Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Best Ways To Grow Your Hair Longer

One of the biggest myths about black hair is that it doesn’t 

grow or grow as quickly as other types of hair. All hair grows

 an average of ½ inch per month, but it’s how you treat 

your hair that determines how much you’ll retain. Some 

women swear by vitamin regimens that call for popping 

pills all day long, while others cut their hair according to 

the phases of the moon. There’s no mumbo-jumbo involved 

in hair growth. All that’s required is your commitment to 

healthy hair practices and treating your hair. Here are 

11 tips you can use to grow your hair longer and stronger:

Follow A Healthy Lifestyle

Before we get to the outside, we need to take care of the inside.

 Yes, what you eat, drink and how you treat your body has an

 effect on your hair. You need to eat enough fresh fruits and 

vegetables, drink enough water and exercise regularly for 

your body’s overall health. Since your hair grows directly 

from your body, when you treat your body well, your skin,

 nails and hair benefit, too. People who suffer from vitamin

 deficiencies and unhealthy diets can suffer from dry,

 brittle hair.

Get Regular Trims

This sounds counterproductive if you want your hair to grow

 longer, but trims help get rid of dry, damaged and split ends

 which can work their way up the shaft of your hair, causing 

even more damage. A trim is defined as removing ¼ to ½ inch

 of hair, nothing more. If your stylist insists on cutting off inches 

of hair every time you go in for a visit, your hair won’t get longer,

 so either find a professional who understands exactly how much

 hair you need removed or learn to trim your hair yourself. 

Depending on the chemicals you have in your hair as well as

 your daily routine, you may need a trim anywhere from every 

six weeks to six months. The better you care for your hair on 

a day-to-day basis, the less often you’ll need trims.

Use Moisturizing Products

Because black hair is often dry by nature, it’s best to use

 products that replace needed moisture. This includes using 

shampoos and conditioners formulated for dry and/or 

damaged hair. These products don’t have to come strictly

 from the “ethnic” hair aisle, either; many mainstream brands

 make hair products for different types of hair, from oily to dry.

Low Manipulation

There’s no need to brush your hair 100 strokes per night before

 going to sleep. In fact, the less you do to black hair, 

the more it flourishes.

Use Protective Styling

Once your hair is a certain length, you might want to wear it

 loose all the time to let everyone know just how long it is. You 

want to feel the wind blowing it to and fro, but wearing your 

hair in protective styles more often than not will help you 

retain that precious length. Protective styles keep your 

ends – the oldest and often driest parts of your hair – from 

rubbing against clothing, pillowcases and car seats. By keeping

 these ends up and out of sight, you hold in the moisture your

 hair needs and prevent dryness that can lead to breakage. 

Protective styling also applies to nighttime care; a silk or satin

 hair cover or pillowcase is better for the health of 

your hair than cotton.

Stay Away From Heat

While occasional flat iron and curling iron use is usually fine

 (so long as the heat isn’t too high), you should minimize 

heat styling as much as possible. Choose hairstyles that 

don’t rely on so much heat, as well as gentle styling methods

 like wraps, wet sets and twists.

Use The Right Tools

With all of the hair styling tools and accessories out there, 

it can seem overwhelming. What do you buy? The best

 tools and accessories for black hair work with its natural 

texture. They don’t pull on it, but are gentle. When you lose

 less hair to tools and accessories, that’s more hair you keep

 on your head.

Condition, Condition, Condition

This is crucial for having healthy hair. Besides the right 

shampoo and conditioner, use leave-in conditioners as well. 

You also need a good deep conditioner; use it at least once 

a month. Well-moisturized hair is less prone to dryness and

 breakage, leading to more hair retention.

Relax With Care

Chemical abuse is one of the biggest causes of hair damage

 in black women. Everyone isn’t going to go to a professional

 to get her hair relaxed; even some who do may find that the

 stylist isn’t putting hair health as her top priority. When it 

comes to growing relaxed hair longer, you can’t relax too often, 

but when it’s time for a touch-up, get one because the longer

 you wait, the greater the chance of breakage occurring 

where the relaxed hair meets the new growth. Overlapping a

 relaxer onto previously relaxed hair is another major cause 

of breakage. If you choose to wear your hair relaxed, it’s 

best to find a competent stylist and stick with him or her – 

the fewer people you have applying chemicals to your hair,

 the better.

Go, And Stay, Natural

If you currently relax your hair and see a lot of breakage and

 damage, consider stopping chemical processes altogether. 

Many women have rediscovered their natural texture after

 years of straightening. Learning to work with your hair in its 

natural state may take getting used to; some women don’t 

know what their real texture is like because their hair has 

been permed since childhood. While cutting off all of your 

relaxed hair sounds like the last thing you want to do to gain

 length, getting rid of chemically processed hair at once,

 instead of trimming away as your new growth comes in,

 is the easiest way to return to your roots. It also leads to

 less breakage and less frustration in dealing with 

two different textures.

Wear Gentle Styles

Black hair is not as tough as it may appear, so you need to 

choose styles that keep its fragile nature in mind. Too-tight

 ponytails and braids worn over extended periods of time 

will eventually lead to breakage.