Growing hair out can be quite the frustrating process. Once you decide to grow it out, it seems to take forever, and then you cut it short again, only to want long hair once more. It is a vicious cycle—seemingly even more so for African-American women. Your hair is coarser and breaks much easier, leaving you discouraged.
Fortunately, there are tricks out there for how to make hair grow faster and easier. Below are five tips to help get you started on your quest for long hair:
1. Use leave-in conditioner and hair masks on a regular basis.
The conditioner should be leave-in so that it truly penetrates the hair and hair follicles. By doing so, the moisture and elasticity of your hair becomes healthier and this aids in hair growth.
2. Keep those ends trimmed!
Split ends become the bane of many women’s existence. Split ends cause the hair to break and do not allow for any new hair growth.
Trims are recommended every six to eight weeks. This may seem frequent, but it keeps the split ends at bay and will actually make your hair grow much quicker.
3. Avoid styling with heat.
African-American hair is very sensitive to heat, and this can greatly hinder hair growth. Heat makes the hair more brittle and much more prone to breakage. When you do use heat to style your hair, be sure to apply a protection product to your hair!
4. Use a silk wrap instead of cotton.
This may seem like a very small trick that will not do much, but it using a silk wrap for your hair definitely helps in the long run.
Cotton absorbs moisture. This means that when you wrap your hair using cotton, all the moisture that your hair should be soaking up is now being soaked up by the cotton. Silk does the opposite, and locks moisture into your hair. Having moisturized hair is one of the first steps to hair growth, and silk plays a very important role!
5. Use vitamins and products specially designed to trigger hair growth.
It can be hard to believe that such products actually work, but over time, they make a big difference. Vitamins like vitamin B and C, as well as prenatal vitamins go a long way to promote healthy hair growth. Flax seed oil can be used, too.
Not only do vitamins assist in hair growth, but there are several different products that can do the same! Virgin coconut oil has been said to help, as well as growth shampoo for black hair. This shampoo helps hair to become strong and healthy over time.
There are so many different methods out there to aid in hair growth. Growing long hair takes time, and it is important to remember this when you begin to get discouraged with the process.
Long hair starts with healthy hair. Get your hair in its best condition as you begin to grow it out, and you will see positive results immediately. Now get out there and grow that hair out!
Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Los Angeles whose writing specializes in skin and hair care, family health, tech and marketing. She makes sure to use natural products that will keep her long locks moisturized. You can find more tips like these by following her on Twitter and Facebook.