Mane Attraction: How to Have Long Hair That’s Easy to Maintain​

So, you finally have the hair length of your dreams—but your long hair journey doesn’t end there. To keep your hair long and luscious, you have to maintain it. If it sounds like a lot of hard work, don’t stress. We’re here to tell you how to have long hair and keep it healthy without much fuss.

With just a little bit of effort, you can keep your long hair looking gorgeous with these easy tips:

It sounds counterintuitive: To maintain long hair you have to…cut it—but getting your hair trimmed regularly keeps it healthy. A snip every six to eight weeks prevents split ends and damaged hair; wait any longer than that and you risk ends splitting farther up the shaft, which means you’ll have to chop off more inches in the long run. 

Shampooing with Sunsilk Strong and Long gets your hair squeaky clean, but it’s always a good idea to use a conditioner to give your long locks some much-needed hydration. Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Conditioner moisturizes dull and lifeless hair. Read this to learn more about the best conditioner for your needs.

The movie Tangled is really appropriately titled—Rapunzel-like hair is indeed more prone to knots. Tangles are typically found near the ends, so it’s best to start brushing or combing hair from the ends, working your way to the top. This way, you avoid creating more snarls and prevent hair breakage from too much tugging.

Wet hair is weaker hair and wrapping it up or rubbing it with a terry-cloth towel can lead to hair damage. It can also rough up your cuticles and make your hair look frizzy. The alternative? Keep an old cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel handy for your drying needs.

Blow drying removes surface moisture fast, but it also dries out cuticles. Meanwhile, ironing dry hair can lead to cracks along the cuticles, while ironing wet hair can cause little blisters to form on your hair. Either way, heat styling leads to damage and breakage.

We know it’s not possible to say goodbye to your hair dryer but when you do need to break it out, make sure you protect your hair with a heat protectant spray or some leave-on conditioner. Also try to fan dry it as much as possible before blow drying at the lowest heat setting possible.

One of the easiest things you can do to prevent split ends? Switch to satin or silk pillowcases. Tossing and turning as you sleep means friction against your pillow, so you’ll want a smoother surface to prevent roughed-up cuticles, split ends, and breakage. You’ll wake up to a good-hair day every morning!

A ponytail may be a quick and easy ’do but too-tight styles worn too often can put a lot of strain on your hair. Consider changing up your look with a loose braid or free-flowing tresses. On days when you opt to tie your hair, make sure to use a plain elastic cord as rubber bands and metallic edges can get caught in your strands.

Mask on your face, mask on your hair—make it a weekly habit to give your locks the same TLC that you give your skin. Try TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Deep Smoothing Mask, a deeply nourishing treatment that fights frizz, detangles knots, boosts shine, adds softness, and tames flyaways.

More than just how to have long hair from the outside, you need to take care of hair from the inside, too. Unload stress with some self-care and load up on hair-boosting protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins because a happy, healthy you means happy, healthy hair.