Longhairs are in it for the long run. Make it count by taking care of it!

1. When brushing your hair out, start at the bottom (ends) and work your way up while holding the hair somewhere between your scalp and the area you are brushing and allows the brushing to work apart the hair. Don't rush!
This reduces the yanking and tearing and pulling at the scalp (anchor of the hair).

2. Don't wash your hair with shampoo every day. Rather cream rinse (light conditioner) every day and shampoo maybe 1-3 times a week depending on your hair type and activity level. (deep condition once every week or so).
Shampooing can dry out your hair too much but washing your hair everyday is fine (some people prefer every few days).

3. Do not burn your hair with rollers, crimpers, blow dryers, bleach, etc. Hair sprays, mousse, etc. will damage too.
This may not be practical or preferable to many people but this is the optimal way to care for your hair. These devices and substances can make hair look wonderful but in the long term may destroy your hair to the point that you will want to cut it off and start over. Use them as sparingly as possible if you have to use them at all.

4. On a regular basis hold your ends up to the light or a dark surface to locate split ends and use a small pair of scissors to sparingly trim just the split portion of each hair (swiss army knife scissors work great).
This is not as tedious as you may think and is actually very calming and therapeutic.

5. DO NOT ride or drive motor cycles, convertible cars, open speedboats, open flying machines or stand in extreme weather like tornadoes or hurricanes with your hair flying free as it will become VERY tangled or split.
Try to plan ahead and braid, tie back or cover your hair before engaging in wind related activities.

6. Avoid letting your hair get tangled in sweat, drywall dust and other "contaminants".
Tie it back, braid it or cover it with a hat, etc. if you are going to be doing these sort of activities.

7. DO NOT work on car engines or other types of machinery, tools or devices with moving parts that could in any way catch your hair and damage, cut or rip it out of your skull without first securing your hair out of the way.
Always be on the safe side! Click here to see why! (Yes, that was mine)

8. DO NOT corn row or put tiny tight braids in your hair.
Doing this puts incredible stress on each hair and your scalp resulting in disappointment to those who try it only to watch the hairs break off when the braids come out.

9. DO try to wear it down as much as possible as this not only looks better but greatly reduces the weight load on your scalp and the hairs themselves.
The weight of one single hair is next to nothing and when down each hair has only it's own weight to deal with.

-Dealing with hair when sleeping varies. Some people like to braid it before bed, some like to leave it down and just hang it over the back of the pillow, some like to lay on it and others don't do anything special at all.

-Concerning swimming activities: I used to be a competitive swimmer before I really began growing my hair. Now pools tend to use Bromine but they used to use chlorine which was very harsh on the hair. I remember using a cap and letting the hair in back stick out, but by the end of the season it would go from dark brown to blonde/green and get huge knots that would tear out without hardly feeling it. I learned that women sometimes put conditioner in their hair before putting on their swimming caps and then washed and conditioned again after swimming. I just used chlorine shampoo and conditioner after practice (ok on short hair but not real good for long hair). Years after I stopped swimming and started growing my hair I became a summer lifeguard and found that swimming with a regular braid didn't work real well as it would loosen and tangle a bit (a tighter braid would probably work better).

-Dancing with long hair becomes more of an issue as your hair keeps growing. This would include more energetic forms of dance, thrashing, etc. Try to secure it in braids, etc. first but if you like it down then wear a shirt with some kind of collar to cover more of your upper back and neck to reduce the amount of sweat touching your hair. Also make sure that the fabric is of a slippery nature to help keep tangles from forming when hair catches on your clothing. You can also use some laminate type product before dancing to help keep your hairs seperated longer.

-Hair care products are very important as many use harsh soaps and additives like certain alcohols which dry out your hair or waxes that coat the hairs without moisturizing it or heavy silicones which build up in your hair. Do some research, try different products and don't be afraid to pay a few dollars more if want your hair to be around awhile, it's worth it. Some are over priced and don't do the job so be selective and pay attention to how your own hair responds. Here are some recommendations from my own experience that may help.