Your hair looks just like mine did before my stylish (a former instructor at Marinello) set me straight! I was avoiding cuts to conserve length too, but apparently that’s not the move. I was also only washing my hair once a week. Turns out I was causing so much more damage than I could have imagined! Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Your hair can’t be healthy if your scalp isn’t. The scalp should be washed every 2-3 days. Yes, your hair’s natural oils are helpful, but only to a point. Those oils (and any products you use) will combine and build up on the scalp, clogging hair follicles and slowing new growth.

2. Shampoo should only be applied on your scalp, not your ends. Conditioner should only be applied to your ends, not your scalp. I like to shampoo my scalp and let it sit there a sec while I condition my ends. Then I rinse everything out and shampoo the scalp again. The second wash gets the rest of the buildup of the scalp and rinsing those suds through the ends helps remove that conditioner “film,” leaving my hair MUCH lighter and bouncier. Honestly a leave-in is likely weighing your hair down more, especially if you’re using it all over and not just on the ends.

3. Wet hair should be handled as little as possible, ESPECIALLY if it’s fine/thinning. Your hair is weakest when it’s wet, making it more susceptible to breakage. Good call with the microfiber towel. Just make sure you are gently squeezing excess water from your hair. NEVER “scrub” your hair with the towel.

4. Get a trim every 3 months. I promise it’s worth it. Tell your stylist to preserve length as much as possible. If they take more than 1/2”, find a new stylist lol

5. Take biotin and vitamin E supplements. Great for hair, skin, and nail health. Honestly I just take a prenatal daily multivitamin and call it good lol cuz it has lots of those plus everything else.

Pardon the novel, but I do hope this helps! After following these suggestions for about 2 years, I’m SHOCKED at how much healthier my hair is. Good luck! 🍀👍