I have thick, shiny waist-length hair – my beauty secrets to keep it healthy, including a £4 primer I swear by

WHEN Georgia Steel listed the things she was grateful for and put her natural, long hair above her family and friends on Love Island All Stars this week, she sparked outrage across social media.

But, you know what? I get it.

Nine times out of ten, my hair is the first thing people notice or recognise about me, and the fact it's so long and healthy means that it's a built in compliment magnet.

I can be feeling absolutely rubbish, yet people will still praise my locks, and it always gives me a confidence boost.

Granted, I'm not sure it would be right at the top of my list of things I'm grateful for, but there's no doubting my gratitude for winning the genetics lottery as far as my hair is concerned.

The good news is, even if you're not born with it, you too can get long, healthy hair!

Twice over the last three years I've had 12+ inches chopped off mine, and both times grew it back to waist length within six months, thanks to a carefully curated routine and, more importantly, patience.

These are the best products for long and healthy hair, according to a Beauty Editor.

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• Arkive The Prologue Hair Primer, £4

This is the one product I credit with making my hair shiny. I started using it when the brand launched more than two years ago, and started getting compliments on how glossy my hair looked immediately.

Not only does it make my hair look sleek and healthy, but it also comes with myriad other benefits.

It protects from heat (yes, you can have healthy hair and still heat style it as long as you use protection), helps detangle and condition without weighing hair down and making it greasy, plus it smells delicious too.

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• Arkive The Good Habit Hybrid Oil, £4

Sense a theme? Celeb hairdresser Adam Reed's Arkive Range is just as good as you'd expect.

As well as the primer, I also use this clever hair oil with every wash.

It's not sticky or heavy, and has more of a hybrid serum texture than a runny oil. It's also clear, so won't deposit colour on bleached hair.

I only need two pumps to cover my whole head, so one bottle easily lasts for over six months, and it immediately helps reduce flyaways and split ends, so my hair looks polished and healthy.

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• Wet Brush Speed Dry Brush, £9

Hair is at its most fragile when it's wet, so it's important to invest in gentle tools.

The Wet Brush is specifically designed for use on wet hair. The flexible bristles help detangle lengths without dragging and stretching the hair or causing breakage.

There are a few models in the range, but I love the vented option, as it helps dissipate heat faster so you can blow-dry your hair quicker, plus it means you don't get loads of product build-up stuck in the brush pad, and it's lighter too.

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• Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, £329.99

Talking of blow-drying hair, I've used my Dyson Supersonic hairdryer solidly for six years now, and can't imagine not having it in my routine.

Forget the AirWrap, out of all the Dyson hair tools, the Supersonic hairdryer is by far my favourite.

It makes quick work of drying my hair, and leaves it feeling sleek and soft without needing excess heat, which can be the case with other high-end hairdryers.

If your budget can stretch to it, then you definitely won't be disappointed.

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• Beauty Pie Luxury Mulberry Silk 100% Silk Hair Scrunchies, £16.50 for members

I recently had a run-in with a hair elastic that led to me cutting it out with the knife on a hotel room corkscrew - and it's safe to say I would not recommend this!

Since the incident, I've reverted to only using silk scrunchies, and this Beauty Pie set is less than half the price of most 100% silk options.

Silk scrunchies may be a small luxury, but they'll pay dividends thanks to the no-snag texture that doesn't pull on hair, holding it in place and then sliding out with no hiccups.

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• Hair Gain Hair Growth Capsules, £36.99

As a beauty editor, one of the questions I'm asked most often is whether hair growth supplements really work. But, unfortunately, there's not a simple answer.

Generally, they only work if you are deficient in a vitamin or mineral that they can replace. However, I know enough people who have had serious success with Hair Gain Hair Grown Capsules that it's definitely worth giving them a go if you want to kick-start your journey to long, healthy hair.

But whether you choose to take a supplement or not, growing long hair requires lots of patience.

It's not something you'll notice overnight, but when you take proper care of your hair and use the right products, it does become healthier.

And that means it's less likely to break off when it reaches a certain length, so you'll be able to grow it longer than you ever imagined. Rapunzel vibes all round!