Feeling a bit discouraged about your hair health and growth? Here are a few tips to help you along the journey!
- Myth buster- You do not have to be mixed with another ethnicity to have long, healthy hair. Each person’s hair has a length it will stop growing at, and it is usually much longer than assumed! African hair can grow as long and strong as any other heritage. And it’s not because of “luck”, it’s because they know what works best when it comes to their hair.
- Water inside and out- H20 is your new best friend. Drink water to help replenish your body and help keep your hair well-moisturized. Reach for products that are water-based or list water as the first ingredient. Tip: Drink or product, alcohol can negatively affect hair growth; remember, it is a drying agent. Healthy hair needs moisture!
- Stimulate the scalp- Mint or tea tree oil-based products such as conditioners and scalp treatments help stimulate hair follicles, in turn influencing growth. Gently massaging your scalp also helps and is great to do while watching your favorite shows. A few minutes a day or before bedtime can help growth and ease stress.
- No more drama- Shocker: no hairstyle should hurt or be tight. Tight braiding does not mean “it will last longer”. Harsh glue for wigs also is not wise for healthy hair. Hair loss can come from stress and scalp trauma. If your braids, sew-ins, or protectives style are hurting you…they aren’t protecting anything! Take your hair down immediately. Hair loss can take years to recover from, if it ever grows back. Avoid excessive heat use, also. Having straightened hair is not worth losing it.
- Foodies, rejoice! Healthy salads, smoothies, and stews chock full of healthy nutrients are great for your skin, hair, and overall health! Naturalistas in the know often reach for almonds (magnesium-packed and help prevent hair loss), salmon (omega-3s promote hair growth), and spinach (full of vitamins such as iron used for strong, hair) for healthy, lustrous strands.
- To each her own- Each person is different and so is hair. What works for your sister or best friend may not work for you. For example, my hair loves coconut oil…but my cousin is allergic to it! A fun and challenging part of going Natural is often discovering what works best for you. For me, a few things stood out the most:
– Speaking of almonds- Mixing sweet almond oil and Jamaican black castor oil and applying to my scalp and strands as a hot oil treatment worked wonders for my hair! I encourage you to figure out which oils work best for you, and please share your journey and results!
-The inversion method worked for me! Yes, leaning forward and massaging my scalp for four minutes a day for one week per month truly helped stimulate growth! I stayed with this schedule to prevent the effect from lessening.
-The Greenhouse method also helped me retain hair length and moisture. Natural hair loves moisture, and this method worked wonderfully for me during warmer weather seasons. (Both methods are available on YouTube; for each, I used the hot oil treatment mentioned above)
-ETAE Products help me maintain smooth, shiny, and touchable hair! (This is not an ad, just a product that truly helps my hair.) Natural ingredients with pleasant scents, this line is a deep conditioning system hat works for curls and silk presses alike! Good news: they ship globally! Please check out http://www.etaeproducts.com/ and give it a try!
BY: StyleItKell, beauty and style contributor
