PBL: Why you should still trim your hair

I have the hardest time making myself get trims when I'm attempting to grow my hair long for donation. It feels so very counterproductive that I try my hardest to put it off as long as possible, but that isn't always the best solution.

The average rate of hair growth is about a half an inch (1.25cm) per month, and if you get your hair trimmed every 8 weeks, you'll have a total hair growth of about three inches per year. Since that's way too slow for people trying to grow their hair long for donation purposes, I suggest getting your hair trimmed every 12 to 16 weeks. But in order to wait that long between trims, you need to keep your hair in optimal condition. Which mostly means, stay away from unnecessary heat (i.e. blow dryers, flat irons, etc), take a daily multi-vitamin, and substitute conditioner for shampoo every other day.

It's best to recognize early on that not trimming your hair is a losing battle. Your hair will end up dried, fried and split. So get those trims and watch your beautiful healthy hair grow!...To read more about my hair donation challenge, click on my Pantene Beautiful Lengths page.

Yours,

Pantene Beautiful Lengths Challenge- Natural Hair

You may or may not know this, but I have naturally wavy/curly hair. Some days I straighten it and some days I let it go crazy. Either way, I try to treat my hair with care, which means only shampooing two to three times a week, and using only conditioner to clean my hair on the days in between. My other huge hair care secret is taking a daily multi-vitamin. I swear it makes my hair grow faster and stronger and let's not forget the amazing things it does for the rest of your body.

So here's my little guide on how I style my wavy hair.

Step 1: Clean your hair. If you're going to use shampoo, first put conditioner on your ends for protection and only shampoo your scalp. If you're going to use only conditioner, really work it into your scalp focusing on your hairline, temples, crown and neck.

Step 2: Lightly towel dry hair by grabbing different sections of your hair and carefully squeezing. Try not to squeeze up because this will ruffle the hair cuticle causing it to frizz.

Step 3: Use leave in conditioner to protect the hair before gently combing into place. How you set your hair when it's wet, is how it will dry.

Step 4: In the same way that you towel dried your hair, apply hair gel, focusing on not disturbing the waves/curls.

Step 5: Air dry or if you're in a rush, use a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer. Make sure the settings are on low for both speed and temperature.

Overall, it's pretty easy. Even if you don't have wavy/curly hair, you can create some movement by letting your hair dry naturally and the less you expose your hair to harsh treatment, the more healthy and beautiful it will be. Also, if you have bangs and want a more polished look, blow dry just your bangs using a paddle brush.

If you have any further questions, email me or formspring me.
I've created a special Pantene Beautiful Lengths Challenge (PBLC) page where you can find the facts you need to donate, plus all my PBLC posts will be in one place.

Just look for this button on my sidebar to take you straight to the PBLC page.

Happy Saturday!

Pantene Beautiful Lengths Challenge

Since I've been growing my hair out, I've decided to go all the way and grow it so long that I can donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

So here's a starting photo of my hair now. I want it to grow so long that the ends are past the bottom of the photo. I'm thinking it will take me about a year to a year and a half. Luckily, my hair grows really fast.

About once a month, I plan on posting new hair photos, along with tips for growing healthy hair.

I actually donated my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths back in July 2008. Here's a photo showing how long it was before the cut.

The two ten inch ponytails that I donated.

Anyone else up for the challenge? I know it seems time consuming and scary, but it really is so amazing to be able to help women who have lost their hair due to cancer. I have several women in my family who have survived the struggles of breast cancer and had to lose their hair during the treatments. So to me, it's a very personal cause.

For more information, please check out the Pantene Beautiful Lengths blog.

XOXO