Long Hair Tips?

[NeverlandClub23]

I have kind of long hair (middle of my back and growing), but I don't want to be one of those people that have really long hair but really nasty, unhealthy hair either (which always seemed pointless to me). Do any of y'all have some tips on how you keep your hair healthy? My hair is thick and dry (from the straightening/curling and coloring I do). I do get it trimmed about an inch every other month or so. Any secrets or tips (and products you love or hate) from the pretty locks crowd?

*Also, my picture in my sig is 5 years old and I don't bleach my hair anymore because I would've completely damaged my hair more (or lost all of it).

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I have a cycle of growing my hair out for 2 or 3 years, then cutting it off and donating it to locks of love. So I spend at least a year or so in that long hair stage, and I try to keep it healthy so when it is donated it's nice hair they can use.

One of the things I've learned is to not wash my hair every day. It was tough to get used to at first, but shampoo dries out long hair. I use a wide toothed comb when my hair is wet, and a natural bristle brush when my hair is dry. I'm very gentle when I'm combing and brushing my hair, because it can break easily. I also keep it braided at night to prevent tangles.

I sometimes get annoyed with my hair when it's long, so I got a Klutz book on braiding and gave it to DH to learn how to do it for me! He likes my hair long, so I told him that I'll keep growing it out for more months if he'll learn to do french braids or other fancy braids on my hair. So far he's having a hard time mastering a basic braid (which I can easily do myself).