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Description
When I first started growing out my hair, long hair care became somewhat of a hobby for me. I was more than a bit obsessed with trying different hair routines to reduce damage so that I could go longer without having to cut off split ends and other signs of wear. I spent a lot of my free time on websites and forums such as The Long Hair Community (forums.longhaircommunity.com/f… ) where I met a lot of awesome ladies and gentlemen who knew a lot about how to grow and maintain long hair.

But now that I have a routine down I don't have to think about it much at all anymore. I reached my initial goal of mid-thigh length some time ago, though right now I have it at Classic length (right below the butt) because I had to cut off damage. Though I know some people are able to maintain nice manes at knee-length and beyond, I don't really want to try going there myself. I would like to get back to mid-thigh if I'm able to maintain it nicely though.

Anyway, about my routine if anyone is curious to know:

1. I shower every other day and wash my hair each time with Suave Naturals shampoo. Many folks in long hair enthusiast communities say it's best to stretch the period between washing as much as possible because getting hair wet always carries risk of damage, but I've found that every other day works well for me. Also, shampoo is frowned upon because it can be quite harsh on the hair, but for now I use it 'cause it's so convenient.
2. Before showering, comb out hair and remove all tangles with a seamless comb (I use a Madora comb; you can see examples of it and other good seamless combs here: tresses.wordpress.com/2007/04/… )
3. After showering, let hair dry for an hour or two, then de-tangle it again and split it into 2 pigtails so that the area behind my head can dry properly.
4. When hair is reasonably dry, put it up into a hairstick bun. My go-to bun style is the Nautilus bun 'cause it's super easy and works well with almost any hairstick length and style.
5. Curl bangs with a curling iron. Heat is damaging to hair, but because I can cut my bangs frequently it doesn't really matter much.
6. Wear hair in a bun most of the time. This is a matter of taste I think. Buns are protective styles and greatly reduce damage, but many longhaired people also manage to maintain healthy long hair while wearing their hair down or in less protective styles like ponytails and braids just fine. But I really like updos and it's most comfortable for me so this is what I do.
7. When I do put my hair down, I use a Tangle Teezer (www.tangleteezer.com ) or similar plastic brush to fluff it, especially the ends. My hair tends to clump together after being in a bun for a long time, making it look stringy when I first take it down. But after I brush it, it can look thicker "like a hair curtain" as my mom said once.
8. When sleeping I take my hairstick out and put my hair above my head on the pillow. I don't want my hair being in my face if I toss and turn in the night, or my skin may get irritated. I used to braid before bed, but it's not worth the hassle for me, because I'd have to take it out and detangle in the morning again. Whereas when I just leave it loose, it actually doesn't get too tangled in the night.
9. When going out I try to protect my hair as much as possible from the sun with hats or scarves. But anyway, I stay inside most of the time hahaha xD
10. If I'm getting a lot of split ends, I'll just snip them off with a sharp pair of hair scissors. If there are way too many, it's time to trim my hair. There are various methods for self-trimming, such as Feye's method which works really well (feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/ ), but lucky for me my brother usually can help me even out the bottom.

I think that pretty much sums it up! If you have any questions or comments just let me know. Happy growing!

Description
When I first started growing out my hair, long hair care became somewhat of a hobby for me. I was more than a bit obsessed with trying different hair routines to reduce damage so that I could go longer without having to cut off split ends and other signs of wear. I spent a lot of my free time on websites and forums such as The Long Hair Community (forums.longhaircommunity.com/f… ) where I met a lot of awesome ladies and gentlemen who knew a lot about how to grow and maintain long hair.

But now that I have a routine down I don't have to think about it much at all anymore. I reached my initial goal of mid-thigh length some time ago, though right now I have it at Classic length (right below the butt) because I had to cut off damage. Though I know some people are able to maintain nice manes at knee-length and beyond, I don't really want to try going there myself. I would like to get back to mid-thigh if I'm able to maintain it nicely though.

Anyway, about my routine if anyone is curious to know:

1. I shower every other day and wash my hair each time with Suave Naturals shampoo. Many folks in long hair enthusiast communities say it's best to stretch the period between washing as much as possible because getting hair wet always carries risk of damage, but I've found that every other day works well for me. Also, shampoo is frowned upon because it can be quite harsh on the hair, but for now I use it 'cause it's so convenient.
2. Before showering, comb out hair and remove all tangles with a seamless comb (I use a Madora comb; you can see examples of it and other good seamless combs here: tresses.wordpress.com/2007/04/… )
3. After showering, let hair dry for an hour or two, then de-tangle it again and split it into 2 pigtails so that the area behind my head can dry properly.
4. When hair is reasonably dry, put it up into a hairstick bun. My go-to bun style is the Nautilus bun 'cause it's super easy and works well with almost any hairstick length and style.
5. Curl bangs with a curling iron. Heat is damaging to hair, but because I can cut my bangs frequently it doesn't really matter much.
6. Wear hair in a bun most of the time. This is a matter of taste I think. Buns are protective styles and greatly reduce damage, but many longhaired people also manage to maintain healthy long hair while wearing their hair down or in less protective styles like ponytails and braids just fine. But I really like updos and it's most comfortable for me so this is what I do.
7. When I do put my hair down, I use a Tangle Teezer (www.tangleteezer.com ) or similar plastic brush to fluff it, especially the ends. My hair tends to clump together after being in a bun for a long time, making it look stringy when I first take it down. But after I brush it, it can look thicker "like a hair curtain" as my mom said once.
8. When sleeping I take my hairstick out and put my hair above my head on the pillow. I don't want my hair being in my face if I toss and turn in the night, or my skin may get irritated. I used to braid before bed, but it's not worth the hassle for me, because I'd have to take it out and detangle in the morning again. Whereas when I just leave it loose, it actually doesn't get too tangled in the night.
9. When going out I try to protect my hair as much as possible from the sun with hats or scarves. But anyway, I stay inside most of the time hahaha xD
10. If I'm getting a lot of split ends, I'll just snip them off with a sharp pair of hair scissors. If there are way too many, it's time to trim my hair. There are various methods for self-trimming, such as Feye's method which works really well (feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/ ), but lucky for me my brother usually can help me even out the bottom.

I think that pretty much sums it up! If you have any questions or comments just let me know. Happy growing!