The two most frequent questions I get asked are how to grow long natural hair and which products I use. Today, we share our tips on “how to grow long hair” by unlocking your growth potential.
This is not another one of those grow-5-inches-overnight posts (I really hate those posts 😀 ). This is real life.
Our hair is always growing; some people’s hair grows faster than others. Although some practices cause hair to grow slower, stunted or thinner, the biggest problem doesn’t lie with growth, but rather with length retention. Daisy and I put together a list of our best tips on hair length retention(I will insert a photo of how long Daisy’s hair is so that you can die a little on the inside:D).
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Moisturize
Afro hair is prone to dryness, and dryness leads to excessive breakage. Add water to your hair to keep it soft and manageable, either in form of a leave-conditioner or by directly spraying water onto your hair. Remember, oil does not moisturize hair, water does. You can spritz your hair daily with water (and seal with oil), or use a leave-conditioner (twice weekly).
Adding deep conditioning to your regimen is also very beneficial to a moisture regimen.
Low manipulative styles
Be kind and gentle with your hair. You know you’re doing too much to your hair (and causing damage) if you style or comb/detangle it daily. You can try some hair styles that will last a couple of days to a week. Similarly, avoid tight braids; tight braiding is the number one deterrent to long natural hair.
Protect your hair
At night before you go to sleep, cover your hair with a satin or silk scarf/bonnet. This protects your hair from friction and dryness caused by your pillow. The same applies for clothes and head rests that rub and tag on your hair.
Protect your hair from the sun. A 2013 study by these authors suggests that the most damaging factor to our hair is continuous exposure to sunlight as it results in dryness, roughness, sun-bleaching and breakage due to photo-oxidation. In the same study, African hair is highlighted as being the most prone to sun damage because if its chemical composition.
Clean scalp
Some people do not wash their hair for months! You hair will not do well if your scalp is dirty and unhealthy. Healthy hair and a healthy scalp complement each other. A healthy scalp is one with no scaling, itching, or burning. The longest anyone should go without a proper was is 2 weeks. Wash hair or Braids with a mild shampoo.
Regular detangling
This prevents hair from getting matted and tangled. Hair breaks off and sheds more when it’s not detangled regularly.
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Others
Other tips to retain length include: Patience (growing long hair takes time), trimming when necessary, protein treatments, clean diet, minimal product usage (don’t be a product junkie).
