trying to grow

Here's a fairly inexpensive, "pure" idea that appears to work -- drinking lots of water. We installed bottled water coolers in our office half a year or so ago. Since then, I have cut out soft drinks, which I used to drink 3-4 per day of, and switched to LOTS of water. I'm a guy with short hair, and I've noticed that I need a haircut at least 1 week earlier than I used to. There's been no other change in my diet or lifestyle, so I'm attributing it to the water (LeBleu brand, by the way).

As for keeping your hair soft, weekly deep conditioning is a must. My wife (16 inches long and growing) has had good luck with VO5 hot oil from the grocery story, especially if she leaves it on for several minutes (instead of the 1 recommended on the package). A package of 2 tubes costs around $3, which works out to $1.50 per week, but I think it's well worth it. If you don't have good results, you may need to experiment to find a deep conditioner that works for you. Karen Shelton and others on this site has lots of tips about good shampoos and conditioners for long hair.

As for keeping your hair from getting dry, try all the tricks you've probably heard before, such as using heated styling appliances as little as possible, conditioning the ends before you shampoo, and shampooing only the scalp.

Good luck growing it out, Natalie!