Hair care routine for these of us with natural long hair?

[Maya Sol]

I finally decided to take care of my natural long hair more seriously. For years I’m dreaming that it’ll grow more than it normally reach before breaking. Do you have recommendations? The first step that I did is to switch using a different hair brush. Wow, huge difference! I didn’t thought that using better quality hair brush really making a difference, but it do. I bought leave-in conditioner (a good one), and I’m going to try it. Let’s see if it’ll make my hair to grow longer before breaking.

I’ll be more then happy for tips and tricks!

6 users thanked author for this post.

Marg Produe, Brittney Andrews, June Holl, Michelle McQueen, Michelle Skylar, Allysa Grant

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[Sherri Remington]

Hi Maya, I’ve had long hair since having long hair meant you were a hippy or a radical and I wasn’t either, I just wanted long hair. I have very fine and oily hair so I must shampoo when ever I shower and use only a little conditioner, towel dry it, add a little bit of leave in detangler and blow dry with a round natural boar hair bristle brush. I try to have it cut regularly and only what needs to be trimmed off and after more than 50 years I can finally say it reaches my bra strap, so I envy those of you that can grow their hair long in a couple of years.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Sherri

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Maya Sol, June Holl

[Michelle McQueen]

I always wanted long hair but couldn’t because of work and society so when the pandemic started and I couldn’t get a cut I decided it was a great excuse to just let it grow.

Its been growing out for over three years now and is approaching my bra band. I love having long hair and it expresses my femininity every day. I take Biotin every day which is supposed to be for hair and nail health. I wear it down at home but in a high ponytail in public. At my age I’m lucky to have this much hair and it still looks good but its beginning to thin a bit on top.

Its white/grey now so I use Selsun Blue shampoo and conditioner every other shampoo and Pert shampoo in between. I shampoo it about every other day. A large wide spaced comb gets the tangles out after fluffing with my fingers while air drying. I haven’t had it trimmed at all but making an appointment next week with a stylist.

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Maya Sol, Marg Produe, June Holl, Michelle Skylar

[Michelle Skylar]

I shampoo and condition my hair every 4 or 5 days. I leave the conditioner in for 4 minutes and rinse with cold water. I gently dry with a towel and then apply a liberal amount of a leave in conditioner/detangler and let it dry naturally, no blow dryers, ever.

I thought my hair had reached its terminal length but have now seen that it is still growing but at much slower rate. It is at the middle of my back, and I am hoping to add a few inches if not more.

5 users thanked author for this post.

Maya Sol, Brittney Andrews, June Holl, Michelle McQueen, Allysa Grant

[Peta Mari]

I rarely ever use shampoo. I only use conditioner. Sometimes I use a coconut oil / olive oil / honey mix as a mask for a few hours and then rinse out under a warm shower.

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Maya Sol, June Holl, Roberta Broussard

[Marg Produe]

Hi Maya,  I have had long blond hair for a few years now.  It goes halfway down my chest and I usually keep it in a ponytail pulled through my cap but sometimes I make pigtails.  I usually wash my hair a few times a week and I start with one wash of Selsun Blue or Head and Shoulders followed by a wash with Pantene and end with Pantene Conditioner.   Then I towel dry and finger comb until I get all the tangles out.  Next I blow dry to get some body.  If I want more wave I will roll the hair up around a cardboard tube (usually cut from the bottom of a dry cleaners hanger) clamp it and then dry it.  If my hair is getting a little lifeless I will also use Mane ‘n Tail as others have mentioned for both wash and conditioner.  I use a big cheap brush with wide spaced bristles to finish brushing out any tangles.  Incidentally I start brushing by turning the brush sideways and only use the tip for the first pass through.  Then I use the brush the usual way for final brushing.  You can see my real hair sticking out of my hat in my profile pic but for most glamming or events, I use a wig.  You can see me in my wig in the Christmas pic that I just posted.  My real hair is never as glamorous as any of my wigs.  So it does take more effort to keep my hair long  but I like the final daily results.  I hope this helps you.  Happy Weekend,  Marg

3 users thanked author for this post.

Maya Sol, Michelle McQueen, Roberta Broussard

[Marg Produe]

Opps!  Sorry Maya,  I forgot to mention that if I have really bad tangles, I use Honest Conditioning Detangler that I get in the baby selection area of Target.  It works!     Marg

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Maya Sol, Michelle McQueen

[Nikki Just Nikki]

I’ve had long natural hair most of my life, and continuously since 1990. At my age, I’m lucky to have any hair at all, so I guess I got the right genes. It’s long been my “secret” femme trait! Took a lot of shit for it as a kid, but so what. I used Mane and Tail for a long time, until it got too hard to find. My hair care routine is minimal: I wash my hair twice a week, always use conditioner which I leave in while I finish my shower. I wrap it in a towel, then allow it to air dry. I stopped using a hair dryer long ago as it made my hair brittle. I wear it back in a ponytail during the work day, down most of the rest of the time. I sometimes use a bit of dry shampoo to freshen it up between shampooing. I’ve recent thought of having a more femme style done for when I wear it down, but haven’t found a style that appeals. I love having long hair, always have, and swoon when someone (usually women!) compliment me on it.

All that said, I have wigs, too. When I came out, though, I did so with my natural hair. I wanted people to know it was me.

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Maya Sol, Michelle McQueen, Michelle Skylar, Roberta Broussard

[Allysa Grant]

If you have a farm supply star ( Rural King) or something like it they usually stock mane and tail. Hugs Allysa

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Maya Sol, Michelle McQueen

[Allysa Grant]

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit but I use ” horse mane and tail ” conditioner. My hair can become so brittle at times. My sister recommended it to me and it definitely helped my hair.  Hugs,Allysa

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Michelle McQueen, Michelle Skylar, Nikki Just Nikki

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