2024 Hair Protection Mode
This year we are growing hair like Rapunzel and preventing split ends at all costs
Short hair is out! For 2024 we are in long hair protection mode!
We are growing our hair out this year and to do that we need to protect the length we already have to prevent future damage and breakage.
One of the biggest hurdles stopping women from growing their hair long is breakage.
When we don't protect our ends from accumulating split ends and damage they break off, making it feel impossible to grow healthy long hair. This is why many women feel that they can’t grow their hair past their shoulders, AKA the hair awkward stage.
However, hair doesn’t just stop growing and the awkward stage can be overcome by limiting breakage and protecting hair ends.
A while ago I decided to stop using hot styling products on my hair because I had an extreme amount of breakage.
High porosity hair like mine is one of the most frustrating hair types to have because it is highly susceptible to damage and forming split ends.
After examining my hair I can see that I have a good 2-3 inches that could be cut off, but I’d like to maintain my length and that is why this year I am going into full protection mode for my hair.
In order to maintain hair length and growth, it’s important to 1) limit all sources of future breakage, and 2) pay close attention to the ends to maintain what you already have.
I’ll also give some tips at the end on how to speed up hair growth. But for now, lets get into it:
Protection Mode Part 1: Limit all sources of future breakage
I have a few tips for preventing future breakage:
Sleep on a silk pillow case. Normal cotton pillowcases can create friction with hair strands that will result in raised cuticles, subsequent moisture loss and damage accumulation. Silk is far more frictionless compared to cotton and will limit this damage from occurring. We sleep for ⅓ of our lives and should make it the best experience possible.
Wear protective hair styles. My favorite protective hairstyles are obviously leaving it down and loose, but also a french braid, loose bun, or in a clip. It is especially important to wear something protective like a braid while sleeping to minimize friction and tugging on your hair.
Avoid tight hairstyles. These include tight ponytails, slick-back hairstyles, tight buns and braids, and avoid using normal hair ties tightly. I recommend scrunchies. It’s unfortunate that some of the cutest hairstyles are so damaging, but 2024 full protection mode cares not.
Use heat protection. I never used to believe heat protectant was necessary but after looking into it I am now a full believer. Heat protection will significantly reduce the amount of damage to your hair when using hot styling tools and imo there are no downsides. If you feel that heat protectants limit how long your hair style lasts I would recommend trying a new one. My favorite heat protectant is Kerastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique - it is a cream that should be applied while hair is still wet. I think applying a cream heat protectant as opposed to a spray allows for more of the hair to be covered and protected. Imo a spray heat protectant will miss a lot of hair strands.
Use a leave-in conditioner. This step was absolutely crucial for me to prevent breakage while growing my hair out. Leave-in conditioners may not be quite as crucial for people for medium or low-porosity hair, but for high-porosity hair it becomes very important to lock in as much moisture as possible. I like to apply a cream leave in conditioner mostly to the ends of my hair while it is still wet before I apply my heat protectant. The Kerastase heat protectant I mentioned above also doubles as a leave-in conditioner which is great for when you need a little extra moisture. (I promise i’m not trying to sell you on it, it’s just a truly wonderful product).
Protection Mode Part 2: Maintain what you have
Hair oiling. This is (in my opinion) the most important step to maintaining your hair in good health. Applying oils to hair strands acts like a coat of protection, shielding your hair from potential damage-inducing hazards found in the environment.
For High-porosity hair (like me), you can get away with applying a few drops of oil to your hair every single day. High porosity hair absorbs water and oils the best out of all the hair types but it requires extra hydration because it also loses water and oils quickly.
For medium-porosity hair, you can apply oil every other day or every three days without your hair starting to look too greasy. This hair type is able to hold onto moisture quite well and is not as susceptible to damage from the environment like high porosity hair.
For low-porosity hair, I recommend applying oils while hair is wet, or using a hot towel to wrap oiled hair to increase penetration. This hair type has difficulty absorbing oils and water, but it also holds onto moisture the best out of all the hair types.
If you don’t know your hair type don’t worry, I wrote an article on that here.
Weekly deep conditioning masks. Hair masks make a big difference in the hydration and overall health of your hair which will roll over into protecting your hair from future damage. Treat it like a weekly reset, I like to put in a hair masks on Sundays and allow it to marinate for many hours before washing it out.
It’s easy to make your own hair mask using items in your kitchen (avocado, mayo, eggs, oils) or you can buy premade and particularly formulated masks from companies you trust. I recommend hair masks from Shea Moisture, Dae, or amika.
Limit heat usage. This can be a difficult one because styling hair can not only be therapeutic and fun, but having a good hair day makes a real difference in the way we carry ourselves and in our confidence. I used to style my hair with heat every single day because I loved the confidence boost and how it looked; but after realizing how much damage my high-porosity hair had accumulated I stopped immediately. If you are looking to maintain your length I wouldn’t recommend using hot styling tools more than once per week, and always use heat protection.
Frequent dustings. A dusting is like getting a trim, but it involves cutting off as little as humanly possible while also cutting off split ends. This may sound counterintuitive since we are trying to grow out long hair, but frequent dustings can make a huge difference. Allowing split ends to persist without cutting them off will give them time to travel up the hair strand growing in size and distributing the damage. If you don’t cut them off as soon as possible you’ll end up having to cut off more later - which is definitely not what we want.
I have recently been making a habit of incorporating a weekly dusting into my Sunday reset. All you need is a pair of sharp scissors and patience!
Be aware of where you sit. This one may sound like overkill but it does make a difference. I try not to lean back on chairs without lifting my hair up first, this will just limit any friction on hair trapped between your back and the chair. This may not be a big worry for most people but back when my hair had extreme heat damage it was breaking off if I even looked at it wrong, so this step was a concern for me.
By implementing these tips we’ll have Rapunzel-like hair in no time. However, if you want to actively increase hair growth while protecting the ends from breakage, here are some tips.
Hair growth tips:
Prioritize animal protein. Hair is mostly made of protein and without the building blocks hair growth will slow down substantially. A high-protein diet will also result in stronger hair because issues in the foundation of the hair cortex are less likely. I specify animal protein is necessary because it is digested and absorbed much better than plant protein.
Healthy fats. While the inside of the hair shaft is made of protein, the outer cuticle layer is made up of almost entirely fatty acids. The cuticle layer is important for protecting hair from the environment and for holding in moisture. It is also what determines our hair type. You are what you eat! Healthy fats found in butter, ghee, avocado, nuts, and seeds will make a real difference in your hair’s health compared to fats found in fast food and processed foods.
Sunlight. Sunlight regulates everything in the body and obtaining enough directly on the scalp is important for circadian gene programing, increasing blood flow, and proper hormonal signaling - all which impact hair growth.
Scalp oiling. You guys know I am a huge fan of growth stimulating oils and scalp massages. There are thousands of testimonials from people online who use oils to stimulate hair growth. Some of the best ones are castor, black seed, argan, olive, coconut, and plenty more. Adding a bit of rosemary, peppermint, or lavender oil will also speed up the process since all are known to encourage growth. You probably know by now that I sell a formulation which you can checkout here.
Scalp massages and exercise. I put these together because they both increase blood flow to the stem cells and melanocytes that live in hair follicles which is strongly linked to hair growth. Increasing blood flow is one of the most effective ways to increase speed and density of hair growth.
To sum up:
I packed a lot of info into this post and I hope it can be found helpful! I will likely be coming back to this as a reference over the next few months and hope you will as well!
Thank you for reading and if you made it this far use the code SUB10 at fountainhead.hair for 10% any purchase.
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-JessicaGenetics