My hair growth stalled out around the bottom of my shoulder blades for a couple of years in the mid-1980s due to abuse of box hair color (Nice n Easy, the lightest shade of blonde).
In essence I had fried my own hair with chemicals.
1. I found a long hair expert.
I went to see a hairstylists who specialized in long hair. This was very important because there was SO much I didn’t know about growing hair.
2. I had a big chop.
I gave the long hair expert permission to cut off all the fried and damaged ends which took my hair to chin length.
It was heart breaking. I cried for days and wouldn’t look in the mirror. Ultimately it was a good thing to do because it helped my hair start to recover from the damage.
3. I redid my entire hair regime.
After the big chop, I completely redid my entire hair care routine. I stopped using all hot tools (no hot water, no blow dryers, not hot tools or hot rollers).
Trust me. It was very hard to give up the heat.
4. Diluting my shampoo.
Instead of wet washing every day, I slowly transitioned to 1–2x a week with lukewarm water.
I also used diluted shampoo (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of hydrating shampoo (or my own formula) in a clean 1 quart bottle of lukewarm water. I always gently shake to form a foamy substance before I use it on my hair.
5. Getting hair super wet is the key.
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