Although we're coming into summer now and all we really want is to whack off our hair and let the warm breeze hit the back of our neck, the want for long, mermaid-esque waves is still going strong. Having long locks sometimes feels like an impossible challenge, but is leaving it to grow actually counter productive?

Be harsh to be kind.

We all know that chemically bleaching and dying the hair as well as exposing it to heat and too many products is damaging. Hair damage leads to split ends and breakage which quickly vertically tears the strands of hair. Once the damage is done there is no going back (no matter what the back of a bottle says) so the only answer is to cut off the damaged follicles before it tears further and spreads the damage to the healthier hair. If you're wanting to grow your hair longer it's important to keep an eye on your hair's condition and cut off any damage as soon as you notice it.

Trim, trim, trim.

Trimming hair is like trimming a rose bush, the more often you cut, the more you'll encourage regrowth. With each cut the information stored in the follicle recognises damage and responds with ammunition to grow the hair faster in order to repair and prevent. So trimming your hair every 6 to 8 weeks will actually result in longer hair in the long run.

Besides this, the only thing to do is leave it alone. If you're really wanting to grow it quickly and healthily, leave the styling to a minimum (stop all together if you can), hold off on using products, and let it air dry.

Have you gone for the breezy chop or are you dreaming of beachy waves this summer?