I’m in my 50s with super long, thick hair – my haircare secrets including the trick hairdressers don’t want you to know
LOOKING to grow your hair long? One woman with thick, waist-length locks has shared her tips.
Renée Flamand, also known as @reneeflamand on Instagram, revealed her secret to getting super long hair with her 22.2k followers.
In a series of videos liked by over 50k people, Renée answered several questions about her hair and discussed how she keeps it healthy and long.
She explained how hair typically grows half an inch a month, so you can expect around six inches a year, and she rarely cuts it.
Renée added: “A hairdresser is going to tell you differently, they’re all going to chime in, ‘you’ve got to cut it for healthy ends’.
“I’ve had long hair several times in my life – and when I say long, I mean past my bum.
“And the only way to grow your hair is to not cut it.”
But to not cut your hair, you need to “not put heat on it and not damage it”, she added.
Renée said she gave herself a haircut back in January and took “an inch off [the ends]” after she noticed an old curl from a perm she had back in June 2020.
But usually, she “goes months and months” without cutting her hair.
However, if she “sees split ends”, then she isn’t afraid to give her hair a little trim.
Otherwise, she advised her followers to “treat your hair the best, so it can be the healthiest, so it needs to be cut the least”.
To add to this, Renée “never uses any heat” to dry or style her hair.
“I can’t remember the last time I had a styling tool on my head,” she remarked. “30 years ago? In the mid-90s, I think I had the ‘Rachel’ cut!”
As for how often she washes her hair, she does so once a week, then “takes it out of a towel” and “shakes it” before letting it air dry.
“In two hours it’s dry – why do I need [to use] a blow dyer?” She asked.
“It’s not worth the damage, effort, [or] time [and] I think it looks perfectly fine the way it falls and dries after a shower.”
Renée suggested more women need to “make peace” with the hair they “naturally have”.
She added: “I permed [my hair] for a long time because I liked curly hair. I don’t [naturally] have ringlet curls.
“I [also] love red hair, I love black hair,” but now she sticks to her natural brown tone with the odd highlight.
The video creator who is presumed to be in her 50s, continued: “Someone said this colour makes me look old – this is my [nautral] colour!
“I am going grey, it’s just piece by piece – it’s in there. I don’t mind grey hairs.”
Renée’s hair secrets
The haircare rules Renée follows for super long, healthy hair...
- Doesn’t take vitamins
- Eats a clean diet
- Wash and condition hair once a week
- Don’t use heat
- Rarely cuts it
- Dyes pieces of her hair occasionally
- Embraces her natural hair and texture
As for how she gets her hair so shiny, she said it was “untreated, virgin, un-dyed hair” and “the only parts of my hair messed with are the obvious blonde pieces”.
Renée’s videos got thousands of responses, and @davidlopezzz commented: “I’m a hairdresser and this is all facts.
“Whenever someone asks me how to grow their hair longer I literally always respond with ‘… don’t cut it?’”
He added: “If you’re constantly heat styling and colouring it you need tiny trims every couple of months to avoid breakage and split ends that lead to breakage so your hair CAN get longer.”
Hairdresser of 20 years here, you’re bang on!
@salonlaurablack
Another hairdresser @miz_shaydoeshair said Renée was “10000% correct” with her advice.
Her comment read: “As a hairdresser. With long hair. You’re 10000% correct. Believe this woman. She is not lying.
“And stop hating on her ‘feathered’ style. Know your stuff before you speak.”
Someone with the username @camouflageandbalayage wrote: “Agreed.
“Take care of your hair and you can go months and months without getting a cut.”
Another with the username @helen_theproteinpassionista added: “So true.
“I haven’t been to the hairdresser for a year and half my hair is the longest it’s ever been and it’s still healthy, I colour and trim it myself I’ve saved so much money.”