#1. Healthy body = Healthy hair

First things first: start from the inside. Like your nails and skin, your hair is produced by your body so it only makes sense that treating your body well will result in happier hair. A bad diet and not drinking enough water leads to dry and listless hair so make a point to be hydrated and eat well to get on the right track towards healthy hair growth.
 
Vitamin supplements that will help include omega, fish oil and biotin, which results in healthier hair follicles. Regularly dose up with ReVite Omega 3 caps or NuHair tabs.

#2. Cool off on the heat products

We're all guilty of being a little too hard on our hair when it comes to heat products. Straightening, blow-drying and curling all cause severe damage to hair, most notably dry and split ends, and the worse your split ends are the more length you will have to cut off.
 
Try to limit your use of heat products to once a week or less, and only use good quality products with ceramic plates and low heat settings. If you can't resist, then be sure to be generous with a good heat protecting spray like the one from TRESemme beforehand. Try hanging up the blow dryer for a few days and see what a difference it makes to your hair’s moisture levels.
 
Related: The Top 19 Tips and Tricks For Anyone Who Uses A Hair Straightener
 

#3. Go for the chop

The most common urban myth surrounding hair growth is that you need to cut it in order for it to grow faster. Logically this doesn’t make sense, but the gist of it is that the healthier your hair is the less length you will need to cut off. If you leave your split ends for six months, causing them to split further and further up the hair shaft, you might need to cut off as much as 10cm at your next cut, as opposed to 1.5cm if you had gone as soon as you noticed them.
 
Book an appointment with your hairdresser for The Big Chop, which is the first step in the journey of reaching healthy and natural long hair. You’ll lose a lot of length at first but if you pop in every six to eight weeks afterwards your hair will be in a permanent state of perfect health!
 
If you're really hesitant to lose your length, then try a technique that's been around for ages but is only recently making waves in the mainstream scene: hair dusting. This is a labour-intensive process where only the damaged tips of your hairs are removed, as opposed to a general chop. It's more of a grooming process than a hair cut and is a way of smoothing out your overall hairstyle, or 'dusting' old and unhealthy off. Ask your hairdresser if they offer it. It's super time-consuming but an amazing way to preserve your precious length.

#4. Build your routine

Most shampoo bottles recommend you shampoo your hair more than once, but did you know that the notion of 'lather, rinse and repeat' was created in the 1950s, a time where hair spray and gel was the norm and people washed their hair less frequently than we do these days?
 
Nowadays, most of us wash our hair every two to three days and shampoo formulas are strong enough to totally wash your hair on the first go. Shampooing twice is unnecessary and actually removes important oils needed for healthy hair. We recommend using a moisturising shampoo and conditioner a few times a week, combing a leave-in conditioner afterwards, and applying a hydrating hair mask at least once a week. Some of our fave products are available in the Pantene, L'Oréal and Dove ranges.
 
For those of you who prefer to go natural, there are many DIY recipes for moisturising hair masks to repair damage or tame flyaway hair. Your basic super hydrating coconut oil is an all-time favourite hot oil treatment for normal hair (try jojoba oil for oily hair and avocado oil for dry/coarse hair). You can also use coconut milk to help moisturise dry and frizzy hair.
  
Brushing your hair stimulates your roots and encourages hair growth while removing your dead hairs. If you have straight hair then brush as often as you like, and if your hair is wavy or curly then comb your conditioner through wet hair; brushing your waves when dry will cause frizz and drooping curls.

#5. Protective Styles

How you handle your hair will have an effect on its health too. Avoid tying up your hair when wet as this leads to breakage high up on your hair shaft, meaning your split ends will spread even higher than just the tips of your hair. Rather go for loose plaits with a soft hair-tie or try out the banana buns trend.
 
If you have natural hair and are rebuilding your hair's strength after the Big Chop bear in mind that your ends are the oldest and therefore driest part of your hair and are more prone to breaking and splitting. Since the key to keeping your hair long is maintaining healthy ends you can style your hair in a number of protective styles that keep your delicate tips from brushing against collars, car seats and being exposed to the elements. Cornrows, braids and flat twists are all great styles that protect the ends of your hair.
 
Related: Inspo: 6 Crazy Easy (And Chic!) Hairstyles for When You Are Late
 

#6. Eat Right

As we've said already eating healthily will lead to healthier hair, but some foods will give your hair an extra boost. Foods like almonds, avocado, egg, cashews and salmon are not only delicious but also high in biotin. Thinning hair or hair loss is usually due to an iron deficiency so eat loads of iron-rich spinach, which also contains nutrients that act as a natural conditioner for your hair, leaving it lusciously thick and shiny. Other foods for healthy hair include tangerines, Greek yoghurt and cinnamon, which improves your circulation and gets more oxygen to your scalp.
 
Avoid diet soft drinks, which have been linked to hair loss, alcohol (it dehydrates your hair), greasy food (which will clog up your pores, including the ones on your scalp), and sugar, which hinders the crucial absorption of protein in your body.

#7. Choose Your Tools Wisely

The wrong tools can cause your hair to split and break, leaving you with uneven ends and unhealthy hair. A wide-tooth comb is an inexpensive go-to for all hair types, as the spacing of the teeth means no breakage while detangling. Remember to start from the ends and work your way up and that your hair is fragile and more susceptible to snapping when wet. Never, ever use a bare elastic band to tie up your hair; go for ponytails that are padded, wide-tooth clips or soft scrunchies.
 
You can also continue your hair care routine while you sleep: a satin or silk pillowcase drastically reduces friction on your hair while you sleep, a silk bonnet preserves your moisture levels, and every few weeks you can treat yourself by sleeping with your hair mask in (covered with a shower cap) and washing it off the next day for ultra hydrated hair.
 
Related: Hairstylists Spotlight 30 Mistakes You Are Making