Want to be Rapunzel?

Something many of us dream of is long, luscious locks blowing in the wind. However, due to all of the chemicals, heat and brushing we put our manes through, for many, that is all it is, a dream. But, fear not, all is not lost, you can get long hair. Now the most obvious thing to do is stop attacking your hair with colour and your GHD's and go au naturel, but for those of us who aren't satisfied with what God gave us, here are some of my top tips.

1. Do not wash your hair everyday - this does not make you dirty. You hair cleans itself, and washing your hair every other day or every two days if you can manage it will reduce the amount of heat and styling you are doing to your hair. A little bit of dry shampoo can help you on the in between days, I recommend Batiste. For those of you that do wash your hair everyday, it will take a while for your hair to get used to less washing but persevere.

2. Shampoo - when popping in your shampoo, massage your head, this stimulates the follicles and cleans the scalp which is where alot of the greasy oil is waiting to wreak havoc.

3. Conditioner -After rinsing out your shampoo, rinse out as much excess water as you can before applying your conditioner. This enables the conditioner to do its magic, if your hair is already loaded with water it can't get in to do this.

4. Hair type - know your hair type and the shampoo and conditioner which suits you, there is no point using a thick product if you have fine hair as its going to weigh it down, get greasy and cause you to wash it more.

5. Find alternative hairstyles to using heat - plait your hair whilst it's damp to give you waves, pop it into a bun, leave your hair to air dry if it's sunny, although that's not easy in the UK, and may only be reserved for the summer months.

6. Brush your hair with a wide toothed comb when it's wet, or really tangly - Our hair is made up of protein which will stretch and break off when the cells are filled with water, just like your nails do. Brushes put too much stress on the hair so should be avoided.

7. Use a leave-conditioner/hair mask weekly - not just for a few minutes like it says on the packaging, I'm talking hours or overnight if you can. Try to find a mask with Argan oil in it but if you don't have this just use olive oil, it has the same properties and is a much cheaper alternative if it's already in your kitchen. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle in is an alternative for those on the go.

8. Supplements - Sea Kelp has helped me in the past. The only problem with this stuff is it makes ALL the hair on your body grow faster, I would recommend it for those whose hair just won't grow past a certain length. This isn't a long term solution though as your hair becomes dependent on the supplement, so if you stop taking it your hair growth slows noticeably. You can pick up 500 tablets at Holland and Barrett for £5.39 here.

9. Turn down the heat - if you are using styling products that have a heat controller on them, turn it down. I turned down the heat on my hair dryer and not only did I notice a change in the condition if my hair but it was a much nicer finish. Yes, it does take a bit longer, but it's the price to pay for long hair.

10. Cuts - you still need to get your hair cut. It will grow faster during spring and summer time so every 10 weeks is ideal then, I personally leave it a bit longer in the winter. If you have fairly long hair it probably doesn't have a style that is going to grow out that quickly, so personally I don't think the 8-week rules applies. You may also get a hairdresser that goes a bit scissor-happy and chops off anything that has grown (I think this brings great fear in all of us).

Let me know if this has anything knew, or if I'm already preaching to the converted! xXx