hello and welcome!

 Glad we were able to help you out. Though you may not like it, yes, you definetly need to get your ends trimmed soon. When you have damage and split ends, the damage always travels up the hair shaft when not tended to and just gets larger and larger. The longer you wait the more hair you will have to cut off. So trim soon! Might I also link in the ultimate guide to growing long hair and keeping it healthy? (http://www.longlocks.com/how-to-grow-long-hair.htm) It's got some great tips on the exact same things you've been asking about. So good luck!
                   
                                -Jilayne  

My two cents...I always like to change to a different brand each time the one I am using is empty. Read something years ago saying this was a way to prevent buildup. Seems to work, my sister used to do the same thing.

My hair is fairly fine so I wash my scalp but only condition from about the neck down. I'm just finishing up with Suave Naturals - Fresh Mountain Strawberry and will be beginning with Pantene - Beautiful Lengths.

Used to use Johnson's Baby Shampoo and their separate Conditioner but haven't been able to find the conditioner for years. I always figured if it was safe for babies it would be safe for anyone.

Just a bit obsessive I suppose, but I have always used  products from the same line.

Another shampoo & conditioner that I liked and that seems to have disappeared was Breck. Anyone else old enough to remember the "Breck Girl"?