How to make your hair grow

"How do I make my hair grow?  What is the secret?"

This is a question I am asked regularly both in the salon and in normal conversation.  The answer is not simple because there is no secret.  There is no special pill, but there are ways that you can help it along.

The first and most important piece of advice I can give is to use really good product.  You will need something that helps protect hair against damage, because the only way you can help your hair to grow is by protecting from breakage and split ends.  If you are getting lots of split ends you are going to need to get haircuts more often and therefore your hair will not be getting any longer.  There are shampoos, conditioners, salves, hair lotions, treatments, etc., that claim to do this, and most will help in the process, but here are a few of my favorites:

The Pureology Strength Cure Line

(L to R): Strength Cure Shampoo, Conditioner, Fabulous Lengths Treatment, Split End Salve, and Restorative Mask

There are very few Shampoo and Conditioner duos that make me say, "Whoa",  but this is one of them.  I've only recently jumped on the Pureology train, but it only took one use and I was convinced.  I have very blonde, highlighted, and therefore damaged hair.  Every blonde's hair is damaged - that's what using bleach does and there's no way around it.  So us blondes really have to make sure we take good care of our hair, especially if we want it long.  Every day after my shower I go through the tedious process of ripping out brushing my hair.  After I used Pureology's shampoo and conditioner that first day I noticed my hair was detangling much easier and less than half the amount of hair was coming out in my brush.  

The Pureology Strength Cure line also includes the Fabulous Lengths Treatment - a heat protectant that reduces breakage , the Split End Salve - a leave-in treatment that seals your ends, leaving them silky smooth, and the Restorative Mask - an intense treatment that boosts strength and reduces breakage.  The use of this entire line would be a giant step in right direction for hair growth.  If I could only choose one product besides the shampoo and conditioner I would choose the Split End Salve because I think that is the most important single step in hair growth.

Aveda's Damage Remedy Line

The line includes: Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo, Conditioner, Daily Hair Repair, and Intensive Restructuring Treatment

You might call Aveda's Damage Remedy my first love in hair products and so it will always hold a special place in my heart.  Let me tell you a little story:  Once upon a time I had platinum blonde (a.k.a. as blonde as it gets) hair.  As beautiful as it was it was also quite damaged and distressed from the process it took to achieve that color.  I started using the damage remedy line and my white blonde hair became soft as silk and shiny as diamonds.  I soon thereafter enrolled in cosmetology school and here I am today!  The end.

Seriously though, this stuff is the real deal.  The shampoo and conditioner really help with breakage, the Daily Hair Repair protects from heat and detangles, and (drumroll....) the Intensive Restructuring Treatment may be my favorite hair product on the market.  They say to apply this to your hair once a week for 2-5 minutes... Well, I would push this to the next level and sleep with it on my hair about twice a week, and wash it out the following morning.  Yes, there are warnings about using too much protein in your hair, but it worked for me and my hair was in great shape for how overprocessed it was.  

There are other things you can do on top of using great products that seem to help.  A good diet high in protein and vegetables and taking vitamins regularly.  I've heard of many people that take prenatal vitamins for this purpose - whether it works or not, I'm not sure, but it can't hurt.

Protection of the hair is the name of the game.  Make sure you are using some kind of heat protectant on the hair before using hot tools, otherwise your hair will fry from the heat and break off, sometimes really short.  And try your best to get a trim every 3-4 months - it doesn't have to be more than 1/4 inch and it will take care of those dead ends most of the time.  

Bottom line, it takes some time and patience to get your hair to grow, but if you treat it the way you should the process should be faster and your hair will look better.

Everything you need to know to succeed in the salon

If you want to succeed in this industry there are a few things beyond the basics that are musts.  

First of all is EDUCATION - and I can't stress that enough.  In cosmetology school you are given the basics.  It is frustrating when you are there and all you want is to do this amazing color or cut technique, but you can't because you've got to know the basics inside and out & upside down.  The basics are your building blocks, and without those you can't move forward and grow.  Education is so key, because you ARE going to be working in the salon and have somebody call in and ask for the newest, coolest hair color.  The only way to be your very best is to learn these new skills and try and keep up with the times.  

We have to attend a certain amount of hours of continued education as cosmetologists to keep our licenses active.  This is a great rule in my opinion because it forces us out of our comfort zones and we have to watch an expert in their field perform a service, and most of the time it is in such a way that we have never seen.  I personally think that hairstylists should be actively seeking out the best classes and attending as often as their schedule (and sometimes wallets) will allow.  Not only will you be getting your con-ed hours taken care of, but you are bettering yourself and becoming a better hairstylist in the process.  There are also a lot of truly great stylists on YouTube that I have learned SO much from.  (Shout-out to Hair 101 with April!!!)

Second is SELF-PROMOTION.  This is also really important.  There are many, many ways of marketing yourself.  You can hand out coupons. Give your clients referral cards (Cards that get stamped every time a new client they referred to you comes to you for a service.  After 3 stamps they receive a free haircut; after 5 they get a free color!).  Get involved in community events where you can hand out business cards.  And my personal favorite, SOCIAL MEDIA.  Post pictures of your work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  This has worked very well for me in the past.  Take before and afters - one before you start and another after you've styled them out, and with their permission, post the photos to your Facebook page (and your salon's Facebook page if it has one) - make sure to tag your guest in the picture so all of their friends see how wonderful they look.  I personally book 80-90% of my appointments through Facebook currently.

Third is KNOW YOUR STUFF.  Vague, yes.  Here is what I mean:  Whatever color, products, techniques, tools, etc., that you are using - you need to know everything about them.  You need to know your color so well that you could formulate in your sleep; prescribe the perfect products for a person's individual hair needs; back-comb that cute little old lady's hair just the way she likes it.  Point is, know your stuff so well that you don't doubt yourself because confidence is key and knowledge is power.

Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner

      So you've decided to start coloring your hair.  You know that you want to have it done by a professional so you make an appointment at your favorite salon.  You spend $75 to have a beautiful, rich chocolate brown color applied and you look JUST like Kim Kardashian.  Your stylist says, "How are you on shampoo and conditioner?"  You reply, "I JUST bought some TRESemmé‎. (TRESemmé‎ sounds so fancy, you think.)"  You're snapping selfies left and right; posting to Instagram; you got 60 likes on your new profile pic on Facebook.  Life is good.

Fast forward to a couple days (and a couple showers) from now.  You look in the mirror and your hair color is now dull and you can see your natural hair color peeking through.

"What in the world just happened?!  My stylist messed up my hair!  

I'm calling the salon and demanding my money back!"

This is a very common problem.  Your stylist did not fail when they colored your hair; they failed when they did not explain the importance of color protect shampoo and conditioner.  Shampoo is designed to strip the hair of dirt and oil, but it can also strip the hair of the color you've just had applied and spent big money on.  You need a color protect shampoo and conditioner that has ingredients that help seal that color in.  If you aren't using these products you can quite literally watch your color circle down the drain.  

Something to look for is a sulfate-free color protect shampoo and conditioner.  There is a sulfate-free craze sweeping the nation, but most people don't really know why sulfates are bad.  Besides the fact that sulfates could possibly cause cancer, they make your hair color fade quickly.  It is more expensive to buy a sulfate-free product, and a lot of brands don't even offer them yet simply because the cost of their product will increase.  In my salon we've opted to carry the sulfate-free version of Redken's color shampoo and conditioner line because we believe 

that it's worth the extra $2 per bottle.

Something to know about sulfate-free shampoos:  They don't lather and bubble.  A lot of people think if your shampoo isn't lathering that it's not working.  That's not true.  It's really working, 

and it's a lot healthier for both your hair and body.

My choice:

Redken's Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Hair Color Shampoo and Conditioner

Interesting side note about this specific topic.  This is the exact subject that got my business partner, Missy, and I interested in starting a blog.  She had been pressured into buying products in the past and it was clear the reason was so the stylist could make more money off of her.  We believe in making informed decisions about your hair products, services and treatments, instead of choosing things based on a high-pressure sales pitch.  

Intro

There are things we're trained to tell you as cosmetologists:

Conversation you've probably had in a salon:  

Stylist - "You NEED this product."

You - "But why?"

Stylist - "Ummmm... (because it stacks my paycheck) You just do! And you also need this one, this one, and this one.  Oh, and you can't live without this one."

There are actual real reasons why you do AND don't need some products, services, and treatments.  A lot of hairstylists fail to tell you the real, honest truth.  

That's my sole purpose for this blog - the real, honest truth.

Just sit back and become informed.

And if there is something you want to know more about just let me know.  I will tell you everything I know and if I don't know I will do the research and come back with an informed answer.

Enjoy.