Two years of growing my hair long

It's been two years since I decided to grow my hair really long. In the first year the progress was really good and I did not have any haircuts. Judging from the photograph I made recently however, the second year clearly shows less hair growth. For some part this can be explained by the haircut I had six months ago, but that only cost me a few centimeters. I don't know why there was less growth this year, since I took care of my hair so well. It's a not a disaster, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Once you've decided you want long hair, things just can't go fast enough I guess. :) I'll have to be patient!

I have made the decision to only use paraben-free and SLS-free hairproducts from now on. It causes less damage to the hair and I have more faith in natural products anyway. All those nasty chemicals really aren't necessary to keep your hair in good condition. As long as you pamper your hair enough with natural hairmasks and oils, you'll have a good chance of having super healthy looking hair. Right now I am using Rainforest Balance shampoo from The Body Shop, which is a gentle but very well cleansing shampoo...just perfect for my oily scalp! But I'm also a big fan of Sabon's hair mask, which has a wonderful smell.

 

The only hairproduct containing SLS that I'm still using is the Jumping Juniper solid shampoo from Lush. I only use it once a week, to thoroughly clean my hair. Sometimes SLS can be good to get rid of any build-up from other products. Plus the shampoo bars are just so easy to bring along when you're travelling!

 Another change in my haircare routine is that I've started to wear my hair up quite frequently. While I do love the sight of my loose hair much better, it can be a nuisance when it's windy, when cycling or while doing anything physical really. It also damages the hair faster. Updo's can look really pretty and it gives you the opportunity to change your look a bit more often, which is always fun. I really like to make my hair look victorian, but with a dark twist. Adding black roses for instance is an instant success. I'll dedicate a topic to such updo's some time soon!

 I'm planning to have a small haircut again next week, since the ends of my hair are getting brittle. I also want to get rid of the layers gradually. And last but not least, I want to have my bangs cut again. I had this done last summer and even though I'm always in doubt about having bangs or no bangs, I really kind of miss them. So, back to bangs it is! Next week I'll post some pictures.