What else can I do about this?

I have long hair but I want it longer. Like down to my waist longer. It's about half way down my back when it's wet and I eat healthy I take my vitamins I exercise regularly and I drink lots of water and eat healthy. I've heard wearing your hair up can cause breakage so I've been wearing it down every day now and I like it :) but I just wanna know what else I could do? I don't use or want extensions and my hair is curly and tends to shrink up when it's dry. I use tousle me softly to keep my curls tamed. So what else can I do and does keeping it down help it grow any faster? I would really appreciate advice God bless you all.