There was a time when everyone followed the natural hair trend. It was a matter of “if you’re not natural then go home!” Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that, but a large population of African realised the beauty of natural hair. The use of extensions and wigs became old news, and hairdressers weren’t having it. They learned the new ways to style nappy hair that would get them running back instantly. The hairstyles for this new fad became diversified. Unfortunately for naturalistas, so did the prices.
Hair maintenance became pricey. But the most probing factor remained that many were stuck with the same hair length they started with years back. So, when asked, ‘how old is your hair?’, it can be very annoying when your hair length doesn’t correlate with the years. Therefore, spending a sum of money on hair styling when you’re not yielding the results you want can be discouraging. Some opt for home-made remedies to treat their hair, but there’s still no difference.
Honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy to growing your hair. But we’ve done our research and discovered some useful tips that can be used to grow any kind of hair. Truth is, some people have to deal with the short hair their genes gifted them with. So, while your hair length may have its limit, these tips would keep them healthier and make your natural hair journey easier. Follow these tips for better, healthier hair.
Ten effective tips to help grow your natural hair faster
Being a woman of African ancestry, your hair is going to take longer to grow. Also, it’s prone to breakage so it takes a lot of intentional actions from you to keep it growing the way you want.
1. Moisturise your natural hair
The hair is always thirsty. It can get frustrating when you realise it absorbs whatever you put in it in a short time frame. However, if you choose to neglect it, this would result in dry hair. Dry hair could lead to hair problems like dandruff, breakage, brittleness, frizz and so on. Therefore, ensure you nourish your hair with hair moisturisers like oils or conditioners. Also, make sure it does not contain mineral oils, parabens or drying alcohol.
2. Don’t wash too often
Wash your hair only when you must because constant washing can s***p your hair of natural oils. This would cause your hair to become dry and exposed. The result is hair damage and breakage. Wash it roughly once a week. When washing, use a shampoo that doesn’t leave your hair too dry. Also, use lukewarm water to wash and then rinse with cold water.
3. Natural drying
After washing, let your hair dry naturally. This is because the heat from a blow dryer can damage your hair. Therefore, you should air dry naturally or dry with a cotton t-shirt. Another method is to plait the hair and tie in a silk scarf. Just stay away from the hair dryer.
4. Apply hair products to freshly washed hair
Once you’ve dried your hair enough to stop water drips, apply hair products. Make sure to apply the water-based hair products like leave-in conditioner first. Then apply oil-based products like castor oil to seal in the moisture.
5. Tie your hair before bedtime
There’s a lot of damage that can occur to your hair overnight. It gets exposed to friction and can become tangled, dry and frizzy. Therefore, you need to protect it overnight by tying your hair in a silk or satin scarf.
6. Use a silk or satin pillowcase
The scarf can get pulled off while you sleep. You never know what battle you fight in your sleep with the way you could throw around your body in all angles of the bed. This is why you need a backup. Not only is the use of a silk or satin pillow good for your face and skin, but it’s also good for your hair. If your scarf slips off, your pillowcase would be the best protection for your hair, giving the same benefits. It reduces the loss of natural hair oils and moisture, minimises damage to thinning hair and prevents split ends and frizzing.
7. Snip away split ends
It may seem ironic that you’re trimming the hair you want to grow, but it works. Doing this helps prevent split ends and enhances hair growth. Your split ends and damaged ends may be what’s stunting your hair growth. Split ends usually end up breaking, taking part of your healthy hair with it. The added benefit to trimming is that it makes styling easier. Or you could find hair products that help transform split ends to healthier hair.
8. Make natural hair oil your friend
Remember how greedy your hair is for moisture, it needs you to feed it with oil as well. This should be done consistently daily. The quantity you use depends on how moisturised your hair feels. So, don’t be afraid to be generous to your hair when it feels dry. It helps to keep your hair soft and supple in order to avoid breakage and to grow it longer. You can use oils like castor oil, coconut oil, Jamaican oil, Moroccan oil or lavender oil. After applying, tie with a satin scarf to help your hair absorb the oil.
9. Try protective hairstyles
While it’s good to keep your natural hair, leaving it out for too long can expose it to environmental damages. Depending on the climate, you should do a protective hairstyle that would help keep your hair covered for a while. One cause of hair breakage is constant combing howbeit irrelevant it may seem. So lock in that hair for a short period of time, and don’t forget to feed it with moisturisers while it’s protected.
10. Try alternative methods
When what you try isn’t working, you can also take an alternative measure of taking vitamins that promote hair growth. Also, you can change your diet by eating more protein.