My hair was finally long enough for two braids when I started school. Although still short and thin as my index finger – but I thought I was beautiful. And it wasn’t just me. “The desire for long hair is often deeply rooted in little girls, because especially in childhood they don’t experience their body so self-critically about the way it looks, but above all about how it feels,” explains psychologist Claudia Pilatus from Neuss . “For women, there is also an erotic component, because long hair stands for attractiveness.”
According to a recent study by TNS Panel commissioned by Guhl, 44 percent of German women wear their hair to their shoulders or longer. A passion that even internet communities are busy with is clicked on around 5,800 times a day . “We not only exchange experiences about hairdressers and products, but also comfort when a participant loses her hair due to chemotherapy,” says operator Jens Pesek, who even grew his own hair to excess length. “At the moment we have 3868 members, and three to four long-hair fans are added every day.” It is logical that more and more cosmetics manufacturers are offering shampoos, conditioners and treatments especially for long hair. We introduce you to the best products for every problem.
Table of Contents
No more straw strands
Statistically, German women wash and blow dry their hair every other day. Especially the lengths, which can be up to seven years old, put up with a lot over time, because with so much cleanliness, the protective sebum that the scalp forms never reaches the tips. The result: just as the fabric of a frequently washed T-shirt becomes threadbare, the lengths also become brittle. The horny scales burst open and tear off when brushed, and the natural moisture evaporates.
This prevents hair care that coats strawy areas with oil from olives or gold camelina from the camelina plant, both rich in vitamin E and linolenic acid. Also good: ceramides, tiny fat building blocks that seal cracks.
PRODUCTS: e.g. B. “Elvital daily care treatment anti-damage without rinsing” from L’Oréal Paris with ceramides, 200 ml approx. 4 euros; “All Soft Heavy Cream” by Redken with Gold Camelina and olive oil, 250 ml approx. 24 euros; “Série Expert Thermo Repair” from L’Oréal Professionnel with ceramides, 150 ml approx. 16 euros
Balancing act: greasy roots, dry ends
Similar to combination skin on the face, the combination problem of greasy hairline and stressed lengths can be quite annoying. Shampoos for oily hair tend to be far too harsh on the ends because they contain more foaming agents; those for brittle hair often lack grease-dissolving power.
The solution: shampoos with clay, which absorb excess sebum like blotting paper without drying out the strands. Shampoos that deliver a concentrated load of moisture instead of fat are also tricky, e.g. B. with aloe vera milk. They also contain green tea, lemongrass extract or lemon juice, which have an astringent effect, so that the hair can store them. This closes the cuticle layer and, on top of that, reduces the flow of sebum. If you have very long hair, it is worth treating the ends with an anti-splitting product. In principle, use water that is not too hot and only use a little shampoo for the hairline.
PRODUCTS: e.g. B.“Prachtvoll Lang Aloe Vera Milk & Lemongrass Shampoo” by Guhl, 200 ml approx. 5 euros; “Fructis Strengthening Care Shampoo Rapidly greasy roots, dry ends” by Garnier with green tea and lemon, 250 ml approx. 2 euros; “Spécifique Bain Divalent Bi-Actif Shampoo” by Kérastase with clay, 250 ml approx. 17 euros
More bounce instead of gravity
When the mane finally grows long but doesn’t shimmer healthy, you should get angry – at least in a figurative sense: fruit acids from berries or acerola cherries dissolve residues of hard water that make the hair look dull. They also pull the hair shaft together. As a result, protruding horny scales nestle up again, and the air bubbles that are naturally found in every hair are compressed – and reflect the light better. Diamond dust smoothes the hair’s surface by filling in gaps and makes hair shine.
PRODUCTS: e.g. B.“Gloss & Glimmer Conditioner” from Herbal Essences with berry extract, 200 ml approx. 3 euros; “Diamond Gloss Shine Shampoo Longer, lackluster hair” by Nivea with diamond particles, 250 ml approx. 2 euros; “Fioravanti Shine Shampoo” by René Furterer with acerola cherries, 150 ml approx. 12 euros
More bounce instead of gravity
The longer the hair grows, the heavier it gets, of course. Rich shampoos give them additional weight, because gentle foaming agents are difficult to dissolve in water and often leave an oily film on the hair that pulls it down. “This is mainly due to the long, symmetrical molecular structure that wraps itself tightly around the hair,” explains Dr. Frauke Neuser, scientist at Pantene Pro V research. “We have therefore developed a washing substance with a branched structure: cetearyl ethylhexyldimonium methosulfate cleans and cares, but does not get caught in the hair and is easier to rinse out.” shaft can hatch.
PRODUCTS: e.g. B.“Aqua Light Shampoo” by Pantene Pro-V with cetearyl ethylhexyldimonium methosulfate, 250 ml approx. 3 euros; “Gliss Kur Total Repair Weightless Flushing Treatment” from Schwarzkopf with keratin proteins, 200 ml approx. 5 euros
Top forces against tangles and split ends
Top forces against tangles and split ends
You’re nearing the home straight – but just then it often happens that the lengths thin out, tangle and split down towards the bottom. If the split ends are there, you can’t heal them, you have to use scissors. But you can prevent and slow down further chafing: with a sealing film made of propolis resin, avocado oil, silk protein, horsetail or the silicone precursor siloxane oil. The happy ending is near!
PRODUCTS: e.g. B. “Schauma Seidenkamm combing shampoo” by Schwarzkopf with silk protein, 400 ml approx. 2 euros; “Diamond Detangler Spray” by Glynt with siloxane oil, 100 ml approx. 13 euros; “Avocado hair tip cream” by Rausch with horsetail, 50 ml approx. 9 euros; “Hair tip fluid” from Swiss-O-Par with propolis resin, 50 ml approx. 5 euros
Unearthly good or hocus pocus?
Even the esoteric swear by special extras when it comes to hair care. Three short checks
- Sloping insider tip: long-hair slides Organic hairdressers* often have special wash beds on which you can lean back and relax while your hair is being rinsed out behind the headboard on a long slope. So nothing should get tangled, split ends and stress can slide down your hump. Rewarding!
- A detour via the soul: gemstone combs Whether for grooming or for pocketing: Combs made of rock crystal or rose quartz have an indirect effect, in that they lead to inner ha(a)harmonie through energetic vibrations. Thanks to the large distance between the tines, they also ruffle the hair less.
- Lazy magic: haircuts according to the moon The moon regulates the ebb and flow of the tide, but has no influence whatsoever on hair growth – because the tips are practically “dead”. The roots don’t care when they are cut.
