Hair Growth

This is certainly a hot topic and one question I get asked frequently, “what can I do to make my hair grow“? Although, I don’t consider myself to have arrived, at least not yet, but there are key things I do to make sure my hair is growing. Do I always see the growth? Not quiet, but I know I try again every month or so. I also revisit my “clipboard” to see what I may be doing wrong.

Over the course of my journey, these are some of the basic things I have learned that contributes to my hair growth.

Key things to hair growth

Overall Health

Overall health can include many things but I will focus on a few. Especially for women, overall health also includes issues related to hormones (hormonal balance, etc) that directly influences menstrual health, and pregnancy related issues (I’d save that for another post).

Stress: This really affects hair growth. I noticed whenever I’m stressed out my hair doesn’t grow much. I believe stress may release some “bad toxins” into your body that doesn’t support hair growth. So it’s important to manage stress effectively to stimulate the necessary growth. Take time to relax, when you can. Rest is important for the body as much as it is for your hair.

Exercise: Anything you can do to stimulate blood circulation in your system is also important for hair growth. Increasing blood circulation helps to stimulate hair growth hormones. It is not surprising we are told many times to massage our scalp during washes and while moisturizing, to increase blood circulation and to open our pores.

Healthy Diet

Eating healthy is also important for hair growth. I’m sure you’ve heard this many times already. Remember the saying “you are what you eat”? I guess it also includes our hair. I’m not talking about diet to loose weight whatsoever, I’m talking about including the necessary proteins, fat, etc, and making sure your meals are rich in nutrients.

Healthy diet also includes staying hydrated. I’m guilty🤦🏾‍♀️ but we can always do better by drinking more water and keeping our bodies hydrated.

Choice of Hair Products

You need to be mindful of the hair products you use, as they play a key role in the growth of your hair. From co-wash, to shampoo, to styling, so choose carefully. Get the right products for your hair and you will thank me later. Focus on products that are free of harsh chemicals. Here’s a link to my blog on some of my favorite hair products.

Use of Hair Products

It’s not enough to have the right hair products but it matters how you use them too. I have heard stories about using “rinse out” conditioners as leave-in conditioners. Well, there is a reason the product manufacturer said you should rinse out, do you know? Even when it says for “dual use” such as “leave-in” and “rinse-out” I question why🤷🏻‍♀️ . Be cautious! Using products incorrectly can cause breakage and prevent growth.

Hair Styles:

The type of hair styles you wear can prevent your hair from growing or limit the growth altogether. You know my opinion by now, protective styles are great as long as you take care of your own hair while wearing them, especially if you wearing ones with extensions. If you are constantly doing “wash and go” or wearing your hair out, make sure to take proper care of your hair. Check my blogs on how to protect your hair in protective styles (while in wigs or braids).

Another thing to think about is whether you plan on applying heat during the styling process. Heat can do good or harm to you hair (maybe another blog on this?). If you are going to use any heat on your hair to blow dry or straighten make sure to use “heat protectant” (current favorite) and limit temperature on hair styling tools to low and medium heat.

Moisturizing your Hair

We have talked about this extensively in other post. Taking time to moisturize your hair is good for growth. Don’t skip washes and don’t over wash. Be sure to moisturize your hair and scalp when in protective styles. Consider water! Sometimes all you need is water, and water, nothing fancy! Focus also on the areas of your hair that drys out most and needs “more love and attention” 😁 My edges! 😥.

Protecting your Ends

The ends of our hair is the most “fragile” and needs all the attention. It’s advisable to trim your hair at least every 6 months. This helps to get rid of split ends and allows your hair to grow without further damage. If you can’t do this on your own, I’d recommend visiting a hair stylist – better saved than sorry. Don’t believe in the “myth” that refusing to trim your hair will make it grow longer, it rather weakens your hair.

Protective styles like buns, and “not so tight” braids, help to keep your split ends healthy. Don’t let your hair fall freely for prolonged periods as it exposes the ends to damage. At night, wrap the hair in a silk scarf, put on a satin bonnet or sleep on a satin pillow. These little changes help a lot.

Good luck!!! 🙌🏾 💪