For Years, I have had people stop me on the street, In stores, restaurants, just about everywhere, and asked me "WHAT do you put on your hair ? It is so long, shiny and absolutely gorgeous"

Ans I have to be honest and answer them with the following:

I really do not do much to it, I have always taken really good care of it.When it is wet, Do Not use a Brush and yank out tangles, get a wide toothed comb, or there are brushes now that are good for blow drying as well that have bristles set really far apart that can work OK too

..NO PERMS EVER ever ever....

The chemicals in those things ruin your hairs' natural shine and just burns the scalp & hair follicle....
NOW, I started using the Garnier Long & Strong Shampoo and Conditioner a couple of years ago, THAT stuff is wonderful..But, I also recommend The Kerasilk Line By Goldwell, and Matrix lines.

Do not OVER CONDITION - I use half the amount of conditioner that I do shampoo...(conditioner , a little goes a long way), plus I do not wash my hair every day.
Washing your hair every day strips the hair of its natural oils.
But since I started using that brand faithfully, and occasionally I use their Leave In Conditioner for Long and Strong hair.(the amount being about the size of a dime in my hand for my whole head)

Occasionaly, if you have the time, let your hair dry naturally. Blow Dryers can be very damaging, due to the intense heat, that can burn your hair, dry it out.

AND LADIES, If you have your hair in an up-do, Yes it is necessary to use Hairspray to keep your style in hold.

BUT as a general rule, do not cover your hair and weigh it down with all the gels, hair sprays, fixatives, spray gels that are all over the market, They are loaded with alcohol and extremely drying to the hair....YUCK.

I may use just a bit of hair spray maybe , just maybe 2 x a month.

As for coloring, I touch up my roots only when needed, as those of us with black hair show Grey hair SO well,,arg

And alot of times I will use the semi permanent color for the rest of my hair.

Now when the color has gotten beyond what I can handle , I always go to my hairdresser, whom I adore and love dearly, and is a coloring EXPERT....

Make sure you are going to someone who is a very experienced Colorist - I have seen the results of bad Colorists way too often..... 

 Well I don't know but My hair grows like the front yard in the middle of June, LOL....

So I am speaking from experience as to what I have personally done in taking care of my own hair.. 

Regular trims are always a good idea, but I loose track of time, and sometimes it is a while between trims for me.
My Hairdresser whom I have been going to for 5 years, it just blown away, by how fast my hair has grown, and that there are NO split ends...

Good Luck !!!

Many Blessings - Raven