Something a liiiittle different: my hairdresser fail and how I grew out my hair again
After a major hairdresser fail left my hair severely damaged, I spent the next four years figuring out how to grow it back healthier. From cutting off the damage and ditching bleach to scalp care, washing routines, heat styling and nutrition, these are the affordable, realistic tips that actually worked for me.
9/7/20269 min read
Let’s go back to 2022. I had been lightening my hair for a few years already when I decided to go to a different salon. A cheaper one, because getting your hair lightened every few weeks is expensive (I know… biggest mistake). Can you guess what happened? Probably.
I had a massive hair fail. My hair was lightened really badly and, although I am soooo embarrassed about it, I decided to include a picture. It didn’t just look bad; the condition my hair was in was really bad too. It would fall out and break every time I brushed it, and it tangled sooo badly after every wash. Since getting regular touch-ups was too expensive, and would have caused even more damage, not long after this I decided to cut it short, above my shoulders.
After that experience, I went into a deep dive on growing out my hair, making it longer and, above all, healthier. Now, four years later, I’m sharing the things that actually worked for me over the last four years. This is not going to be a list of expensive products, because for me those aren’t sustainable to keep purchasing either. Instead, these are simple, affordable and science-backed tips that helped me get longer, healthier hair and, most importantly, retain the length I was growing.
Tip 1: STOP BLEACHING
Honestly, this is probably my most important takeaway from the whole experience. Bleach damages your hair and, although the damage can be minimized when it is done correctly and professionally, if you are already struggling with the condition of your hair, I would really recommend taking a break from it.
One thing I do want to mention here is that you cannot actually make your hair grow significantly faster. Hair growth happens at the follicle, and there isn't a magical product that will suddenly make it grow several centimeters faster. What you can do is reduce the amount of damage and breakage, which means you are able to retain more of the length that your hair is naturally growing.
I didn’t completely stop coloring my hair immediately. Because my hair looked so awful after the bleaching disaster, I went to a salon every few weeks to get a toner that matched my natural hair shade. This made my hair look a lot healthier and helped hide the bad bleaching underneath while I was growing it out. For me, this was a much more cost-effective and less damaging alternative to continuing to bleach it.
Once the bleached hair had grown out, I stopped coloring my hair altogether. Although this was definitely a bit of a process, the next tip made it much easier.
Tip 2: Cut off the bad part… I know
This is probably not the tip you want to hear — at least it wasn’t what I wanted to hear — but honestly, I think it is one of the best things you can do when your hair is severely damaged. Unfortunately, you cannot really undo damage that has already been done. You can make damaged hair look and feel better with products, but the actual damage is still there.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I decided to cut my hair above my shoulders. Yes, it hurt. I had been trying to grow my hair long, so cutting it short felt like the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. But I noticed an enormous difference in the health of my hair once the worst part was gone. It stopped breaking as much, it didn’t tangle nearly as badly after I showered, and it started growing out much more evenly.
Looking back, shorter but healthier hair looked so much better than longer, damaged hair. Sometimes you really do have to sacrifice some length first in order to be able to grow it out properly afterwards.
Tip 3: Take care of your scalp
Looking back at my hair in 2022, I’m actually glad this happened in a way, because before this experience I had no idea how badly I was treating my hair and scalp. My scalp was incredibly dry and flaky. At the same time, I have fine hair that gets greasy quite easily, so I always assumed that putting anything on my scalp would only make it worse.
I still don’t recommend putting heavy products on your scalp and leaving them there for long periods of time, especially if you have fine hair like me. What I do like, however, is putting a small amount of hair oil on my scalp a few hours before washing my hair.
For the past few years I have used rosemary hair oil. A few years ago, this was the hair trend, and while I personally think it has helped my hair, I can’t say for certain that rosemary oil is the reason my hair grew. I started implementing a lot of different changes at the same time, so there is no way for me to know exactly which one made the biggest difference. That being said, I personally really like using it and have continued to do so.
I have tried a few different rosemary oils, and I personally really like the Cliganic rosemary oil because I find it relatively lightweight. Sometimes, when my ends feel dry, I also put a tiny amount on them. And please don’t use heat afterwards when you have oil in your hair, because you can cause more damage — I’ll get into heat styling a little later.
When I put oil on my scalp, I gently massage it in with a scalp massager. There are an unlimited amount of scalp massagers available, but I just use this simple plastic one. It’s affordable and, most importantly, it does the job well.
Tip 4: Wash your hair when it gets greasy
This one is probably controversial, but I personally don’t believe in “grease training” your hair. At least, it definitely doesn’t work for my type 1A, fine hair. If my hair gets greasy, I wash it. I don’t try to force myself to go another three days without washing it just because someone on TikTok told me that my scalp will eventually “learn” to produce less oil.
I usually wash my hair every other day, although this can vary depending on where I am in my menstrual cycle. For my regular washes, I use the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths shampoo. It’s affordable, easy to find and cleans my hair well without leaving it feeling completely dry. I personally hate when shampoos leave a heavy feeling or coating on my hair, especially because my hair is so fine, and this one just does the job for me.
I usually wash my hair in two rounds, especially after I have oiled my scalp, which I do about once a week. The first wash helps break down the oil and any product buildup, while the second wash actually cleans my scalp.
Once or twice a month, I also use a clarifying shampoo. I rotate between a few different ones, but I have found the Aveeno Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Shampoo to be a good one. When I use a clarifying shampoo, I usually oil my scalp beforehand because otherwise I find that my hair can feel a little too stripped afterwards.
A more budget-friendly alternative is diluted apple cider vinegar. I usually mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio and apply it before washing with my normal shampoo. I normally stay away from DIY hair products, but this is one that I actually like. It leaves my scalp feeling really clean without making it feel overly stripped.
Tip 5: Keep your conditioning lightweight
After washing, conditioning your hair is a must, but when you have fine hair like mine, it is also very easy to overdo it with products and oils. I have found that lightweight products work much better for me because they give my hair the moisture it needs without weighing it down or leaving a heavy coating.
In the shower, I like to use the accompanying Elvive Dream Lengths hair mask. After showering, I use a little bit of BioSilk Therapy Lite to help smooth and seal in the moisture. I specifically recommend the Lite version for fine hair, as I find the original one to be too heavy for my hair.
And, as I mentioned before, if my hair is feeling particularly dry, I sometimes put a little bit of rosemary oil on the ends. The key word here is little. With fine hair, you really don’t need much product. The picture on the right is my hair freshly washed, look at the shine! As you can see in the first picture on the top of this page, that has not always been the case...
Tip 6: Use heat in moderation and find non-heat ways to style your hair
I personally do dry my hair with a hair dryer. When my hair is blow-dried, I find that it gets less greasy the next day and it gives my hair some volume. I haven’t personally experienced any major problems from using a hair dryer, although I obviously still try to be sensible with the temperature and how long I use it.
Curling wands and heated brushes are a different story for me. My hair really does get more damaged when I use these regularly, and I notice that it breaks more easily after periods where I have been using them every week. Because of this, I now only use them for special occasions, and when I do, I always use a heat protectant.
I like the L’Oréal Paris Dream Lengths heat protector (not sponsored, this line is just really easily available where I live) because it doesn’t leave a heavy coating on my fine hair.
Oh, and again: don’t put oil in your hair before using hot styling tools. Your hair will smell like it is being deep-fried, which, honestly, it probably is a little bit then.
Instead, I have started using heatless curlers overnight whenever I want to style my hair. I really like this inexpensive heatless curl set. It gives me the waves I want without having to use a curling wand or heat brush, and it has definitely helped me cut down on how often I use heat. The link includes different options, just choose what works for your hair.
Tip 7: Eat a balanced diet
There is no magic pill that will suddenly make your hair grow faster. I did, however, notice a difference after I started paying more attention to having a balanced diet. And by balanced, I don’t mean that you can never have a cheat day or that you need to eat perfectly all the time. For me, it was simply about looking at my nutrition and making sure I was getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals on a regular basis.
This didn’t just make a difference in my hair. I also noticed a difference in my overall health and energy levels, which was obviously a pretty nice bonus.
If you are worried that you might be deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral, I would recommend getting this checked with your doctor rather than randomly trying different supplements yourself. Taking vitamins when you don’t actually need them, or taking the wrong ones for what you are deficient in, isn’t necessarily going to solve the problem.
Four years later…
So, that’s what I have been doing to grow my hair out over the last four years. There definitely isn’t one magical product or trick that suddenly made my hair grow super fast. For me, it was much more about stopping the damage, taking care of my scalp, finding a routine that works for my hair type and, probably most importantly, being patient.
Looking back at that picture from 2022 is still a little embarrassing, but it also reminds me of how far my hair has come. Cutting it short felt awful at the time, but it gave my hair the chance to grow back healthier, and I’m really glad I did it.
If you are also trying to grow out damaged hair, I hope some of these tips help you. You definitely don’t need a bathroom cabinet full of expensive products to do it. In my experience, keeping things simple, consistent and sustainable has made the biggest difference.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through one of my links, at no extra cost to you. I only include products that I personally use or genuinely recommend.
