Hello ladies,
First of all, the title of this post is intentionally misleading. This is because everyone's hair grows at a particular rate, at least, as long as your hair follicles are not damaged. So if you see hair on that spot, then your hair is growing. But not everyone sees these growth manifest because they are not able to retain length.
In my last post titled,
After trying, what next, I remember encouraging the natural chicas to just be patient and watch your hair grow and blossom in time to your desired length if you've tried all.
But what I forgot to include was, The things that you're probably doing and NOT doing that will actually leave your hair stagnant or retard hair growth.
1.
Everyday Moisture: For a while, most especially in this region of the world, we believed right from childhood that once you can get lots of cream or grease on your hair, your hair will be so soft and free from dandruff that results from dry hair
How wrong we were.
Moisture is water, and this should be sprayed unto your hair everyday. In the morning before going to work, and at night before bed while covering with a satin bonnet.
I've been negligent often, sometimes, we get so tired we just slump on the bed and doze off, neglecting the fact that we need to add our water and olive oil therapy before going to bed.
And then, we add to the whole complications by sleeping on your duvet or a cotton bedsheet or pillow hereby leaving your hair dry and brittle, whereas, the cotton has soaked up the little oil you had in your hair.
this bad habit can lead to hair breakage and will prevent your hair from growing well if practised often.
2.
Too much grease applied unto the scalp in order to boost shine can actually clog your pores and hinder your hair from growing in time. Don't forget you get approximately half an inch of hair every month. So don't try doing things that will retard hair growth.
3.
Towel drying; Have you ever noticed the way our salons are when a lady has just washed out the relaxer from her hair and then the towel
scrubbing drying begins and it's like they're gonna pull of the hair strands? well, as for natural hair, DO NOT TRY IT or your hair will fall of in time. Rather,you use an old cotton shirt or material which is light to sparingly dry the air and also air dry. If you make any attempt to towel dry your hair, don't be surprised when your hair begins falling out little by little
4.
Leaving a style/protective style on for too long: I used to do this before, and so I wasn't surprised when @ilola's hair was longer than mine though I had been with the natural hair for a while. I would do these yarn braids and then leave it for more than a month or two due to school work and the rest.
But little did I know what I was doing at that time. Even the twists done on natural hair could be harmful if left for too long. It gets tangled up and the roots can get clogged due to dirt and dust.
And so, whatever happens, do not leave a style on your hair for too long. It will only break your hair and take so much hair with it. I really lost a lot of hair through this process.
5.
Finger detangling and twists; Not everybody's hair can undergo the two mentioned above. Just because your friend finger detangles doesn't mean you should do the same. same for twists. If you've done the twisting thing on your hair more than once and you found out that you lost much, then try looking for another style to suit you. as for me, the last time I used my fingers to detangle, I lost so much hair and i felt so bad. thank God I didnt cry..sniff#
6.
Combing hair when dry: Yes, you hear a crunchy sound when you do this and it sometimes feel your hair ripping off. PLEASE STOP!! That's why you have your spray bottle containing water and olive oil and whatever you want to add again. always spray this before combing or rub in a detangling hair lotion that you know will do the job before combing.
7. S
leeping with a naked hair.: Just like i mentioned in number 1, whatever happens, make sure you don't sleep with your hair bare on a cotton pillow or couch. If you know you can't do without dozing off, just get a satin pillow case.
8.
Regular heat: Heat styling tools such as blow dryers, hair coilers and hair straighteners are not bad at all, but using them too often like every month can do a whole lot of damage leaving it limp and weak. If you're aiming for a full and long hair like the ones you see on youtube and pictures on our blog, then you're so NOT going to achieve that by using a hair straightener all the time. DON'T get me wrong o, once in a while, you can indulge. About 2-4 times a year isn't bad, it;s just like ice cream, you indulge once in a while, but it shouldn't be a new hair therapy for you. There are other ways one can achieve hair straightening which you can find
here.
And when you use a hair straightener, you should apply a heat protection serum in form of liquid or spray before straightening.
If done well, it should even carry you for a month or 3 weeks.
When getting a straightener, make sure you get one that you can regulate it's temperature to it's desired degree so that you don't end up burning your hair and the house doesn't smell like burning tobacco. A minimal temperature from 100 degrees is not bad at all.
Hair burns at 451 degrees. Make sure you don't get to that temperature and know the type of your hair in particular. If your hair is fine, leaving the flat iron on that area for long will lead to serious damage.
9.
Bad Eating habits: Eating junk and drinking small amounts of water won't get you anywhere if you're thinking of growing your hair to it's desired length. Even if you have a busy day, make sure your diet contains loads of vegetables and take good amount of water. If you're thinking of the multivitamin tablets that you require for your health due to the stress and other things you go through everyday, make sure biotin is included.
And ginseng shouldn't be excluded as well in order to keep you going for the day.
so, I ask, are you guilty of any of the above and you complain that your hair is not growing?
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