As well as healthy hair, many of us want to achieve a good length of hair. When I was younger I didn’t actually think it was possible for me to grow long hair, but with the new wave of natural hair education and fantastic products available; not to mention to array of beautiful pictures on social media of afro hair reaching great length! It is more than obvious that our curls, coils and kinks can grow to great lengths, if we take the time to properly care for our hair. Below you will find 5 easy things you can do to help minimise damage and boost your hair growth.
- Protective Styling
Low manipulation, protective styling is a great way to keep you hair protected and reduces the risk of tangled and breakages. Constant styling of your hair can lead to mechanical damage as you hear is tugged, pulled and brushed into different styles. Conversely, protective styles keep your hair static in simple styles that can provide less tension on your strands, which in turn can help to boost hair growth. Two strand twists, flat twists, plaits, buns and braids can all be useful protective styling. A great protective style should:
-Aid in moisture retention
-Reduce manipulation
-Stretching the hair
-Reducing heat use
-Reducing tension
If your ‘protective style’ isn’t allowing any of the above, it’s time to rethink the style.
- Trimming Your Hair
I was always afraid to trim or cut my hair because I thought it wouldn’t grow back. My hair only every reached around my collarbones and never passed there so I always wanted to keep as much of my hair on my head as possible even if it was damaged. However over the years I have learnt that trimming your hair regularly is an essential part of your healthy hair routine and can actually help you hair to grow.
Although the act of cutting your hair doesn’t cause it to grow, it removes damaged hair, single strand knots and split ends. If these are left unattended they can further split up the hair shaft, which will result in permanent damage, effect hair growth and have to be cut off anyway. If single strand knots are left to their own devices they may cause additional knotting with other hair strands which, again will have to be cut off. So having a regular trim can help to prevent further breakage and tangles and promote healthy hair which will aid you on your hair retention journey.
- Ditch The Terry Towel
Did you know that what you use to dry your hair can have an effect on the condition of your hair? When I was younger I would use a regular terry towel to dry my hair, however I didn’t realise that there was a lot of friction being caused to my hair by using a regular towel. This is because the fibres in regular terry towels are designed to dry skin, being large in size and absorbent. Drying your hair with a regular towel can cause friction and strip away at the hair, causing damaged which will ultimately lead to breakage.
Swap your regular towel for a micro fibre towel which is much more gentle on your hair. You can also opt for using a t-shirt as the fibres are much smaller and gentler on your hair. I would recommend blotting your hair with the t-shirt and then leaving it to air dry. Changing the towel you use to dry your hair can reduce friction on your hair, leading to a better chance of your hair thriving and retaining length.
- Give Yourself A Head Massage
This one doubles up as an act of self care as well, and who doesn’t like 2 for the price of one! Giving yourself regular head massages with the tips of your fingers can help to stimulate blood flow to your scalp. This in turn helps to ensure a good supply of oxygenated blood, which will aid in hair growth. Aim for 10 minutes a day and you may even notice you’ll begin to feel more relaxed each day as your hair begins to flourish.
- Keep On Top Of Moisture
When hair is dry and lacking in moisture, this will inevitably lead to breakage. Dry, brittle hair is more prone to damage and breakage, which is definitely what we want to avoid. Well moisturised hair is supple and healthy look and is a great basis for maintaining good hair growth and retaining length. Use a spray bottle to spritz your hair with water and always look for water based products when opting for products to add hydration to your tresses. Use the LCO (liquid, cream, oil) or the LOC (liquid, oil, cream) method to lock in moisture and drink plenty of water to hydrate you hair from the inside out. Soon you’ll be seeing great growth and length retention.
So there you have it, 5 simply ways to increase your grow rate and reduce potential damaged to you beautiful curls and coils. What are some of your favourite ways to accelerate your hair growth?
Check out my other blog posts for more information on hair care
10 Ways To Keep You Hair Moisturised
7 Ways To Minimise Single Strand Knots
8 Signs That Your Hair Products Are Not Working For You
3 Things Every Natural Should Know About Their Hair
