Of all the concerns and questions that have hit my Facebook inbox, hair growth has got to be at the top of the list. “My hair doesn’t grow” or “my hair isn’t growing fast enough” are common sentiments among newer naturals. Welp, I’m no expert but I’ve definitely learned a few things in my almost four years of… naturalness.
The truth is, your hair is always growing… it is! BUT there may be some things stopping your hair from reaching its full potential. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Feed Your Hair
Healthy hair starts from within! The first thing I ask people who are concerned about hair growth is “how is your diet?” Eating your fruits and veggies and drinking plenty of water will help your hair to thrive, feeding those follicles the nutrients they need for optimal health. Taking a daily multi-vitamin is also a great way to give your body whatever it may be lacking in order to assist in healthy hair growth.
Keep Your Hair & Scalp Clean
A healthy, clean environment is needed for hair to flourish. Buildup on the scalp can virtually stunt growth simply because of dirty, clogged pores/follicles. Washing routines and frequency will differ from person to person based on different factors like how much product you use, how much you sweat, etc. Here’s how I get it done.
MOISTURIZE!
Due to the makeup of naturally curly or kinky hair, it’s naturally prone to dryness. What often happens is that our hair breaks just as fast as it grows and therefore appears to be stuck at one length. Hair that is properly moisturized is less likely to break or split at the ends which means you’ll retain what you grow. To seal in the moisture, I apply a leave-in conditioner to my freshly washed (and still slightly damp) hair, then a butter or an oil paying special attention to the ends-the oldest part of the hair. You can read more about the process here.
Minimize Heat
Some of you have probably sworn off heat altogether and then some, like me, enjoy the occasional blow-out. Too much heat too often can lead to dry, brittle hair which can mean breakage. If you must use heat, be gentle. Use the low or medium setting on your blow dryer and use a heat protectant. I like to use grapeseed or avocado oil for my blow-outs because of their high smoke points.
Wear Protective Styles to Aid in Retention
A protective style is one that requires little to no manipulation and helps protect the hair, especially your ends, from the unnecessary damage that constant combing, brushing or finger twirling (can you say Hand-In-Hair Disease?!) may cause. They DO NOT make your hair grow but simply help you retain the hair you do grow. Anything from an effortless chignon/bun to a set of stylish cornrows will do. Simply put, make it so that you’ll leave your hair alone! You’ll thank me later. Want more? Take a look at this!
Here’s the moral of the story: instead of being so overly concerned about the length of your hair, focus on its health. Growth and length will come!
Are there any other tips you would like to offer on healthy hair growth? What has worked for you?
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It’s interesting how a healthy diet affects almost every area of our health! Great tips!!
My hair grows like weeds in my back field – fast, and unruly!! Lol. But I’ll pass this along to some friends – I have quite a few that are always looking for ways to get their hair to grow healthier, longer, and just plain MORE 🙂 Great tips!
I like the idea of feeding my hair. Thanks for these helpful tips. Will try and incorporate into my regimen.
I’m taking Biotin and I’ve noticed a difference. Do you co-wash your natural hair? Also, have you every tried Jamaican Black Castor oil? I’ve heard it really helps hair grow. CARPE DIEM
Hi Jasmine! Yes, I try to co-wash every other week and I do use JBCO. I do see a difference when I use it. In my efforts to keep this post at a decent length, I chose to leave those that out as well as biotin but I do think they aid in hair growth for sure. Maybe I’ll make a continuation of this with more tips! 😉
I’m in the middle of growing my hair out! I do use a flat iron and blow dry quite a bit. My poor hair! But I do use a moisturizer/conditioner on it so I hope that helps. We eat pretty healthy here and I also take supplements and herbs. I have seen a difference in my hair since I started the herbs!
Hi Stephanie! Your moisturizers may be acting as protective barriers while heat styling but you still could be getting a bit of damage over time. Your eating right along with the supplements & herbs is fantastic! Healthy hair from the inside out!
The one thing that I would like to do to increase my hair health is eat better because I am sure that I am lacking a very essentials to prevent my hair from getting dry so easily (or suffering a lot of breakage). I haven’t blow dryed my hair or used a flat iron in about 15 years, and I think that has helped a lot. I’m lucky enough to have hair that dries extremely quickly without heated air. Oh…and I should drink more water for my hair while I;m at it. Thanks for reminding me about the importance of a good diet for hair health!
You’re very welcome Yona! I hope you get the results you’re looking for! 🙂
I knew that eating fruits and veggies ands staying hydrated helped in a lot of areas. I never realized it helped maintain healthy hair growth too! Thanks for sharing the tips!
Sure does! 🙂 Thx for reading!
What an interesting and helpful blog!
As a hairdresser of a quarter of a century, I feel you are giving GREAT info to your readers. All the points you mentioned are dead-on sista.
The only things I would add is that while I think Food is the place to get the best nutrients like you mentioned….some can also take more biotin and in my experience…this seems to help as an added insurance.
Also, the leave in conditioner like you mentioned is a wonderful preventative measure against styling damage but if they do notice split ends, getting a tiny trim will help tremendously because those strands will continue to split and not grow.
Keep up the great work.
Blessings,
Shan
http://www.The-How-to-Guru.com
Hi Shan. Thanks so much for the compliment! Coming from someone who has been in the industry for so long, it really means a lot! I actually take biotin daily so I definitely agree with you on that point and often suggest it to many. And,as you said, keeping up with regular trims is also important. I always say, there’s no point in holding on to raggedy, damaged ends just to say you have length! There are so many things I could have listed but I wanted to keep this list concise for folks to basically use as a starting point. 🙂
I went natural about four years ago while I was pregnant with my daughter. I originally intended for it to be a temporary scenario, but my transition was relatively easy and I’ve been able to maintain it with the help of an excellent stylist!
That’s great Arianne! Many struggle so I’m happy that you had a relatively easy time with your transition.
Great tips. I think too many times people over look the eating right part of the deal. I always stress eating properly and drinking water. Beauty from the inside out.
Precisely! You’ve gotta feed the hair! Thanks for reading.
Thanks for the great tips. I don’t have tight curls (white hair) but I do have thick, wavy, and dry hair.
When I was younger I used to use a lot of product, a crimp-er and a straightener. I think these damage your hair a lot. Tight styles like buns and cornrows or braids will increase the likely hood of a receding hair line too.
Keeping it clean both inside and out is a very good approach.
I think natural is always best and if you can get by without a blow dryer that is better.
Very true about buns, braids and cornrows that are too tight! I have to stress that a lot. Thanks so much for the feedback. 🙂
Great tips! I’ve never heard of using grapeseed oil for a heat protectant. Do you just use it on the ends or all over? I think heating tools are my hair’s worst enemy, so I’m especially curious about adding the grapeseed or advocado oils.
Thank you Rachel! I use the oil along the entire hair shaft but I do put just a little extra on the ends since it’s the oldest part of the hair and more prone to damage. It works great!
Great tips! My hair is right above my bum and I need to get it cut. It seems the longer my hair is the harder it is to manage (lots of tangles) that leads to breakage and it not looking healthy. hehe do you have any advice to keep the tangles out? =)
Thanks for reading! Hmmm, tangles. Well, what I do to help keep tangles at bay is to keep my hair up in some way, either via braids or twists. When the hair is out and running free, it’s more prone to tangling up. Since your hair super long, you will have that issue often unless you keep it braided or at least in a bun for a time until you’re ready to wear it out for a special occasion or just because.:-) I hope this helps!
I’m currently trying to grow my hair out! These are some great tips and I’ll be book marking for sure 🙂 Thanks so much
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
I absolutely agree – especially with what you eat. I don’t think most people realize how much your diet affects your looks! Lots of water is another great recommendation!
Yes indeed… you are what you eat! 🙂 Thx for the feedback!
Oy. Hair! I’ve never liked mine, but am finally at a stage where I do. Something about losing way too much and basically starting over after having triplets, maybe? Also, I must say, and hopefully this doesn’t come out bad, I have ALWAYS been jealous of my African-American friends and their hair! It’s always so pretty…
Pregnancy can do much to change the makeup of hair- whether for the best or the worst. Having triplets may have had affect on yours! And don’t worry, you’re good. It’s so funny, may of us often admire or even envy the hair of others, wishing ours would do the “thing” that theirs does that ours won’t. I always say, “love YOUR hair!”. 🙂 I appreciate your comments. Thanks so much reading!
These tips are great! I used to have my “perfect hair” until I had kids, now my hair is, well different. i’m slowly figuring out what works for this new hair. 😉
Thanks for these tips. I’m a pretty big fan of heat, but I haven’t really noticed it affecting my hair growth. I do notice that after I was pregnant, I lost A LOT of hair. I’ll keep drinking water!
Thanks for this great tips! I always use biotin 5000 and i use olive oil for scalp massage. But my problem is the dryer and the ion 🙁 i would try this.Thanks!
You’re welcome Mary! I take biotin and use olive oil as well, great for keeping hair healthy! Thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing these great tips.
Oh I love your post… and your blog!!! I am into “naturalness” too… and the tips you share are just great! Thank You for your beautiful work!
Wow! Thank you so much Isabelle!
I also agree with the avoiding heat thing. I try not to blow dry mine or my daughters hair unless I have to. We usually wash it at night and sleep on it wet. I also agree with taking vitamins.
Yup! Gotta work from the inside out. Thanks so much for reading!
I have fallen off the bandwagon of taking good care of my hair but I plan to get back on and this is a great reference tool and resource for me as I struggle to get my hair back healthy.
Thank you so much for checking out the article! Sometimes life gets in the way and we fall off but you can do it! I love your blog by the way. 😉
I wish I could minimize heat, but I take showers at night and refuse to go to sleep with wet hair. I do use a heat protectant but I’m curious to try your suggestion of using grapeseed or avocado oil.
Yes, do try it! They’re usually cheaper than typical commercial heat protectants and a little goes a long way so it’ll last a while. Thanks for sharing!
I follow the same tips (except for moisturizing because I don’t really need it for my type) and I often get compliments on my hair. I also like to make hair products myself from natural ingredients. I’m currently growing my hair long, but I don’t give much thought about it. I get surprised every couple of months how longer it already is. 🙂
That’s true, some hair types won’t need a lot of moisturizing from outside sources because they get it naturally from their scalp. And yes, natural ingredients rock! 🙂
Good tips. My hair grows pretty fast, but I eat healthy and take lots of supplements.
Those may definitely be good reasons why. Thanks for sharing!
Great post! I have 5 kids from DRCongo and each came home with hair issues due to malnutrition. Our babies girls have had a really hard time getting hair growth on the backs of their heads, but finally its starting to fill in. Are there any product lines that you absolutely live by? Our latest find is the Taliah Waajid leave in conditioner.
Hi Carrie! Sorry to hear about the girls’ issues! One of my go-to product lines is SheaMoisture which is sold at Target and Walgreen stores. It’s affordable (most items are around $10) and does the job, I love it! Jamaican Black Castor Oil has been known to boost growth by stimulating blood flow to the scalp. I’ve used that as a massage oil for problem areas, mixing it with a few essential oils like tea tree, peppermint & rosemary. But I would recommend SheaMoisture for sure!
Thanks for the great tip. I’m going to pick some up this weekend!
Lots of good advice for healthy hair in this post! I agree that drinking plenty of water and eating right helps your hair health. I’ve been blessed with hair that grows long relatively quickly, but it’s super-straight and tends to look oily whenever I use styling products. So I’ve taken a minimalistic approach to my hair and rarely use anything except a spritz of hair spray or–my new fave–a homemade sea salt spray. I also air dry my hair most of the time so I don’t have heat damage.
Thanks! Yes, straight hair trends to grow rather quickly since natural oils can travel down the hair shaft easier than hair that curls, bends and twists. That sea salt spray sounds interesting. I’m gonna look into it. Thanks for sharing!
I have really curly hair that is getting more coarse (and crazy) as I’m getting older. I totally avoid heat, but I keep it healthy by only washing it every three days. It makes a big difference. In the winter, I use a leave-in conditioner more often. It seems like I have to change up my routine when the seasons change.
Yes, definitely! Most people will need to adjust their routine & products with the change of the weather. Both summer and winter can do some funny things to hair! Thanks so much for sharing!
I love your ending comment about focusing on hair health, not necessarily the length. Your hair will only grow to a certain length dependent on your genes. However, by nourishing your hair with your aforementioned tips will help your hair reach it’s full potential. Fabulous list!
Elizabeth
PINKx3.com
Great point about genes! Many don’t realize that also plays a role. Thanks for reading!
Great tips! I have dry, frizzy hair, so I always use a serum after I wad my hair. About once a fortnight I also oil my hair for about an hour before I wash it off.
Great tips! I have curly, frizzy hair, so I always use a serum on my hair when it’s still damp. And leave-in conditioners work really well too! Occasionally, I also like to oil my hair – I generally leave it on for about an hour and then wash it off.
Yes, I definitely live by leave-in conditioners! Thanks for reading!
Best thing I ever did for my hair was to stop using shampoo! I use baking soda and water once or twice a week and stopped washing it every day, stripping it of natural oils. My hair used to be fine, dry and lifeless, and over the past year has become thick, shiny and beautiful. Great post! (I started on the inside too :))
Thanks so much! I also use baking soda from time to time- thorough cleansing without stripping the natural oils. I love the way my hair feels afterwards. Glad it’s working for you too! 🙂
There’s a quote that’s been making the rounds: “You can’t look like a million bucks when you eat from the dollar menu.” It’s so true–good nutrition affects all aspects of health and beauty, including hair. I can honestly look in the mirror this morning and tell that I didn’t drink enough water yesterday. Time to go hydrate! Great tips!
Ha! I love that quote! Yes, you can really tell the difference when you aren’t eating right or drinking enough water. Thanks for reading!
My hair grows fast, and I’ve wondered why. In looking over your factors, I qualify in that I drink a minimum of 64 oz. of water a day, eat well, and allow my hair to air dry after washing.
Now when others ask how I get my hair to grow so quickly, I can share your suggestions. Thanks!
That’s great Tracy! Sounds like you’ve got an awesome routine going. You’re quite welcome and by all means, share away!
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great tips! i’m still working on the ‘feeding your hair’ tip.
Finger detangling has definitely worked well for me. I’ve retained much more length since I stopped using combs.
I’ve also recently incorporated that in my regimen and have seen the same results. I’m with you LaNeshe! 😉
Great tips Toia! I’ve had to learn the hard way. To keep my hair moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!!~NaturallyMe35~
Glad you enjoyed Heather! Yup, moisturizing is so important!