first time growing long hair?

[1832vin]

hi, for the first time in my life, i'm trying to grow long hair, and it's been 6 months so far of not cutting my hair, and it's currently at 13.5cm, i started growing from 12mm, and yeah, any tips?
i plan on having something pony tail like at the end (including the forehead hair), and i've heard that i shouldn't wash my hair everyday.

i currently shower everday, and wash the hair with shampoo (rub to the roots in circular motion), then with conditioner;  after shower, i dry it with towel, then comb it, and then leave it (i currently don't use hair dryer) until it's completly dry, then i sleep

the problem with my hair i would say, is that it goes in weird directions, when my hair is damp, it is straight, but when it's dry, or i wake up, it becomes very thick, and doesn't follow my head line, making my head look like i have 2 ear heights on each side of my head

what have i been doing wrong?

[missymay]

Even though you are growing your hair, it is beneficial to have the ends cut every couple of months just to keep it looking healthy and well kept.  As far as styling goes, learn how to use a hair dryer, it won't hurt your hair, just apply a heat protectant product before you start.  As far as washing your hair, it's best to wash it every 2-3 days, just brush it (with a boar's hair brush if you have one) regularly to distribute the natural oils, and it will keep your hair shiny and healthy.

[mrs izzy]

Healthy scalp equals healthy hair.

Also what missymay said.

You do not need a million products.

[Lostkitten]

Just let it grow. No tips but having patience. You got awkward hair length stages which you have to pull trough.

[Sammy]

And taking Biotine makes it grow a bit faster

[Lady_Oracle]

Shampooing every day will strip the natural oils in your scalp. At most you be should be shampooing a few times a week or at least have like 3 days where you don't shampoo depending on if you're scalp is naturally oily. If you have a dry scalp then you should be shampooing like once a week then. It just varies depending on your hair type. Like with my curly hair and dry scalp, I shampoo like a couple times a month.

Another tip is to periodically trim the ends to ensure good growth and prevent breakage/split ends

Also you shouldn't be doing tight pony tails, that stresses the follicles and can cause breakage. If anything do loose ponys and try your best to not keep your hair in tight styles, looser is always better.

Common hair products like drugstore store stuff can have alcohol and that sulfate chemical, which are best to be avoided cause those two things end up drying your hair out thus producing more frizz and preventing your hair from looking its best. You could go the natural route or look into products that have natural ingredients. Also find a good leave in conditioner. You apply it to your ends to keep them hydrated and defined.

Constantly detangle your hair, if you have curly hair use a wide tooth comb (or finger detangle) and only detangle while its wet. Never detangle curly hair when its dry.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing <-- also find out what your hair type is so you can better manage your hair. Once you do, you'll find tons of info and advice online for it.

[missymay]

Shampooing every day will strip the natural oils in your scalp. At most you be should be shampooing a few times a week or at least have like 3 days where you don't shampoo depending on if you're scalp is naturally oily. If you have a dry scalp then you should be shampooing like once a week then. It just varies depending on your hair type. Like with my curly hair and dry scalp, I shampoo like a couple times a month.

Another tip is to periodically trim the ends to ensure good growth and prevent breakage/split ends

Also you shouldn't be doing tight pony tails, that stresses the follicles and can cause breakage. If anything do loose ponys and try your best to not keep your hair in tight styles, looser is always better.

Common hair products like drugstore store stuff can have alcohol and that sulfate chemical, which are best to be avoided cause those two things end up drying your hair out thus producing more frizz and preventing your hair from looking its best. You could go the natural route or look into products that have natural ingredients. Also find a good leave in conditioner. You apply it to your ends to keep them hydrated and defined.

Constantly detangle your hair, if you have curly hair use a wide tooth comb (or finger detangle) and only detangle while its wet. Never detangle curly hair when its dry.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/texture-typing <-- also find out what your hair type is so you can better manage your hair. Once you do, you'll find tons of info and advice online for it.

Great advice!

[ImagineKate]

My hair is fast becoming a huge mess. I brush it out but the winter static makes it stand out on end.

I am guilty of shampooing every day though. Gotta stop that.

[jeni]

I am guilty of shampooing every day though. Gotta stop that.

Me too. If I don't, I'm an oily mess! Kinda hoping HRT slows that down a bit.

[Madison (kiara jamie)]

i have to shower everyday so for the past 5 years i just use a non-silicone conditioner without shampoo, it gets greasy if i don't shower everyday,

i just put in the conditioner, wrap it up and put it in a clip to hold it, then i wash my face and body after im ready to get out i just rinse it out of my hair and rinse off and im done, just to tell you how much it works, everytime i am around drunk women i have atleast one girl putting her hands in my hair almost all night and they constantly tell me how unbelievably soft it is, also i have many different brushes but i find the boar brush just puffs up my hair and makes it feel tangled, i found i love using my plastic fingered large rectangular brush to get my hair straight and uniform

also i usually only get my hair cut when it starts getting tangled at the ends to much which is pretty much no more then once a year, i have been lucky to have amazing hair and i love it

and above all else it is just patience, this is a picture of me before christmas, it was 3 years since i was shaved bald

[Sydney_NYC]

Me too. If I don't, I'm an oily mess! Kinda hoping HRT slows that down a bit.

Prior to HRT if I didn't shampoo everyday even with long hair, my hair would turn into a grease ball. After about 4-5 months on HRT, I was able to go 2 or 3 days between shampoo and then started using dry shampoo in between washings. Now I can go 5-6 days and it still isn't greasy. If I work out to a sweat then obviously I have to wash it sooner. Or if I'm doing a henna treatment I have to wash it 24-48 hours afterwords.

[rachel89]

I'm also trying to grow my hair out right now. I got a trim yesterday, but my hair seems to grow pretty fast (it was to the point of being really annoying when I was trying to live as a guy and tried to keep my  hair short). One the issues I'm having is that my hair still looks really male when I am growing it out because of the hairline I think. I think I have more of a problem with hair growing where it shouldn't than not having enough hair where I need it. I need advice on maintaining a more feminine hairline (particularly on the sides and my neck) so I can grow out my hair and not look to guy-ish while I am still growing it out.   

[Ara]

During the awkward length phases, if you're going running find a bandanna or something or it'll poke you in the eyes and *waves hands around in rage*

I agree that you need to keep the hair cut properly.  I had long hair before but because I didn't get it cut properly it had pretty crappy ends and that just made me seem more male than female. 

Your hair will take MUCH longer to dry.  I've seen how some women can properly towel dry long hair so that it's completely dry, but that's some kind of witchcraft in my opinion, haha.  Ponytails can be your friend when you get to a good length, means you don't need to put in too much effort in the mornings.

[Dao]

Hi

I just started growing my hair out and it started looking really messy.  When I decided to cut may hair I came out as trans to my Stylist.  I told him to give me a female style and now it looks great.

[Lady_Oracle]

Oh yeah another tip is to don't use a bath towel to dry your hair. Use a 100% cotton tshirt to dry it and use it to scrunch the hair if you have curls. Regular bath towels create frizz, the cotton alleviates that issue.

http://www.makeup.com/t-shirt-hair-drying/ <-- do that!

http://www.wikihow.com/Plop-Your-Hair

there is another method, its for curly hair that you do more or less the same except you plop your hair onto the tshirt and basically twist the ends of the shirt, tie together and wrap it over you head.

[jessical]

Pre HRT I also had to wash my hair everyday, but as it gets longer I just needed to wash the scalp and then I conditioned my whole hair.  Post HRT, not every day, but the same method.  Through the whole thing I got my hair trimmed every two to three months.  I was also very careful to be gentle with my hair as to not create split ends.  Ripped/broken hairs create split ends.  And as many others have said, there are several awkward stages.  You just need to power through them.