6. Detangle your hair when wet only – Ok, you can get away with damp too but err on the side of wet hair if you are natural. This is a no-brainer really.
When your hair is wet, the moisture increases it’s elasticity meaning that the strands are able to stretch before breaking. If you are very careful and gentle while detangling with your hair wet, your breakage will subsequently be greatly reduced keeping more hair on your head.
7. Clarifying should not be ignored – Shampoos dry hair it’s true yet they serve an important purpose in our hair regimens. With all the oils* and products that you will undoubtedly use while trying to figure out what you hair likes and dislikes, you will collect quite a bit of build up in your hair and scalp.
Without washing away this build up away you may find that you hair simply stops responding to products as it once did and you will soon find yourself with hair that gets progressively drier and more brittle without explanation.
You don’t have to clarify often, every 6 -8 weeks will be fine to keep build up in check.
8. Hair growth rate varies widely – We’ve all heard that hair grows an average of 6 inches a year and although this is true for some people there is a huge variation on what the facts actually are in real life.
With research showing that some people of African origin get as little as 4 inches a year, it is important to be prepared for the fact that your hair growth may not quite make the average 6 inches. Just be patient and do all the right things and your hair will grow.
9. Direct heat will kill your hair growth dreams faster than anything else – If you are a newbie to the long hair care community the fact is you are more likely to be successful without regular direct heat use than with it. It’s just the way it is.
Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with using direct heat occasionally and correctly but the problem is a lot of people simply don’t know how.
The best time to include direct heat into your regimen is when you know your hair, your moisture-protein balance is sound and you have taken all the necessary precautions (deep conditioning*, heat protectants, temperature controlled tools etc). Otherwise give direct heat a miss and concentrate on heat free styling.
10. Be Patient – Hair growth doesn’t happen overnight. If you cut all your hair off today, you can still make great strides and you will probably be considered as someone with long hair in as little as two years. But for super long hair that is hip length and longer, be prepared to give it 5-7 years to realize your goal.
The great thing however is that by being in the know about good hair care practices, your hair will be longer that most average black women for the majority of your journey. And that’s saying something!
This is by no means a comprehensive list so if you feel that I have missed something glaringly obvious or you have a tip that has worked incredibly well for you please feel free to share in the comments below.
Happy hair growing girls.
Shay Shepherd says
Nice