How do I grow my hair long and soft? in Iceland?

I have african hair = curly, short, but after braiding it it becomes really long and when I was it and deep condition it goes back down. I really want to have long hair so that I could do a lot of cute hairstyles, but I can’t because I don´t have long hair.
p.s : there is no salon for black hair in Iceland, excet for people who import from the UK, but it costs too much. :(