Top 10 Reasons Why Your Hair Might Not Be Growing

Every naturalista has been at a place where it seems your hair is simply not moving past a particular point. If you are doing everything right and can't seem to understand why your hair is not responding, I've put together these top 10 reasons your hair might not be growing. This would help you understand and address issues in your hair care practice.

But how have you even ascertained if your hair has not been growing? Did you measure it with a ruler, did you examine the shed hair, did you observe breakage or did you get a professional Trichologist examination? Let me know in the comments below so we can discuss this.

That being said, healthy hair is meant to grow to at least half an inch every month and 6 inches of newly grown hair every year. This means with all the right practices, you are indeed supposed to have an increase in length. Now lets us explore the reasons why your hair might not be growing. 

1. You are using another person's regimen

As much as our hair looks the same, each has a unique hair structure, pattern, and genes. Not to confuse you with all the 4c, 4b, and 3c systems, your hair just like your fingerprint is unique. We advise to never use the regimen of another naturalist and this is because what works for them would definitely not work for you in its entirety. 

Make sure you develop your own hair care regimen and trust me, you would see the difference. If you don't know where or how to do this, just click this link.

       2. You are using the wrong products 

Sometimes, it is hard to convince a naturalist not to splurge on hair products. However, we advise only a few products of necessity would absolutely do the job. The reason is that you need to use fewer products to know what works for your hair. Also, all your products do not have to be from the same brand, but if you find out that they all work for your hair, then you can go ahead.

        3. You need to get a trim

The trim does not directly make your hair grow, but it prevents the issues that cause your hair to break. We recommend a trim every 4-6 months to get rid of strand knots, split ends, and weak ends. This makes detangling easier and causes less breakage making you retain more length.

        4. Your protective styles are wrong

Protective styles are meant to protect, so then why is your hair not growing. You might actually be doing more harm than good to your hair with some hairstyles. A protective hairstyle is supposed to give you a chance to moisturize as well as treat it with minimal manipulation. 

A protective hairstyle should also not be putting strain on your scalp. If it is, then it is not a protective hairstyle even if it is a simple cornrow. As long as there is a strain on your scalp, it offers no protection because as soon as you take it down, a lot of your hair would be coming down with it.

        5. You manipulate your hair frequently

Another reason for stagnant growth might be changing hairstyles frequently. This means your strand would always be strained by brushes, combs, and the hands. It is good to give your hair a break and you can do this by putting it in a protective hairstyle and letting it be. Might be boring, but it's worth the length.

Get the Intensive Hair Growth Planner 

        6. Your Moisture imbalance is high

Water should be your best friend, not oils. While oils are part of the moisturization process, you should not use oils solely for moisturizing. Water, conditioner, and oils, or the other way around depending on your hair porosity. But the water must always come first. 

Lack of moisture makes the hair prone to breakage, and thus, you would think your hair is not growing.

       7. You are not being consistent

So yes, you might be doing everything right but once in two months will not cut it. As with many things, consistency is key, and in the natural hair community, it is no different. You have to be consistent with your entire routine management. Washday, treatments, moisturizing techniques, detangling, and every other thing in-between must be done consistently to see the length of results you desire.

       8. You have a scalp condition

This is undoubtedly one of the highest causes of hair loss or stagnant growth. If you are suffering from scalp issues like dandruff, psoriasis, ringworm, seborrheic dermatitis, or lice, then these would definitely be the leading causes of your stunted hair growth.

Until these issues are addressed, your hair might not begin to see exponential growth. A trichologist can help you access and solve these scalp issues you may have. Get in touch with a certified Trichologist here.

       9.  Your diet is unstable

Dieting can definitely not be left out of hair growth. There are certain foods that promote hair growth. Therefore, in addition to using products, you also have to take in a lot of water and consume fruits and vegetables as well as other healthy food to work your growth from the inside out for maximum results.

        10. You are not protecting your hair

Aside from protective hairstyles, there are other ways you should also provide protection to your hair. You must constantly wear a silk or satin bonnet to sleep or use a satin or silk pillowcase. A lot of naturalistas don't do this but as much as you protect your skin from the sun, you should also protect your hair if it is exposed to the sun a lot as well. There are sunscreens available for hair as well.

Which one of these reasons do you think is affecting your hair growth the most? Let me know in the comment section below.

Help! My Hair is not growing - Free Webinar

There are several factors that cause us not to see progress in our hair growth. Some of these are obvious, while some are not so obvious.

In this Webinar, I will open your eyes to mysteries behind hair growth and hair breakage.

I will unlock the secrets of hair growth and show you my signature techniques I have used to help my clients achieve amazing lengths and volume

I will be revealing to you tips and tricks needed, in order to get the length you desire.

In this Webinar, you will learn

• 7 Hidden and Uncommon reasons why you are not hitting your Hair Goals
• Factors causing your hair growth stagnancy
• Using Moisture Sequencing and Frequency to grow your hair
• Deep Conditioning Techniques to aid hair growth
• How to maintain and sustain your hair growth results
• Live Q and A session

It is happening on November 27, 2021 7pm WAT | 6pm GMT | 12 noon ET

Click here to register for the webinar

5 BEST PRACTICES FOR GROWING LONG, HEALTHY HAIR

Everyone wants rich, shiny looking hair. And if it grows to an enviable length down your back, that would be just fantastic. However, it would seem that despite our efforts at wishing our natural hair to grow long and thick, it remains stunted and drab-looking. It is common knowledge that the hair grows at the rate of about half an inch every month, with that, you’d expect that by now your hair would be flailing in the wind. The reason you may not be seeing any significant difference in hair length or growth is because natural hair is breaking at almost the same rate as it is growing. But it is important to know that your natural hair is growing.

5 POWER FOODS FOR INCREASED HAIR GROWTH

What is a slay queen with lackluster, limp, dry, and possibly patchy hair? You can only hide it for so long with a wig, right? You want to be able to flick your own luscious hair to the left or right or flaunt your afro puff or twist outs but you definitely cannot do that with stringy, dull, and lifeless looking hair. 

We know that how fast your hair grows is dependent on factors such as genetics, age, health, and diet. Of these four factors, you have the most control over your diet.

Healthy and vibrant looking hair has a lot to do with your diet or the lack of it. A nutritional deficiency with a lack of nutrients will have a direct influence on hair and the body in general, with hair loss/thinning and lackluster hair as the most visible effects. Proper nutrition is very important to the body and specifically to the hair. Hair is mostly a protein called keratin,

5 WAYS TO PROPERLY CARE FOR YOUR LOCS

Locs, also called dreadlocks, dreads, or “dada” (by our Nigerian people) is a great way to carry your natural hair. When done right, they are beautiful, versatile, and unique. You will be able to rock your natural hair in so many different ways and also, nurture them to attain an impressive length. Locs are not your easy-way-out to treating your natural hair. If you don’t take care of your locs, they end up looking unhealthy, unattractive, and most importantly, like the dreaded local dada. You don’t want that. 

Locs need as much TLC as your normal natural hair, maybe even more. Following a regular regimen for caring for your locs will leave you with healthy, beautiful, and enviable locs. Below are some tips to help you on your journey to locs that people want to copy!

WHY ISN'T MY HAIR GROWING?!

When you see natural hair queens on Instagram or on TV, you have dreams of having such beautiful, long hair. You see these women twist and curl and manipulate their hair into forms that can only be explained by natural hair pros. They may even be the reason why you decided to start the natural hair journey in the first place. But you’ve been growing your hair diligently for years now but your hair is not mid-back length yet. You don’t know why even though you follow all the instructions the manufacturer wrote down. 

You are stuck with the same hair length. You now believe that your hair has stopped growing, the same way people stop growing when they reach a certain age. The good part is, you have a faint glimmer of hope that you are wrong and your hair will still grow. We are here to tell you that faint glimmer is about to bloom bright and beautiful! 

Your hair grows about half an inch every month and about 6 inches of newly grown hairs every year. That’s an amazing amount of growth. So why does it seem like it’s not growing? Why doesn’t your hair look like the queens of natural hair on TV and Instagram?

How to Prevent Split Ends in Your Natural Hair

Split ends are the common enemy for every natural hair type. They cause frizziness and your hair will be unable to retain length making you wonder why your hair doesn’t seem to be growing. Unfortunately, not many people pay attention to split ends. But you should and we’ll tell you why.

What Are Split Ends?

Hair follicles are embedded under the skin and that is where hair growth begins. Then the root of the hair and then your hair strands. Natural hair growth is constant, that means new hair is always coming out, making the tips the oldest part of your hair at every given time. Depending on how long your hair is, the tips may have been through a lot! The good and bad times, hot and cold weather, scarves and hats, they have seen it all.

In addition to all of this, your tips are vulnerable and exposed almost always. They bear the grunt of stretches, knots, hot irons, and combs. It’s no wonder they get weak and tired.

GROW YOUR EDGES BACK...LIKE A BOSS!

Losing your edges can have adverse effects on your emotions daily. It robs you of the freedom to flaunt your hair the way you want and be proud of your mane, especially when you had full, healthy edges that you gradually lost. Like on those days when you would take special time to brush them back, maybe even put on some edge control and really make them look sleek. Unfortunately, you can’t do that anymore because they are not what they used to be.

So, what causes the thinning of edges and hair loss at your edges? There are a number of reasons why a person might lose her edges including illness, excessive weight loss, pregnancy and postpartum, stress, lupus, scalp conditions such as alopecia areata, and tight hairstyles. In many cases, you can’t do anything about it, but for situations where you can, you should. That’s why we are here, to tell you just how. 

The first thing you must STOP doing is trying to cover your thinning edges. That isn’t going to help your edges grow back at all. In fact, you are only making it worse.

Help. My Hair is not growing [Webinar with Trichologist Atilola Moronfolu]

There are several factors that cause us not to see progress in our hair growth. Some of these are obvious, while some are not so obvious.

This is why I have decided to host a webinar to open your eyes to mysteries behind hair growth and hair breakage. We will be teaching you what to do, in order to get the length you desire. You don’t want to miss it.

This webinar is free, and will be happening on May 27, by 8pm, so register now, using the link below, and also forward this link to everyone you know that needs this teaching to achieve their goal of healthy hair.

Click here to register. 

Chebe Powder for Hair Growth

Chebe Powder

Brief History of Chebe Powder
Chebe is a Chadian mixture of herbs is made primarily from Croton Gratissimus, also known as the Lavender Croton. It is a shrub and it is actually grown all over Africa. This shrub is used for medicinal purposes and you can find it being grown outside houses, mainly in towns and villages.

Various ingredients are combined to make the finished Chebe Powder product, with the main ingredient being Chebe. The other ingredients include Mahlaba (Cherry kernels), Samour (Mastic Gum), Clove & Sudanese Khumra Perfume oils.

Chebe Powder for Growth
Chebe is known for nourishing, hydrating, and improving moisture retention in the strands of hair. This in turn helps prevent breakage, which allows the hair to reach its full length potential, while also encouraging thickness and improving curl definition.

Chebe powder helps to naturally condition the hair by preserving the hair moisture.
It also boosts the density of the hair which positively affects its strength and thickness. The chemical free ingredient in Chebe powder arguably does a lot to the hair.

It helps your hair to growth when used over a period of time.
Preserving the moisture of your hair is another value Chebe powder offers. No matter how hard it is for your hair to retain moisture, Chebe powder will help.

It offers great nourishment that improves your hair health

How to use Chebe Powder for hair growth
a. Light Density Hair
Mix water with your Chebe powder to form a pasty solution. Use it as a mask on your hair and scalp. Cover your hair with a plastic/disposable/steaming cap for 10 to 15 minutes, and let the hair steam or use your natural body heat. Wash off

b. Normal Density Hair
Mix Olive oil and very little water with your Chebe powder to form a pasty solution. Use it as a mask on your hair and scalp. Cover your hair with a plastic/disposable cap for 10 to 15 minutes,  and let the hair steam or use your natural body heat. Wash off

c. High Density/Coarse Hair
Mix Shea Butter/Mango Butter and very little water with your Chebe powder to form a pasty solution. Use it as a mask on your hair and scalp. Cover your hair with a plastic/disposable cap for 10 to 15 minutes,  and let the hair steam or use your natural body heat. Wash off

How to use Chebe Powder to grow your edges

If you are recovering from traction alopecia or postpartum alopecia, you can use Chebe powder to grow your edges

Pour some Chebe powder in a bottle of olive oil, and leave it in for three weeks. Extract the Chebe oil infusion, and use this to massage the affected area day and night,

You can also add this Chebe oil infusion to your creams, twist and curl puddings.

The myth about Karkar Oil
If you google Chebe Powder, you will most likely see it being accompanied with a strange oil called Karkar oil, and begin to wonder what this thing is. There's no need to be confused. In fact, there's no oil called Karkar oil. The Sudanese people refer to any oil that has been infused with Chebe powder as Karkar oil, so you don't need to go out there looking for any special oil. You can decide to make your own Karkar oil, as directed above. That way, you know you are using natural oil to get your Chebe oil infusion, an not a petroleum-based substance. Any natural carrier oil such as Coconut oil, palm kernel oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, etc, will give you the desired effect.

Where to get Chebe Powder in Nigeria

You can get your Chebe powder here in Nigeria by clicking here. African Naturalistas Chebe Powder is 100% pure and Natural.We deliver nationwide and worldwide.

African Naturalistas Chebe Powder

Rice Water Rinse for Natural Hair: What You Should Know

Rice Water Rinse for hair has a lot of benefits, but there are some things you should know before using Rice Water for Hair Growth.

 Understanding how to use Rice Water to grow long thick hair means understanding what rice water does to your hair.

How to Make Rice Water Rinse
You can do it without boiling the rice, however I have tested with boiled rice and without boiling rice and had similar results.
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZALMv7N-qQ

Watch below or Click Here

If you like this blog post written by Sola of DiscoveringNatural, you can find her on her Youtube channel, DiscoveringNatural,  for more natural hair tips. Click here to visit her channel.

4 Ways Exercise Stimulates Hair Growth

In recent times, a lot of us have embraced the fitfam life which essentially involves eating healthy and working out. This itself is not a bad thing given how black women are predisposed to several deadly diseases as a result of our lack of exercise. So, yeah we're finally getting things right.

But did you know that there are several other benefits we can get from regular exercise other than your bikini bod specifically hair growth? Well, now you know.

Generally speaking, there are five major factors that influence hair growth. They are;

• Genetics
• Hormones
• Nutrition
• Stress and of course,
• Exercise.

Just as much as exercise is great for our entire wellbeing, it is important to stimulate hair growth. Here's how:

• Exercise helps regulate the glands which produce the hormones that will stimulate the hair follicles (where grows from).
• Exercise improves blood flow and nutrient delivery to the dermal papilla which will stimulate the hair follicles.
• Exercise boosts your metabolism which will accelerate the rate at which your hair follicles produce hair.
• Exercise reduce the release of cortisol (the stress hormone) which is responsible for pushing hair into the telogen phase. (the resting phase where the hair is prepared to shed)

Long story short, exercise works with other cells in the body to stimulate the hair follicles which produces hair.

If you think your hair isn't growing as fast as you want it to and you are not exercising, you might need to take it up.

Subsequently, we'll be talking more about factors that influence hair growth.

Ref: Austin, Phoenyx, If You Love It, It Will Grow. (2011)

Best Foods for Natural Hair Growth and Hair Loss

By DiscoveringNatural

In this video, I share the types of foods you should eat for hair growth. Different foods promote hair growth.
Look for foods that are reach in Iron, Protein, Omega 3-fatty acids, biotin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. There are some other foods which you will see in this video.





Stay beautiful! 💖 

If you like this blog post written by Sola of DiscoveringNatural, you can find her on her Youtube channel, DiscoveringNatural,  for more natural hair tips. Click here to visit her channel.

How I Grew my Edges

Hi Naturalistas,

How are you all doing? Just want to share some tips on how I grew my edges back. I shared a similar post earlier this year.

Sometime in 2014, my hair was shedding a lot and my hairline was so bad. I actually made a post about it here. I searched online, watched various Youtube videos which made me experiment on different things and I learnt a lot as well. Along the line, I got to know about castor oil and the likes.

So I started massaging my hair with castor oil regularly. Then I got peppermint oil, amla oil and coconut oil afterwards and I saw tremendous changes. I also changed some habits and adopted new ones.

How did I do it?

1.       I stopped making tight hair styles. Whenever I braid, I try to tell the hairstylist not to pick my front hair. Same goes with fixing, twisting and the rest.

2.       I started massaging my front hairline with oils as stated earlier, did hot oil treatments and moisturized my scalp too.

3.       I did not comb or brush my front hairline, instead I use my fingers and most times I apply little gel to make it slip.

4.       I avoided packing my hair too tight. Whenever I want to get a pineapple fro look, I tend to drag my front hair too much with my headband to make it firm. So I stopped doing that. I now leave it loose instead or get a loose band.

Oils I used
1.       African naturalistas Castor oil

2.       Amla oil

3.       Natural Nigerian Peppermint oil

4.       African Naturalistas Coconut oil 
 

You can also get:

-          Rosemary oil and Jojoba oil

How I use my oils

-          I mix my oils together (coconut, castor, amla, peppermint) in a bottle and I apply regularly for at least 3-5 times weekly

-          I add them to my deep conditioning mix sometimes

-          I use them in my hot oil treatments

-          I mix them with my leave-in conditioner and hair butter

I know there are some people with the issue of receding hairline. You can try using any of these oils especially castor oil (It is very effective in stimulating hair growth) and you would definitely see changes. I’m still using mine daily, well when I remember to do so..

For those who have experienced bald edges, how did you grow them back? Please share in the comment box to help someone.

Please note that I tried it and it worked for me that’s why I am sharing. So you could also give it a try and research more on it likewise. I hope this tips help.

Till then

Leeznijis

How to Do Scalp Massages for Hair Growth

Scalp massages are touted by hair gurus and enthusiasts everywhere to aid and promote hair growth. We've written about it ourselves - throwback to Bee's post on How to Get that Salon-Style Scalp Massage at Home. Some people are more visual though, so today I'm sharing a video from Discovering Natural that shows you how to do a scalp massage properly.

How often do you do your scalp massages?

Berry Dakara.

Will my natural hair grow the second time around?

Hello Naturalistas,

How are you all doing Kinks and all? I was scrolling through our Faceboook page and I saw a question that I would like to answer here today.

For someone that has done a BC 3 times since starting her natural hair journey in 2012, I think I am qualified to answer.

A photo posted by Tomilola O (@mfoluwa) on Apr 8, 2016 at 11:46am PDT

The poster was just worried that she's not seeing growth after she did another BC. I think what we need to deal with first is "Why did you BC again?" The 3 times I did was for different reasons. Once, I wasn't taking care of my hair so well and I felt I needed to start again to get it right so I did.
Knowing that my aim was healthier hair, I won't be fixated on growth as much.

So, the big question; Will your hair grow again? YES! Absolutely. Maybe not at the pace you want it to grow but it will grow. Somethings are important for the journey to your desired hair lenght;

• Ensure you are more about healthy hair than length
• Be patient
• Show your hair some TLC. 
• Read and research
• Get to know the dynamics of your hair
• Did I say "be patient"? 
• Stay consistent to your regimen and change what doesn't work

At the end of the day, you don't want long hair that is unhealthy. 

What will you say to naturalistas that are worried about hair growth?

Grow Your Hair Overnight ?? Part 2

Hi Ladies! Happy Friday! 

Last week, I shared a simple technique to growing hair overnight which is making the rounds on YouTube. 

This week I'm following through with the video I failed to upload. Check out Juss Erin''s video on growing her hair in just one night. In this short video she goes through the technique and shares before and after results.

The proof is in the pudding. I'm still a bit skeptical but this is something I'm most definitely trying out as soon as I'm out of my weave. And if it doesn't work out, well I got a DIY protein treatment  hehe.

Enjoy!