There is so much noise out there when it comes to black hair growth: “take this vitamin” or “use this hair growth oil”, but here is the real truth about what really grows black hair long.
Good products are important, but if you are improperly caring for your hair, what use on your hair will not make any difference. In addition to the right products here’s what you need to do to reach your hair goals:
1 Wear styles that don’t require you to comb, brush or style your hair often
The more you manipulate your hair, the more you are likely to have some breakage. Wear styles that allow you to at least go a week without having to do much to your hair. Simple styles like crown braids, hair buns or two strand twists are great choices. They also protect your hair from getting snagged on your clothes and weather conditions, which is why they are referred to as protective styles.
2 Carefully detangle your hair, this is where a lot of naturals lose hair
You need to make sure you are properly detangling your hair. This means you are only combing hair that is damp or has product added to it. Comb from the ends of your hair and work your way up to the roots of your hair section by section with a tool designed for textured hair. No small fine tooth combs!
3 Don’t forget to moisturize if you are wearing a long term style
You still need to moisturize your hair with braid, twist and extension styles. If you forget to keep up with this your hair will dry out and after you remove the style you will not have made much progress. Use water or a water based spray product to moisturize your braid and extensions styles.
4 When you moisturize and condition give the ends of your hair the most attention
The ends of your hair are the oldest and weakest part of your hair and need the most moisture and conditioning. This also helps to reduce split ends which lead to you having to cut more hair.
5 Use heat very sparingly if at all
Heat will dry your hair out, plus the strain that blow drying puts on your hair makes it easy for breakage to occur. To give your hair a stretch it is best to use rollers, hair buns, banding or large braids as natural ways to stretch your hair out.
6 You still need to trim your hair
Not trimming your hair at least every 3 to 4 months leads to you losing more hair in the long run because the split ends do travel up the hair strand.
7 Protect your hair at night
Put your hair into large braids, twists or a hair bun to prevent matting and tangles. Wear soft materials like satin or a stretchy headwrap to protect your hair from drying out on cotton sheets.
8 Always condition your hair
Use a good rinse out conditioner to restore your moisture balance after shampooing. Deep condition your hair as often as you can to give your hair a boost. This helps to strengthen your hair and keep it healthy. Make time to do this at least 2x per month.
9 Nourish your hair from the inside out
Drink lots of water and eat a healthy well balanced diet. Vitamins are a nice addition, but you need to also be doing your part.
10 Patience and Consistency
Growth takes time. On average our hair grows 1/2 inch per month. Set realistic length goals with that and mind remaining consistent with healthy hair practices.
