“The fact of the matter is princess; there is no secret to long hair!” – Unknown
I can’t tell you how many times daily we get that question on Face book, twitter and other forms of social media, seriously we wish there was a secret to share, but alas, there isn’t.
Obviously length retention is a big deal, the good news is, if you are a healthy girl your hair is already growing so the problem is not what is happening on your scalp but rather what you are doing to preserve that length you are gaining daily.
The key to long hair is technique and consistency, there is no secret, no product, no pill, and no oil which is good news in our book, can you imagine if there was a magic pill somewhere and the chaos it would cause?
The whole point of Black Hair Information is to teach you skills on how to best retain the length. We have a variety of topics that cover all aspects of hair care because what works for one person might not work for you. Visit our regimens category to help you come up with a regimen to suit your needs and of course your hair goals.
When we find something that can help with retention it is on top of our priority list to share because we know how important it is. With that said, we loved mstanish1’s regimen for 4B and 4C because it is a practical solution that she has found that helps her to retain length.
Now this method might not work for everyone but if you do want to give it a try she does provide a detailed tutorial on what she does, check it out.
There are other tips that can also help with retaining length that are sometimes deemed as specific to 4B 4C naturals, but we have found that many of them can be used across the board whatever hair type you might have.
Tip 1
Eliminate combs and brushes from your regimen by finger detangling your hair always. This practice cuts down on the damage that is caused from the friction and breakage that constant brushing and combing large groups of your strands will cause.
Finger detangling is more specific and when you can feel your knots and tangles you can get rid of them in a much gentler fashion than your comb can.
Tip 2
Keep your hair stretched as much as you can, because as cute as a shrunken Afro style might look, your hair strands tend to be attracted to each other and because of their natural tendency they can twirl around each other to the point of creating enormous knots that if frustration sets in will cause you to grab a pair of scissors.
Tip 3
Moisturize and double seal your hair so that the moisture you put in can last. When you add moisture to your hair, it should be with something that is water based. When you seal your hair, you would opt for an oil added after you moisturize.
We would suggest doing the LOC method when sealing your hair because it adds even more moisture since some of the creams we use have a lot of water in them and they really ensure that the hair remains hydrated.
Share your personal techniques to retaining length in the comment section below.
Your hair is beautiful.
It says no secret pills, but aren’t vitamins a great way to help your hair grow faster, with proper hair care of course?
Hair growth has never been our problem though, it’s length retention. I grew mine without any pills and only 4 inches a year. Just tons of protective styling.
Beautiful.
My hair crush!
Natural hair rocks
Just the pills nice
Wow!
Thanks
Yaa Vitamins r gud!
Wooow !!
i was recently so inspired by all these pics yall post, i went through the fire to wear my hair down a couple days instead of braiding it back up like i usually do. the first day with the streached twists taken down was ok, but by the end of the night, i had a nappy fro all over again bc of the humidity. more power to all the ladies patient enough to deal with 4c hair on a regular basis. my daughter and i will stick to braid styles year round and admiring all your hard work in these photos
I love your hair and the style. I am new to be natural and trying to take better care for by 7yr olds natural hair. Do you wash inbetween weeks? Do you moisturize your hair daily?
I would like to try a free trial of hair growth for confirmation to what i’ve been using on my hair.I wear locks they are extremely thin I would love to have medium thick hair
Am really inspired with your retention regime, please how do i retain length in short hair? I decided to go all natural on the 21st of April, 2014. Will appreciate if you can send me more guide on how to grow and retain length.
Chao
finger detangle only? really with my 4c hair that will take almost a whole day after rockin an afro
Damn I like it.
Idk I agree on the retention part but as far as growth I do take ManeChoice vitamins. Grew 2 inches in a month soooo yea
Where do you get those vitamins?
That was a lotttt of work I’m scared now I just did the chop a month back but I have to be in the mood for when it’s time for all that!!
Your hair may be different though. But, yeah her regiment seemed really long!
Too much work, just for hair.
That’s a lot of maintenance. I can see why she went for a low maintenance/half done style. That takes ‘wash day’ to another level! I’m tired just watching lol.
I never brush my hair and comb perhaps once in a couple of months. …I have 4C hair. It’s not a chore use to it now so doesn’t take long at all. I’ve retained alot of length
Just take care of your hair and it will grow.