On your journey to waist-length hair, you’ll encounter many roadblocks and detours. It’s often not a linear journey, and most will need some guidance along the way.
But if you’re serious about your journey and want some tried-and-true tips to get you there, this is the article for you. In it, we’ll not only tell you how to grow waist-length hair, but how to style it. Let’s get right into it!
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Do You Really Want Waist Length Hair?
To start, we want to help you decide whether you’re about that waist-length life. Here are a few things about waist-length hair that you should consider before attempting to grow your hair to such a length:
- Growing your hair to waist length will take a lot of time and effort.
- Waist-length hair is difficult to cleanse and style due to its sheer length. And this especially applies to people with thick hair.
- People will be tempted to touch your hair.
- Your hair will get stuck in places you didn’t intend – the car door, the fan, or your dinner plate.
- For obvious reasons, longer hair is more likely to catch on fire than shorter hair.
- Long hair picks up debris and smells quicker than shorter hair, and that can mean more wash days.
- Detangling your hair will be a monumental chore that can leave your arm sore or numb.
If that didn’t scare you away, chances are you’re ready to join the waist-length hair club.
How to Grow Waist-Length Hair
The key to growing waist-length hair is a combination of good hair habits and consistency. But what do we mean by that? Keep reading to learn which haircare habits will bring you closer to your hair growth goals.
Moisturize Like It’s Your Job
There’s no way around a good moisturizing routine if you want waist-length hair. Dry hair is one of the leading causes of hair weakness, split ends, and breakage (all of which shave inches off your hair length).
Here are some tips to keep in mind on wash day as well as the time in between:
Always Condition After Washing
You can’t afford to skip a conditioning session. And if your hair ever feels dry and crunchy, use a deep conditioner instead. It’s got the nourishment your strands need – plus more – to bring your hair from the brink of ruin and back to its former glory.
Switch out any harsh shampoos with sulfate-free gentle shampoos. If your shampoo has salt, sulfates, alcohol, or any other ingredients that can dry your hair out or irritate your scalp, it has no place in your hair regimen.
That shampoo can single-handedly ruin your hair, especially if you use it often. Shea Moisture and Maui Moisture both manufacture super gentle shampoos that get your hair clean without leaving it dry.
Get Yourself a Leave-In and Use it Often
Sometimes, conditioners aren’t enough to keep your hair moisturized. And if that’s the case, a leave-in can really come in handy. The best leave-in for one person will not necessarily work for another.
So, you may need to try several to find the best one for you. The two main types of leave-in conditioners include cream leave-ins and water-based leave-ins.
If you’re using a cream leave-in, ensure that your hair is at least damp before applying it. Water-based spray leave-ins can be applied to dry hair without a problem.
Use a Moisturizer When Styling
Every moisturizer is different and is suited to a particular type of hair (or several types of hair). So, take your time to read the label of any moisturizer you’re considering to ensure it’ll work for your hair type and use case.
Consider using the LOC method of layering moisture. The L stands for liquid, the O stands for oil (your favorite oil), and the C stands for cream.
You’ll layer on your products in this order to keep your hair hydrated for longer. Some have used this method to get their hair to stay moisturized for up to a week or longer.
Be Gentle with Your Hair
You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that hair is inherently fragile. And that applies to you even more so if your hair is fine. So, how can you be gentler with your hair? Never tug or pull on it.
You should also refrain from roughing up your hair cuticles. Smooth products onto your hair from roots to ends rather than the opposite. And never use your nails to smooth down your hair or scrub your scalp – the pads of your fingers will do just fine.
Don’t Over-Wash Your Hair
Overwashing the hair is a big no-no for those on a journey to waist-length hair. When you wash your hair, it’s not just the debris and dirt that gets washed down the drain; your natural oils go too.
So, limit the number of times you wash your hair to no more than 2 times per week. Any more often, and you’re getting into overboard territory.
Consider Hair Growth Vitamins (if You’re Deficient)
Hair growth vitamins have gone viral on more than one occasion, with many jumping on the bandwagon, hoping for a miracle. The truth is that these pills aren’t miracle workers.
They only work if you’re deficient in vitamins essential for hair growth, like vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin C, vitamin D, or zinc.
How do you know if you’re deficient?
You’d have to go to the doctor and get some tests run. If you suspect or find out that you’re deficient in one of these vitamins, you can try a hair growth vitamin to bring your levels back into the normal range.
How to Style Waist-Length Hair
Styling your waist-length hair will be difficult, no matter how you look at it. But if you’re up for it, you can achieve almost any style you want! Here are a few tips to make the styling process easier to get through:
For Straight Styles
For straight styles, take your time with the straightening process. You’ll need to start with clean hair, apply your heat protectant, blow dry, and then flat iron. To get your hair as straight as possible, use the comb-chase method, where you’ll chase the comb with your flat iron.
Finally, stay far away from moisture for the duration of the style. You can space out your wash days for several days or weeks by using dry shampoo to keep scalp oils at bay.
For Waves or Curls
Braid-outs look fantastic on long hair. They give you defined waves that can last for days. To get the best results for your braid out, begin with clean damp hair, apply your moisturizer, and then three-strand-braid your hair from the roots to the ends in sections. Only when your hair is completely dry should you take the braids down.
For Lazy Days or Bad Hair Days
Your waist-length hair isn’t always going to be picture-perfect. And when it isn’t, you can easily throw your hair into a bun and call it a day. It’ll conceal frizz and flyaways until you’re ready to style it again.
Keep It Simple
Above all, when you grow your hair to waist length, keep it simple. We’re sure you put in a lot of work to get it to that length and that you want to preserve every inch.
To do that, you should wear low manipulation styles more often than elaborate ones.
Techniques that don’t require a lot of touching, twisting, looping, parting, or extensions are considered low manipulation. Other styles that qualify as low manipulation are those that you plan to leave in for several days or even weeks.
So, there you have it – tips and tricks to grow and style your waist-length hair. We hope this article has given you all the information you need to reach your goals.
Kenneth Byrd holds a BS in Accounting and Management Information Systems and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. With over 15 years of experience, Kenneth has been dedicated to hair care since 2008, when he co-founded Curl Centric® and Natural Hair Box alongside his wife. As a team, they promote healthy hair care practices through their comprehensive platform, Curl Centric. Curl Centric is a website operated by a husband and wife team that encourages healthy hair care. At Curl Centric, we aim to help our readers take control of their hair care journey and make good decisions about products, hairstyles, and maintenance techniques. We also have strict editorial integrity; here’s an explanation of our editorial guidelines and how we make money.