"My hair doesn’t grow!" is the most common complaint Shannel hears at her Extension Studio. Chemical treatments and heated styling tools can weaken the hair shaft casing breakage and split ends. We all covet spectacular locks but it takes a little care to get there. Whilst many women opt to fake it for instant length there are natural cheap and easy ways to get your hair to the length you want.

Hot Oil Treatments

All of us have tried a hot oil treatment at some point in the past with varying results. The fact is that most commercial oil treatments have oil molecules that are much too large to effectively penetrate your hair. Jojoba oil is almost identical to the natural sebum produced by the skin so is the most effective at conditioning and lubricating the hair shaft. The jojoba plant is grown in the Sahara desert and therefore as amazing heat protection and moisturising properties. To use as a pre-conditioner, add rosewater and jojoba oil to a water bottle and spray through the hair. Cover with a plastic cap and rinse and style as usual.

Protein treatments

Regularly replacing the protein in your hair cuticle will reduce split ends dramatically. When your cuticle becomes damaged and frayed from ceramic straightners and general wear and tear the hair shaft loses it’s ability to retain water and looses body. Imagine your hair is like a sponge, at first it can hold onto the water but as it becomes old and worn it does not retain as much. At this point the hair will become weak and porous resulting in hair prone to splitting and for curly hair it means you’re never far from the frizzes! Remember every trim sets you back months so if you have a trim 3 or 4 times a year it will actually seem like you are getting nowhere. Once a weak use an egg in place of your shampoo, leave in for 10 minutes and rinse, follow with your favourite conditioner and style as usual

Detox your Locks

Modern day shampoos and conditioners are loaded with silicones to give instant shine and manageability, this is why overtime certain shampoos seem to lose their magic, it’s actually because there’s build up and you need to try a different formulation. Chlorine, minerals and cosmetics build up in the hair, to remove with out harsh clarifying shampoos simply use a natural shampoo that doesn’t contain sodium laureth sulfate or any silicones like dimethicone (or any derivatives of). Natural shampoos may leave your hair feeling a little rough at first this is because your cuticles have been opened, and impurities removed, now your conditioner will smooth and impart nourishment.

Split Ends

Bite the bullet and just get rid, long term split ends will just get worse. Cut them off an stop them from occurring in the first place. Colouring, blow-drying and straightening often get the blame. Whilst these can exacerbate the problem there are simple things you can change in your lifestyle to help reduce the likelihood of split ends. The first thing is to stop using bristle brushes. The bristles gradually scrape away the scales of your hair cuticle, use rubber brushes as they are much gentler. Reducing split ends eliminates the need for trimming off valuable inches!

Supplements

There are two trains of thought on supplements, some say they are a poor substitute others say they are the best thing for boosting the immune system. Either way the fact is it can’t help. There are many different supplements available on the market. Some are more expensive than others. Identify what minerals and nutrients you feel you are lacking in and seek out the supplements, Cod Liver Oil, Sea Kelp and B vitamins and zinc will all benefit you. Bear in mind it may take up to 9 months to see any benefit

And last but not least …

Overall Health

Diet and Exercise play a massive part in your health, if your immune system is flagging the first place it shows is your hair. If you don’t eat for 4 hours your hair follicles stop dividing and effectively shut down. Exercise will stimulate blood flow increasing blood supply to the roots of your hair so your follicles can produce strong hair with the largest diameter possible. Stress and malnutrition can lead to alopecia. Quit smoking, eat plenty of protein and just relax!

If all else fails…

Hair Extensions

Hair Extensions can be a fabulous way to add length and volume to skinny hair. To avoid damage and keep your natural hair in top condition, avoid any harsh hair extension application methods that include components like chemicals, glues or hot waxes. The Secret Extension Natural Hair Extensions Service is delicate and safe to use long term. This supreme strand-by-strand system was specifically developed to be kind to the natural hair and is safe for long-term use. Based on techniques used by the Egyptians around 4000BC, real or synthetic extension hair is individually secured to the natural hair with cotton in tiny sections. These extensions are extremely gentle, so they are safe to use on even fragile, breaking hair.

Traditional Weaves and Clip In Hair Extensions are also gentle on the natural hair and tend to be less expensive than strand – by – strand methods.

Long beautiful hair is a style classic. Follow these steps to keep your hair healthy and strong.