Rapunzel might have had hair long enough to let Prince Charming up into the tower, but her ends were totally split! Ok, so we made the last bit up – although for all the Rapunzel’s out there, listen up. Keeping your hair long and luscious need not take decades of growth in a bell tower.
We’re sure you’ve heard the myriad old wives tales on promoting hair growth, and maintaining long hair without seemingly endless trims and snips.
In order to maintain long hair without a care in the world, Kathy Gilbert, Crown’s Director of Colour, has a few tips up her sleeve for those who already have hair long enough to whip back and forth, and for those looking to strengthen their longer locks.
“If you’re going to have long hair, have beautiful hair. The greatest revolutionary gift to hair dressing, and customers who have long hair is Olaplex. Using Olaplex on a regular basis, and having Olaplex used on your hair when you have it coloured, eliminates so many of the issues around hair strength and quality of hair.”
Kathy encourages those with longer hair to consider the replenishing benefits of hair masks, to prevent breakage and provide nourishment where it’s needed. Masks add moisture and protein that your hair needs to flourish and grow, and Kathy says it’s important to find the right one for your personal hair needs.
“Masks can create shine by closing down the hair cuticle, and help to prevent oxidisation that helps prevent hair colour degrading. It’s all around suiting your particular hair type – fair, medium, coarse, oily, normal, dry, – it’s about getting the balance that you need, and that’s what the hair mask does,” says Kathy.
Longer haired ladies and gents can sometimes find themselves sufferers of ‘fuzzy’ looking hair, although this is often the result of shattered hair crying for a little extra TLC.
“The quality and integrity of your hair, and how it translates to your hair being able to grow and look good and stop it from shattering, is what creates fuzziness a lot of the time. People think it’s their hair texture, but the hair itself isn’t all the same length, it’s breaking. As it breaks, you’ve got all these myriad of different lengths and that’s what creates the illusion of fuzziness”
When it comes to picking a mask for your hair, Kathy advises to keep it as simple as possible, although with all the products on the market, it can be daunting for the Rapunzel’s out there.
“Like all cosmetics, it can be an overwhelming world. If you have a professional you can trust, then they’ll help you find the things that are most suitable to your hair, so that your dollars are spent wisely. If you get the right things, it shouldn’t be that complex or a complicated process – the only variation on that might be seasonal, so the humidity in the air would for example affect the way your hair behaves, as well as things such as internal health.”
Kathy recommends that generally, you should be able to keep it minimised to 3-5 products including styling products. Keep it simple.
“I think the key to beautiful long hair is to understand it but maintenance is key.”