Everyone loves a healthy head of hair, but for many, this seems like an impossible goal to attain.with a large number of black women now accepting their natural texture, the question of how to grow thick natural hair longer and faster keeps coming up.
Studies have shown that hair grows on an average of about 1/2 inch a month. Giving you about 6inches of hair per year. That’s a lot of hair to grow in just 1 year if you ask me. But sadly a lot of people find it really hard to retain even half of this in a year. Your hair length is a balance between your rate of growth and the amount of breakage from your ends.
In this post, I will be highlighting 9 essential steps in growing your Natural hair from its current length to your desired.
Table of Contents
1.Healthy Diet
Healthy hair is a product of what we take and not only about the products we put on it. Hair is made largely of proteins called keratin and so eating foods rich in protein can immensely impact positively on your hair health. examples of protein-rich food meat, fish and eggs. fatty acids especially omega -3 are also beneficial for healthy hair and can be gotten from fish, flaxseed, chia seed, and walnuts. B complex vitamins and folic acid ensure general health and well being, in turn, improving the overall health and appearance of the hair. taking daily multivitamins could supplement the vitamin need of the body. the effect of eating a healthy balanced diet can also reflect on our skin and nails also.
2.Scalp Care
The scalp is where our hair grows out from and so, should be at it’s best. Going too long without washing your hair, could leave you with clogged follicles, which in turn could reduce healthy hair growth. wash your hair every 1-2 weeks with a mild sulfate-free shampoo to rid the scalp of dirt but not strip it.
Another way to care for your scalp is by incorporating scalp massages. Oils like Castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil, when used to massage the scalp, could stimulate blood and with increased blood flow comes more nutrients to the scalp encouraging faster and thicker hair growth.
3.Minimize heat styling
I know every once in a while we feel the need to have straight laid hair. However, to see any real progress in your hair care journey you need to avoid excessive heat styling. If you must use heat minimize to at least once a month, use a heat protectant serum which would serve as a barrier between the hair and the styling tool while sealing in moisture and preventing frizz. when using heat tools endeavor to keep the temperature below 450F, this is the temperature beyond which the hair experiences heat damage.
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4.Trim Those Ends
This is a step I see a lot of people try to avoid, and I can understand why. Though trimming your hair can make it look short at the moment, it can benefit your hair immensely in the long run. The ends are the oldest part of our hair and tend to form single-stranded knots and split ends which travel up the hair shaft causing breakage. There is really no need hanging on damaged, scraggly ends, doing this can only lead to you needing a major cut eventually.
Image credit @dr_kami
5.Deep Condition Regularly
Deep condition, deep condition, and deep condition again! Yes, that’s how important this step is if you really want to grow your natural hair long. the importance of deep conditioning natural hair can not be overemphasized. Natural hair can get very dry and hence needs a regular dose of deep conditioning treatments. Deep conditioners are rich in hydrating and strengthening ingredients to promote healthier strands over time. Deep condition at least every 1-2 weeks alternating between a moisturizing and protein conditioner, making sure to leave it on for about 30 minutes with heat or about an hour without heat.
Protective styles are hairstyles that reduce the need for daily manipulation and protect your ends from the elements. they are very important for length retention. They range from simple styles like buns, braid outs, twist outs, Bantu knots to box braids, kinky twits weaves and wigs. While protective styling, ensures you are not applying too much traction to your edges, so a good thing doesn’t become worse. Traction Alopecia is a common type of hair loss which occurs often when protective styling is done wrongly.
Image credit @baje_hair
7. Treat Your Hair Like Silk
Generally speaking, anything treated like rare gem flourishes, and our hair is no exception. Gone are the days when we used to rake small tooth combs from the roots of our hair down to the ends. O, Lord! we were Mean!
when detangling natural hair, opt for gentler means like finger detangling, using wide-tooth combs and detangling brushes to minimize breakage. another way to reduce breakage when detangling is by doing this under the shower with a rinse-out conditioner. Another time to baby your hair is while drying it after washing, Use a cotton t-shirt or a microfibre towel. This keeps the hair cuticle fat, reducing frizz and improving shine.
Our Natural Hair texture is kinky and curly and as a result, tends to be dryer than other textures. The scalp produces an oil called sebum that nourishes the scalp and hair, but due to our hair texture, this sebum doesn’t travel down the shaft as easily as it would with straighter hair textures. hence, this process needs to be augmented with moisture from outside the body. Use a water-based moisturizer to allow for penetration into the hair shaft and then follow up with natural oil or butter to seal the moisture in.
Bottom Line
Natural hair though dry can grow to awesome lengths when cared for the right way.
what steps are you incorporating into your hair care routine to retain length?
I’m Dr Janet, a medical doctor, blogger, Youtuber and a mother to two awesome kids. I help women achieve their natural hair, skincare and health goals.
Glad to have you here
xoxo
I’m Dr Janet, a medical doctor, blogger, Youtuber and a mother to two awesome kids. I help women achieve their natural hair, skincare and health goals.
Glad to have you here
xoxo
which of these tips have helped you grow your hair the fastest?