If you have long hair, you need to make sure you’re taking care of it in the right way. It requires different care than short hair styles. However, many people don’t know that long hair needs different care, which means they take care of it the same way as short hair. That can cause serious lasting damage to your hair. If you want to make sure you’re maintaining the health of your long hair, make sure you take these tips into account.

Use the Right Brush

If you have long hair, you probably won’t be able to use the same type of brush as your short-haired friends. Brushes or combs with fine bristles can damage your hair because they can cause too much friction and end up pulling out individual strands of hair. You especially shouldn’t be using these types of brushes when your hair’s wet because wet hair is easier to damage. Instead, opt for a wide-tooth comb or a boar bristle brush.

Hydrate Your Hair Regularly

Deep hydrating treatments can really help when you have long hair. Long hair tends to dry out and end up with heat damage more often, especially if you take more time to style your long hair with heat styling products. That’s why you need to make sure you’re using hydrating products regularly, whether that’s a hair mask in the shower, an oil treatment, or something else that applies moisture to the hair follicles.

Use the Right Ponytail Holders

Ponytail holders are not all the same. When you have long hair, a ponytail holder can be damaging if it holds too closely to your hair, especially when it comes time to take the ponytail out. Ponytail holders inherently cause some damage, but you don’t have to resign yourself to serious damage from these holders. Instead, consider a plastic coil type of scrunchy. These hair bands don’t pull at the root, instead allowing you to gather your hair more effectively and avoid damage.

Don’t Towel Dry

Some people can get away with towel drying their hair. However, a towel, especially a cotton towel, can cause damage when you wrap your hair in it, which can contribute significantly to frizz — the bane of people with long hair everywhere. Instead, use a hair wrap or an old t-shirt, which slicks off the moisture without unnecessarily scrubbing at your hair. Satin products are especially useful for this, and many people find that a satin pillowcase can maintain hair health overnight.

Trim Your Hair Often

Split ends are a big deal when it comes to long hair. If you can’t get your hair to grow longer than a certain length, you may actually need to do something a little counterintuitive: cut your hair every few months. Split ends can actually cause your hair to stop growing, and it certainly contributes to making your hair appear thinner and duller. Visit an Ogle School salon every 8-12 weeks to get rid of split ends and allow your hair to grow longer.

Shampoo the Right Way

Especially if you have long hair, you shouldn’t be shampooing every day. Instead, try for a schedule where you shampoo your hair every third day. If you have workouts or other strenuous activities every day and have to shower daily, skip the shampoo and just rinse it. Additionally, stick mostly to shampooing your scalp. Your ends tend to be more dry than the scalp, meaning shampoo’s more likely to dry them out, and you don’t usually accumulate product on your ends anyway.

Conclusion

There are many small changes you may need to make when caring for long hair as opposed to short hair. One of those changes may be switching over to salon shampoo instead of drugstore shampoo, which can make long hair concerns more obvious. If you’re interested in making sure your hair stays as healthy as possible, schedule an appointment at an Ogle School salon to get expert advice from an Ogle School student.