1. DO NOT USE HEAT. Of course, I don't expect everyone to adhere to that. I'm lucky enough to have hair thin enough to dry quickly and pretty manageable. Just cut back as much as possible - it's the most contributing factor to breakage and thinning of the hair. And yes, blow drying counts too.
2. I switched all of my hair care products to nice, expensive brands. Yes, I know it sounds pretentious, but I think it made a real difference. Currently my regimen includes Aveda's Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair (a serum) and Damage Remedy Reconstructing Shampoo, Rusk's Conditioner (it's so old I can't read the rest of the label), and Moroccan Oil. After switching to these products, I definitely noticed a change in my hair. It felt softer, stronger, and thicker. Plus it appeared to have more bounce, but I think that can be attributed to its new found health. Here's a picture of the Moroccan Oil in case you haven't seen it.
All of it is expensive stuff, but I deem it well worth it if you're serious about growing and maintaining health hair.
3. Take biotin. It's a supplement that helps with the growth and health of hair, skin, and nails. Currently, I take 5000 mcg a day, but there are higher and lower doses to be taken. Warning: You should be either 17 or 18 years or older to take biotin (I can't remember which). This scared me at first. If this supplement is safe, why do I have to be a certain age to take it? Well, in all honesty I could never find the answer to that, but I did do a significant amount of research on it and found hardly any negatives to be said. Of course, you should do your own research before adding this to your daily diet.
4. Only brush your hair with a wide toothed comb. This helps cut down on breakage. Also, I only brush my hair from the tip to the root in order to avoid ripping out my hair. For some, I know this can be a large chore. For me, it's not so bad because I have such soft, fine hair. I've also heard that it's best not to brush your hair when it's soaking wet, but since mine generally isn't all that tangled, I don't adhere to that, but it may work for you!
5. Use dry shampoo! It has been a life saver for me. Because of my Italian heritage and fine hair, it tends to start producing a significant amount of grease about 18 hours after my last wash. This would cause me to wash my hair daily, which strips it of natural oils it needs to grow. The rule seems to be you should only wash your hair every two to three days to keep that from happening. I now use dry shampoo every other day in order to allow some of those oils to stick around with out that "I'm homeless" looking effect of grease. Use which ever dry shampoo you like. I think they all work relatively the same, but you can do some research to find which one works best for you. Warning: Dry shampoo cans tend to empty themselves. I'm not sure how or why it happens, but out of the four cans I have bought, it happened to two of them. You use it once, and the next day the can is completely empty. I checked online and it's a common problem. Don't say I didn't warn you. (One last thing about dry shampoos. When I told my friend about this, she said that it's bad for your hair because it takes away natural oils. I'm not entirely sure about the truth of this statement. From my understanding, dry shampoo uses baby powder like substances to soak up the grease, which I believe would still sit on your scalp. Plus, if it's dry shampoo or a wash, I'd say dry shampoo takes the cake in both time and scalp health.)
6. Don't sleep with your hair up. In fact, put your hair up as little as possible. It causes breakage (namely those tails you get at the nape of your neck when you put your hair in a pony tail).
7. Dye and bleach your hair as little as possible. I feel this one is pretty self explanatory.
8. Get regular hair cuts! What you're probably thinking is right - regular hair cuts don't aide in hair growth. What they do is make your hair healthier, therefore appear longer. Think about it. When your hair has a large amount of split ends, not only does it break, but it also has a tapered look at the ends (opposed to the blunt look of freshly cut hair). This causes your hair to look shorter than it actually is. Regular hair cuts will give your hair a longer look, as well as a healthier one. The general rule is one cut every 6-8 weeks, but I think it should be specific to you. The more split ends, the sooner the cut.
9. Just a few other tips I've heard but haven't tried. Supposedly, exercise aides in hair growth. I haven't researched this too much, but from what I've read this is what I've gathered. It has to do with the blood flow and something like hormones to your scalp. Don't quote me on that though. I've also read that daily scalp massages help hair growth. I think this works on a similar principle as the exercise, but again, don't quote me on that. Also, your diet influences your hair growth, though I'm not sure what exactly your diet should and shouldn't include. I do believe protein is beneficial.
Good luck on your hair endeavors!
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