How to promote hair GROWTH: you can have much longer hair...

Often times I am out and about and i run into a natural, we  typically will began to chat because one of us will have approached the other asking, "what products do you use?", "when did u cut ur hair?", "did u transition?", "what made u go natural?", "how does ur fam or significant other feel about it?" blah blah blah basically the typical talk ALL naturals have with one another...But when the question of, "how long have u been natural?" or "how long have u been growing ur hair?" comes up, that can really depict how the person is caring for their hair.... Most naturals will do their research on this subject because that is our goal, to grow our manes to long lengths...sometimes that can be a bigger priority than the general health of the hair.  there also is the typical stereotype that african-american women with natural hair cannot grow their hair to long lengths, because of our hair texture, and because, well, we are african-american, and "black girls dont have long hair."

If you have done ur research, u will know that THAT IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE!!!!!!! and here is my proof...


Some chic with long hair :)

Ya-Ya: Model, Actress

Esperanza Spalding: Jazz Musician (hair idol of mine)

Longhairdontcare2011:vlogger

Model

Corinne Bailey Rae: Singer,Musician

Corinne Bailey Rae


Teyanna Taylor: Rapper,Singer, Fashion Icon

Ok so u get my drift...

Despite these women's titles, they still maintained to have long natural HEALTHY hair.  The most important key in growing long hair is to maintain a healthy mane.  It must be healthy first, or else ur hair will not grow. point.blank.period 

TIPS FOR HAIR GROWTH

 * BIOTIN




Biotin is a B vitamin that's needed for the formation of fatty acids and glucose, which are essential for the production of energy. It also helps with the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.  Your hair and nails are made of protein, so it aids in healthy hair, skin and nails.  Women typically take it for that reason only, and notice a MAJOR difference in those areas. Reports are: longer, stronger, faster growing hair and nails.  If you go to ur local health food or grocery store, in the section where they sell vitamins is where you will find it.  It comes in different dosages starting from 1000mcg to 5000mcg (micrograms).  If you are a woman who suffers from alopecia or hair loss of some sort im sure that ur doctor has recommended it to u already.  Talk to ur doctor first before taking it, that way he/she can aid u in the dosage u shud take. ur body produces biotin so dont think ur gonna die or nething lol i mean they sell it at the damn grocery store any body can take it, it can only benefit u.  I am currently taking 5000mcg which is the largest dose.  Have I noticed a difference? u bet i have...my head is itching like crazy and my nails havent broken in over 2 weeks...

* Take a multi-vitamin




This is something that we as women are already suppose to be doing but some of us dont.  Yes, vitamin deficiency can affect the health of ur hair and how it grows.  If u are not taking ur vitamins or eating healthy, ur hair can grow slower than average and can even become thinner.  taking in the right quantity of vitamins and minerals is very important for ur overall health and ur hair growth.

* Trimming your ends (as needed)




This is my least favorite thing to do in maintaining the health of my hair... But i can tell u right now, u DO NOT need to trim ur ends every 6 to 8 weeks to see hair growth, if u do that, every time ur hair grows, u will be cutting off what jus grew in, thereby maintaining the same length, and not seeing any growth.  u only need to trim ur ends as needed.  if u do not have split ends there is no reason that u need to trim them just because its been 6 weeks girl!! I swear wen i was relaxed and i did that my hair stayed the same length and my beautician wud cut my hair even wen my ends werent split and she wud say, "well its been 6 weeks its time."  BS.  It will seem like ur taking off length wen u do this but there is a difference between "cutting" ur ends and "trimming" them.  If u want shorter hair then u "cut" it...if u want hair growth and to stop ur ends from splitting to the top of the shaft then u "trim it."  An easy way to trim ur ends is to put ur hair up in 2 strand twist and if u see any, what my mom calls "stragglies" then trim them.  if u dont see any, u dont need to trim.
* Sleep with a satin bonnet or satin/silk scarf




AHHHH YES.  One of the MAIN reasons we fail to grow our hair long.  IF YOU DO NOT TIE UR HAIR UP AT NIGHT LADIES UR ENDS WILL SPLIT AND UR HAIR WILL BREAK OFF!!! this is one of the main causes of breakage.  Cotton pillows (which is what most of us sleep with cuz its soft and fluffy :) ) absorb moisture and can dry out the hair.  I use to sleep with a cotton scarf wen i was younger and wud notice that my hair wud be so dry wen i took the scarf off.  Since moisture is important in maintaining healthy hair and avoiding breakage then it is very important to sleep in satin/silk.  For those of u that sleep on a silk pillow then girl i am not talking to u cuz u already know the deal lol sleeping on a satin/silk pillow if u dont want to tie ur hair up is also another way to avoid breakage.

* Daily Moisturizing




This is very simple.  dry, dull and brittle hair will break, thereby hindering hair growth.  Keeping ur hair moisturized daily will avoid breakage and promote hair growth.  Olive oil, coconut oil, vitamin e oil, shea butter oil, jojoba oil and many others are great ways to keep the hair absorbing oil and producing its own.  As naturals our hair can tend to be very dry if u do not give it the moisture it needs, because we have really thirsty hair.  And since we love our hair, we shud give it some water :) invest in a spray bottle and fill it up with water and the oil of ur choice and spritz ur hair daily to keep it fresh and fed.

* Combing/detangling



DO NOT COMB OR TRY TO DETANGLE UR HAIR WHILE IT IS DRY! UR HAIR WILL BREAK!! it is also painful to the scalp to pull and tug on the hair because there is no way ur gonna get a comb to glide right thru it with no water or conditioner in it.  Always use a wide tooth comb and i wud recommend combing and detangling ur hair while u are in the shower and it is full of conditioner.  This is another way to promote hair growth and avoid breakage.

* Protective Styles




I suffer from a lot of shrinkage because of my tight coils so i like to wear my hair out alot because i dont like how short it looks wen i do other things to it.  However, I am currently wearing a protective style.  A protective style is a style that avoids having the ends of ur hair displayed and at risk for whatever the hell may happen lol. twist, braids, yarn braids, buns etc are all examples of protective styles.  When ur hair is in hybernation, and is not being fondled with, the only other option it has is to GROW. nobody is touching it, no one is pulling on it, its sleeping.  While sleeping the body rejuvenates itself.  So does ur hair.  keeping ur hair in protective styles for long periods of time will promote ALOT of hair growth.  be sure to keep ur scalp oiled during that time.

last but not least....

* Do not relax your hair


lol ok so this isnt really a hair growth tip perse' but its mine lol in my previous post i mentioned that relaxers contain NAIR in them which is a hair REMOVAL cream..how can ur hair grow wen ur scalp is constantly burning and the chemical u choose to use to alter ur hairs natural texture contains a hair removal in it?  I am not anti relaxer all in all, hair is a personal choice and whatever makes u happy is ur personal decision.  But i am anti relaxer if u are already natural and are considering it.  mark my word it will be the worse decision uve ever made for ur hair.  Try to avoid chemicals because they can make or break the hair and i mean that literally...There are women who have relaxers and they have long hair...but trust me, its not healthy.  The hair is already dead wen it grows out of the scalp, as hair is dead skin cells...but relaxed hair is like zombie hair....lifeless, altered, and restricted...

Signed,

A curl junkie <3