Whether we want to believe it or not, most women who are natural are length driven. I’m sure it’s the same for relaxed women but the many who switch to natural hair are doing so for longer tresses.
Yes, we want healthy hair and hair that is not thinning or breaking off but you cannot go anywhere naturals congregate (the web or in person) and not hear a conversation about retaining length.
Usually the discussion is about hair growing or not growing but that’s not accurate as all hair grows. Being able to hold on to it as it grows seems to be the real issue for many women whether natural or relaxed.
Our ends are the oldest hairs and need more TLC than the roots so there are many ways to destroy those hairs if you don’t know how to take care of or manage your hair. If you feel your hair is at a standstill (many find this when their hair hits their shoulders) then you may want to stick around and see why it’s not getting any longer.
1. Moisture Retention – Moisture is essential is keeping your hair happy, healthy, and holding on! The oldest hairs need to be moisturized but they also need to be sealed once that moisture has been added. I know many naturals don’t want to wet their hair because it ruins their style but water is the best moisturizer in the world.
Not everyone is using water daily or even weekly for that matter so as an alternative, making sure water is within the first 5 ingredients (preferably first) of the moisturizer you use is a great way to also keep your hair moisturized and supple. There are other ingredients that are amazing at maintaining moisture in your hair, like glycerin and aloe vera.
Good Morning!
I love your articles and believe this or not, I use Aloe Vera Gel and Glycerin on my hair from time to time and I love how my hair responds to it! After I shampoo and condition, I have a mixture that combines both and spray my hair with it! Good Lord, the natural curls that are achieved are great! Recently, just yesterday, I decided to put my hair in braids as a protective style and give my hair a break. I will wear the braids for about 6-8 weeks, take them out, do my hair regiment and probably wear my natural hair for about 2 weeks and depending on the shape of my hair; either leave it as is or put the hair back in braids. I desire with all my heart to grow my hair healthy and retain length. My ultimate goal is to have my hair to my shoulders. Right now, my hair is just below ear length and I know I have growth from where I started a year ago. I refuse to give up. I read your articles and have found some great information from you and other women who share their own experience and I am grateful. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing and your positive attitude is uplifting. Patience is key and you understand that and you will have past your shoulders, don’t you worry! Make sure the braids aren’t too tight and giving your hair a break from the bradis for a few weeks is key. You are on the right track love!
I started my HHJ on August 31, 2012 when I stopped relaxing my hair after 16 years. I transitioned for 11 months and big-chopped on July 26, 2013. I’ve currently reached my short-term goal of SL and I have mostly 4A coils. I use the LOC method. Believe it or not, I never use water to moisturize. I only use it to wash my hair and to re-wet my hair when I’m styling it. I use pure aloe Vera juice as my liquid, EVOO mixed with jojoba and Grapeseed as my oil, and Dark and Lovely’s Au Naturale moisturizing coil soufflé as my cream. I wash my hair with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Shampoo and conditioner, clarifying with their African black soap shampoo when needed. I use the CHI keratin mist for protein, and creme of nature argan oil leave-in conditioner. Those are my staples in my regimen. I do my own protective style which is yarn twists. I put them in myself, saving money and my edges. I usually leave them in for 2 months before taking them out. My ultimate goal is to get my hair back to where it was back in 08 before I had to cut my hair from being too thin. But this time I want it to be healthier and thicker. I never thought I would go natural until my scalp and bank account just couldn’t take it anymore, lol. But I’m glad I did. I knew that going natural was going to be a tough journey, but I had the patience to keep going and I learned so much about how to properly take care of my hair. I’m glad I found this site because yall provide a lot of good information and I really enjoyed the article.
I have not had chemical in my hair for over 6 years now. I have been wearing wigs and weaves and have not been taking care of my natural hair. In November, I was going to have my weave re-done, and after removing the old one, my sister who was visiting was appalled to see the length of my hair. As a child I had naturally long, thick black hair, and to have it washed and comb was very painful, so I grew up not wanting to bother with my hair as the memories of that long thick black hair are painful. However, after my sister saw the length my hair is, she begged me to try and grow my hair back . Since I don’t see her often I decide to grow my hair and surprise her.
My hair grows fast if I take care of it, so as of the March 1, 2014 I began the journey of taking care of my hair and let it grow and started a regimen. I love it already. I wash once a week, using crème of nature Argan oil from Morocco shampoo and conditioner to wash and condition. I use Shea Butter Miracle moisture intense to moisture my hair and Jamaican Black Castor oil mixed with Palmer’s coconut oil to seal my hair. I will deep condition every other week and keep the ends trim. I wear my hair in two strand twist, making sure the ends are protected under a wig and sleep in a satin bonnet at nights. I use satin head tie for when I workout as well as under my wigs.
The best part of my hair is that it is a real nice healthy texture and I am really happy about taking care of my hair and watch it grow.
I have just found this site and this week is my first week trying your products. I have alopecia and I have tried everything to help my crown to grow back. At one point glycerin and condition showed some improvement but then it just stopped growing. I just purchased your MTG but I just read something about onion juice and would like to know your input on which would be best for alopecia.
Nice
I will tell you something interesting. I tried the ORS curly to straight product and my hair didn’t come out as straight as I wanted it to. Not due to the product, Im just not a pro when it comes to using the flat iron. I got so frustrated because it wasn’t as straight and decided to do a twist out. Its one of the best twist outs I ever had and I think its because my hair is stretched and Im not getting a lot of shrinkage. I don’t know whats going to happen when I washed this product out, but Im very happy in regards to the length retention!!!
Kressey Sassyrose Cunningham