It’s time to address the beast that is my hair. I get all sorts of comments about my hair: “Is it real? How do you get it so long? How long did it take you to grow? How do you handle all of it?” As I stood in line for California Screamin’ last year, I could hear a group of girls behind me debating over whether or not I had extensions.

Yes, my hair is real. Every single strand of it is growing out of my head. I rarely wear it down in its natural state because it’s huge and wavy. When it’s straightened, it stretches a few inches past my tailbone. Want to learn how to grow long hair?

I chopped it off in my senior year of high school. Shoulder-length hair. The shortest I had ever cut my hair! It then took me 4 long years of weird haircuts and way too much heat to grow it to the length it is now. Frankly, I regretted cutting my hair and not caring for it properly. But my (bad) experience taught me how to help my hair become the big hairy beast it is today.

Haircare:

I only wash my hair about 2-3 times a week. Honestly, I’m just too lazy to wash my hair more often. But this also keeps my hair and scalp from drying out.

1. First, I wash my hair with either Shiseido Tsubaki Damage Care or Ichikami Smooth and Sleek. (My two favorite haircare lines.) I rinse the shampoo out with warm water.
2. I soak my hair from mid-shaft to ends in conditioner then leave it to marinate while I shave and have my shower concert. At the very end of my shower, I rinse the conditioner out with cool water to seal in the moisture and make my hair extra shiny.
3. I use one of my fiancé’s old t-shirts to dry my hair. Less frizz, please! When it’s no longer dripping wet, I put a few pumps of my favorite hair serum through my ends. Right now, that’s the Matrix Oil Wonders.
4. I wash my hair at night, so when it’s time for bed, I usually braid my hair or throw it into a messy bun.

Vitamins:

If I’m being perfectly honest, my hair naturally grows quickly. It’s also naturally thick and coarse. However, adding supplements has helped my hair grow even faster and stronger. I take 2 kinds of supplements every day: Vitamin C and a multivitamin specifically formulated to support healthy hair, skin, and nails. I take one 1,000 mg Vitamin C tablet with my lunch. After dinner, I take another Vitamin C tablet and three multivitamin capsules (the recommended daily serving).

Why Vitamin C? Vitamin C helps your body build collagen, which is important for both hair growth and healthy skin.

The main ingredient in my multivitamin is biotin. Biotin improves your body’s natural ability to create keratin, the protein that makes up your hair.

*All links are affiliate links