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












 

my journey

hey guys :) my last post was just an introduction to my hair story and how it all began but i want to show where i currently stand with my hair and growth...

Month 1


Month 2


Month 3


Month 4


Month 5


Month 6



Month 7






Month 8







So this is where i am as of right NOW... and i still have a lot of growing to do :) in four months will be my one year anniversary and im anxiously awaiting to see what my hair growth will be then...

Products im currently using:

                    
                     Conditioner


Giovanni Smooth as Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner


                           Deep Conditioner

 
Olive Oil Replenishing Condtioner (deep penetrating)

              
               Leave In Condtioner

Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave in/Detangler (personal favorite)

Giovanni Direct Leave In Weightless Moisture Conditioner


                Curl Cremes


Kinky Curly Curling Custard (personal favorite)

Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel (use this for curl definition and base gel)


                                          Oils


Carrot Oil

Coconut Oil

Shea Butter (Butter and Oil)


If you noticed, I did not mention a specific shampoo that i use.  Thats because I do not shampoo my hair.  Shampoo contains sulfates and other harsh chemicals that strip the hair of its natural oils that it produces.  Those oils are a neccessity and are extremely relevant for the health of our hair.  Natural hair (depending on the hair type that u have) can tend to be very dry and fragile.  Thats y its so important to keep it moisturized DAILY.  I co-wash my hair, and what that means is that I wash my hair with conditioner instead of the traditional shampoo washing.  Conditioners have cleansing agents in them as well, and it is best advised that the conditioner u use is organic or natural based.  Always make sure u read the ingredients on the back of ur hair products to insure that ur hair is not being harmed or mistreated in anyway.  A natural friend of mine always told me, "if u cant pronounce the ingredients in it, DONT USE IT."  Natural/Organic products can be more expensive than regular commercial products, but trust me, u get what u pay for.

Signed,

A Curl Junkie <3

BAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!

SOOOOOOOOO everyone has to know that I am sooooooooooooo excited because OMG.. I HAVE MY OWN FREAKIN BLOG!! like, im still reading other natural hair blogs and following other bloggers but omg u guys can follow me now!!! AHHHHHHHH!! thats so effin cool...


oh yea thats right i have to tell u guys about me and junk..

my name is brittany, and i am 21 years old, and i am currently 8 months natural...no relaxers, no chemicals, no weaves, no texturizers...just kinky, coily, curly ME !!! I decided to make this decision on April 26, 2010, and that part is in my profile section... nevertheless, I have been wanting to go natural since 2006.  But I was dating someone at the time who told me that if i cut my hair off that they would not hesitate to end the relationshp.......yea...i know.....super shallow right???  So i just kind of erased it out of my mind and kept doing the same things to my hair...things that i knew other people would like and approve...and therein lied my problem...

So this year I had a lot going on with my hair...





I found this new stylist named kim who was mad cool, and things were going great with my hair...It was healthy (so i thought) and I was receiving soooooo many compliments on how shiny and pretty and bouncy it was....So one day i told kim that i wanted to dye my hair blonde...So shes like yea that will be cute blah blah blah, and we proceeded to dye my hair...it was blonde on the top and chocolate on the bottom...omg and what a beauty it was....MORE PRAISES from the people...


yep... and so this was the calm before the storm people...time went on and everything was groovy until i sed.. "kim i think i want to go brighter..."

dont have ne pics of that because... IT WAS A TOTAL DISASTER!! my hair was falling out like the leaves on the trees in the fall...i mean it was so surreal... my hair became limp and lifeless and started to get thinner and thinner...I didnt know what to do after that..i was so devastated... and then i ran into a friend of mines who had been natural a little over two years and her hair was like....
 ....lol

yea...it was freaking GORGEOUS... we talked and caught up.. and i told her about my hair and all that and to make a long story short, she inspired me, along with other naturals along the way i ran into.... to cut it all off, no matter what any one else thought...so i woke up the next day, and i called her and i sed... "can you cut my hair.." and she sed ... "gladly!" lol and here is a product of that...

 

but then i realized that the blonde needed to go lol...



well most of it neway...

so from that moment i have not looked back... i have been a die hard naturalista ever since....

and there u have my hair story....well...the beginning of it neway :)