How to get LONG hair without large amounts of money or fake hair!

Growing up I always kept my hair short but come time for high school I, like every other girl, wanted my hair to be long and beautiful. I was coloring my hair constantly and bleaching it every few months. My hair wouldn't grow past my collarbone and I hated it. Eventually I spent hundreds on multiple sets of extensions, and "quick grow treatments" that never did a thing. Finally, I quit bleaching my hair and colored it close to my natural color and began my journey to healthy, natural, long hair.
When I started this journey, I knew I'd have to make sacrifices and looking like a Barbie and straightening my hair everyday were a couple of my first ones. After doing a bit of research I bought vitamins and did a lot of trial and error experiments with homemade shampoos and conditioners, oils, treatments, etc. I tried the apple cider vinegar and powders, Not Your Mothers products, and over priced shampoo/conditioner that GUARENTEED hair growth. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I threw away my extensions after realizing how much damage they were doing to my hair. Constantly teasing parts to hold the clips in plus the weight it was putting on my hair was unbelievable.

A photo posted by @van_hough on Oct 18, 2013 at 9:06pm PDT

Ridding myself of harsh chemicals was just the beginning. Shortly after this I I started trimming my hair a lot and following tips like, "Brush your hair 100 times before bed" and, "Massage your head for several minutes." I started taking my vitamins daily (just typical hair, skin and nails gummy vitamins) and threw out all the stupid home made mixes I made up and took a trip to my good ol' Walmart. I got my hands on some L'Oreal Everstrong sodium sulfate free shampoo and conditioners. They have several different types made for different tasks like Strengthening, Growing, Repairing, etc. I've used it ever since. I've tried all different kinds and have learned to stay clear of any of the types made for colored hair, it seemed to dry my hair out more than I'd prefer.

My next endeavor was to chop all my hair off. YES I DID IT. I cut my hair to shoulder length, and absolutely hated it. It made my face look fat, the ends were thick and choppy, and I hated everything about it. It was SO hard for me to not spend money on extensions again. Instead I scrolled through Pinterest for hours finding cute hairstyles I could try out.

A photo posted by @van_hough on Oct 18, 2013 at 9:06pm PDT

Although I hated it, cutting my hair off was exactly what I needed. My hair felt so much healthier already. All the dead ends, split ends, a lot of the bleach and my nappy over processed hair was gone!! Once the vitamins and shampoo began to work its magic, I noticed my hair was finally growing again, and fast! I was so thrilled.
The next crucial thing I gave up was my daily washing and routine. I always took steaming long showers and took my time. I started only washing my hair every other day until I got up to the point where I could skip a few days without my hair getting oily. The secret behind this is simple, the more you wash your hair, the more the shampoo strips the natural oils from your hair, the more your body produces the oils to replenish your dry scalp. It's science. I also dumped the hot water. Now it takes me 5 minutes TOPS, if I'm shaving my legs, to shower. I get in, rinse my hair in cold water, shampoo ONLY YOUR ROOTS. Did you hear that? ONLY. YOUR. ROOTS. This is where the grease is coming from, not your precious ends. I immediately rinse out the 'poo and let it run through the rest of my hair to clean out excess dirt. I then condition ONLY THE ENDS. Do I have to repeat that too?? The conditioner is what weighs your hair down and flattens it, especially if you have thin hair like me! Then I go about the rest of my routine and right before I get out I rinse the conditioner out. I get out and squeeze the water out of my hair and put it up in a towel and get ready for the day. Once it's a little more dry I spray the ends and back of my hair (where it usually gets the nappiest) with an oil spray to keep the ends a little more...moist I guess than the rest of my hair. It better protects your ends from drying out.

Another great trick I learned was to sleep with your hair up. I HATED sleeping with my hair in a ponytail before. It was tight and uncomfortable. But then I realized it didn't have to be that way. I always use the hair ties that are tied together on the top and aren't made of rubber bands. They aren't nearly as tight and NEVER break. I usually wrap it around once or twice depending on how loose the ties are then pull my hair through into a basic bun then pull at my roots a little to loosen it up on my head. This allows my hair to remain tangle free as I toss and turn all night long. It also keeps my hair straight because the buns are so loose. I don't ever brush my hair anymore because it doesn't get nappy! Usually once a week I'll rub coconut oil on my ends before putting my hair up and going to bed. I do this the day before I plan on washing my hair. Leaving it overnight allows my hair to soak it up, but by no means is that necessary.
Now, my hair is finally "mermaid" hair, just under my boobs, and still growing! I trim it every month or two and make sure I always keep up on my routine. I've found that since I stopped brushing my hair regularly, I haven't been breaking off the ends as much. Growing your hair is a trip from hell, but hopefully this article will help you skip all the BS, money, and time I dealt with.
Good luck! And feel free to ask any questions!