Have you ever wondered why the roots of your hair seem to show so fast but you’re not getting longer hair? Or why you’re not experiencing the “shine” you once did after coloring your hair?? If so, you’re not alone. It’s something we hear quite frequently behind the chair and there are things you can do, partnering with your stylist, to increase the retention of growth and shiny, luscious hair! We will look at where your length and shine are going, what your stylist should be doing to help and what you can do to acquire the touchable, perfectly suited locks of your dreams!
With the surge in hair extensions, the trends are moving towards long, luxurious hair or at least longer than what we have now. Why is it so hard to keep the length and make it shiny?
Let’s first address shine. Shine can leave us as we advance in years. Hair naturally dries and if we aren’t proactive, it can become less youthful-looking. Shine is also slowly diminished as we process our hair with color and use less-than-stellar haircare products. As well as internal issues such as hormone changes, auto-immune disease, thyroid conditions as well as nutritional deficiencies can keep you from your hair goals.
You know about shine. What about hair length? We can see that it’s growing (all that new growth at the scalp) but where is it going? This is one of the top complaints we hear from our guests. So, what’s the deal? Why is this happening? Well, it’s actually really simple, split ends. We are all intimately aquatinted with them, we know them, and we hate them. As the hair splits up the hair-strand, it eventually breaks off. You could also be experiencing over-processing with hair color. Hair color depletes hair of strength and moisture. Depending on the color used, homecare (product) used, and what your thermal styling routine looks like, all the steps you take to make your hair beautiful could actually be causing the issue. Yikes!!
So, what’s a girl to do? Don’t worry, there are many options to try. Let’s start with some universal truths that will help everyone.
1. You must trim your hair
Every 8 weeks to clip those split ends before they spit up the hair and the hair break, mid-shaft. The average growth is ½ an inch a month. If we trim ¼ inch every 8 weeks, you’ll retain ¾ inch of healthy, pretty hair!
2 . Use quality hair products
We also must use quality products on the hair, including hair color. Over the counter products are at a lower price point for a reason. The quality of ingredients are far below the standard of most professional brands. Not only will they not help you attain healthy hair, but they can harm the hair and scalp.
3. Make sure your stylist is using quality hair color
The quality of hair color is very important too! Being sure to ask your Stylist to use Ammonia-free, more natural hair color to protect and preserve the integrity of your hair and health! Also, adding a restorative hair treatment to a color service will put back into the hair what the color may have depleted.
4 . Rinse with cold water
One of the most simple adjustments that can be made to increase the health and shine of your hair is after you’ve shampooed out your favorite professional conditioner, rinse in cold water! This will close the cuticle, which smooths the surface of the hair so light can reflect off the surface for more natural shine!
I will end with a few more actionable steps that could work for you as well. I encourage you to allow this blog post to prompt a conversation between you and your stylist about how you can, together, bring your hair to its best health possible! And always partner with a physician before taking supplements and ask about hormones and nutrition!
Bonus tips:
- Always use a thermal protectant
- Add Collagen to your coffee in the morning
- Biotin supplements
- Homecare that supports shine such as a shine spray
–Krissy, Co-owner, Master Stylist