In all my years of being natural, 9 years to be exact, I would have to say the most popular question that I receive from other naturals would have to be, “how did you get your hair to grow so long?” And it seems as if they are looking for a magical answer, or they say “it’s because you have good hair.” Really now?? I’ll save this topic for another blog post, but today I want to talk to you about 5 reasons why your hair is “not growing.”
1.) Improper Maintenance:
First off let me say that you cannot properly care for your natural hair without first knowing what type of texture you are dealing with. This is why in my previous posts I have stressed the importance of knowing your hair type and hair porosity. The tighter, curlier or kinkier your curls are, the more careful and gentle you have to be with your hair. All naturals should be gentle with their hair, but this applies mostly to the ladies in the 4 group (4A, 4B, 4C). Doing more protective styling and low manipulative styling will allow you to retain more length. I do want to make a note that doing protective styling is not an excuse to neglect your hair. Your braids, twists, weave, and etc should not be too tight and you should still wash and moisturize your hair on a regular basis. To sum this point up, MORE TEXTURE = MORE FRAGILE, which brings me to my next point.
2.) Improper Handling:
I hear a lot of naturals say that their hair is not growing because it’s still the same length. Let me just go ahead and clear the air by saying your hair IS growing. Remember, on average hair grows 1/2 an inch (13mm) a month but is influenced by health, age, diet and genetics.Our hair goes through different stages. It may slow down a little but it never stops growing. Even though your hair is growing, it may feel like it’s not growing because while it is growing, it is breaking off. Using styling tools such as combs, brushes, and even your hands frequently can cause breakage. Styling your hair when it is dry and brittle instead of when it is moisturized can cause excessive breakage. Too much pulling on the hair due to tight braids and etc. can cause breakage, and of course regular use of heat on the hair will cause the hair to become brittle and break.
3.) Not Trimming your Ends When Needed:
This varies for every natural but you should be observing your ends on a regular basis for split ends, single strand knots, and see through ends. If you are applying heat to your hair on a regular basis (i.e blow drying, flat ironing, curling, etc.), you should keep up with a regular trimming schedule. It is recommended that you trim your ends every 3-6 months but I say create your own routine and get in the habit of checking the health of your ends on a a regular and trim as NEEDED. The better you take care of your hair, the better condition it will be in, and the less frequent you will need to trim! You can’t expect to retain length if you;re not getting rid of the ends that are causing damage.
4.) Lack of Using a Clarifying Shampoo/ Clarifying too Often:
Your hair and scalp accumulates build up (dirt, oils, product residue) and this build up should be removed. If this build up is not removed, it will clog your hair follicles which can slow hair growth. On the other end, clarifying your hair too often will strip your hair and scalp of all its natural oils and throw off the PH balance causing you to have a dry itchy scalp. So what’s the solution?? Moderation and understanding your hair! Some natural’s scalp secrets more sebum than others and therefore their hair and scalp needs to be clarified more often. Other naturals produce less sebum and because of the structure of their hair (tightly curly), the sebum has a difficult time reaching the hair shaft to moisturized it properly and should clarify less often. The use of a lot of products will also determine how often you should clarify your hair and scalp. The less products you use, the less often you need to clarify. What I have found works best for me is to conditioner wash my hair with a silicone free conditioner every week (once a week) and then use a sulfate free shampoo once a month to clarify my hair of product build up. Co-washing has helped to keep my hair clean and reduce the amount of frizz. Ultimately you have to get to know your hair and find what works best for YOU.
5.) Not Taking Good Care Of Your Body:
We all have heard the sayings “what goes in must come out,” or “you are what you eat.” In case you didn’t know, this is true and plays a big part in the overall health of your hair. According to WebMD, the nutrients you eat today help fortify the hair follicle and the scalp that surrounds it. “Healthier follicles? Healthier hair. Healthier scalp? Healthier hair!” To grow and maintain a healthy head of hair you should be eating healthy (more fruits and veggies and less fatty greasy foods), exercising, getting enough sleep, and drinking lots of water. Sometimes the simple cure to your dry itchy scalp might just be drinking more water!
Remember, the key to having long hair is length retention. Your hair is always growing, but by taking proper care of your hair (especially the ends which are the oldest parts of your hair), you will have less damage and breakage and therefore will be able to retain more length. How do you retain more length? By keeping your hair properly moisturized and finding the balance. Less manipulation with your hands, combs, and brushes will reduce the amount of breakage. Using less heat and trimming your ends when needed will reduce the amount of damage on the hair.
Happy Heallthy Hair Growing
XOXO, Rose