How to Take Care of Long Hair for Men
Taking care of long hair—is it as difficult as it sounds? It could be that it’s just me, but it seems like guys everywhere are growing out their locks. Maybe guys growing long hair is another COVID-19 ‘thing’. After all, we were under lockdowns just a little over a year ago. Not to mention, a bunch of us are working from home now. Either way, whether you’re planning to grow your hair out or already have those luscious locks, here are a few tips to take care of your pandemic mops, gentlemen.
There is always a price to looking gorgeous. Okay, fine. It’s not as dramatic as it sounds, we promise. While it’s a bit of a chore, but a little TLC can go a long way. That’s because your hair can be sensitive to change. There’s no blood supply to your hair, so it can’t get the elements it needs to heal. And once it’s damaged, the best thing you can do is to either make it look less damaged or chop off the damaged parts.
Read Also:
3 Must-Know Hair Care Tips for Colour-Treated Hair
Table of Contents
Shampoo Less
You might want to consider shampooing less frequently, even if it feels like the grime is taking over your scalp. Because shampooing strips away the nourishing oils from your scalp, keeping your hair from staying healthy and hydrated. And you actually might want to consider using less shampoo anyways, whether you have long hair or not.
Now, you still need to shampoo your hair, just not every day. So don’t wait for weeks for your next lather. Instead, it’s recommended to shampoo just one or two times a week. And keep an eye on the water temperature; washing your hair with water that’s too hot will strip away the beneficial oils on your hair and scalp.
Another tip for when shampooing your hair: keep your hair free of tangles, and then work the shampoo through each strand of your hair. You could stick to water-soluble hair products, so you only need a simple rinse to flush them out.
If you’ve been washing your hair every day, then you probably haven’t used conditioner in quite some time. But conditioning helps keep your hair moisturized and soft. Plus, when you use it more often, you’ll notice how much better your hair looks after each wash. That brings us to our next point—
Condition Daily
This is the secret to clean, healthy-looking hair. Instead of applying conditioner only after you shampoo, you can consider applying it every day. That’ll help you flush out all the grease and styling products you’re using without sacrificing the moisture in your hair. Conditioners also help protect against breakage by adding protein which makes your strands stronger, meaning they won’t split as easily during styling.
And when you condition, you’d want to apply conditioner at the ends of your hair a little more so your hair doesn’t look too thick and weighed down. For those who go for the frequent swim, you can try using a leave-in conditioner and clarifying shampoo after your swim to lessen the damage from chlorine.
Keep it Breezy Post-Wash
The best way to dry your wet hair after you shower is to let it air-dry. Towel drying could cause major damage, since all the rubbing can tangle your hair into threads, breaking off your hair. That’ll damage your hair’s outer layer—the cuticle, while also causing split ends and some frizz.
If you are sticking to the towel dry, shake out the excess water, and dry your hair by stroking the towel in the direction your hair grows.
But blow-drying your hair is a big no-no. Long hair is more prone to heat damage. But if you really need to blow dry because it’s 3 a.m. and you’ve got to work in the morning, try to use the low heat option on your blow dryer. Don’t forget to leave your hair a little damp afterwards too.
Hairdressing Matters
It’s certainly true that you don’t need to cut it as often as when you have short hair. That said, a trim is due about once every eight to twelve weeks. And you only need to trim your split ends. While you might think that it’s counter-intuitive, but trimming away the split ends can help your hair grow longer instead of making your hair shorter.
It might help to tell your hairdresser that you don’t need to get a cut, lest they go overboard. Just tell them you want your hair to be ‘shaped’ instead, so they take less of the length off, and trim only the front, the sides, and other overgrown areas. To make sure you’re getting the look you want, you could also show your hairstylist the final look you want.
Keep it Loose When You Style It
Avoid styling products that give a firm hold. Stick to soft hold products when you\re styling your luscious locks; that’ll keep it loose and perky. Products like soft gel give your a little more flexibility as you style your hair.
As we mentioned earlier, long hair is more prone to heat damage, so you might want to skip on heated styling tools like blow dryers, straighteners, or hair curlers.
If you’re just taking it easy with a ponytail, be careful of pulling it too tight, and stick to cloth-covered hair accessories. Otherwise, you might get Traction Alopecia, the type of hair loss that happens when you tie your hair too tightly.
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