EASY TIPS on How to Achieve Healthy Hair Growth and Length Retention

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well. So in this post, I want to share my personal tips on how I achieved a healthy hair growth with my natural hair. I receive many questions over the years asking, "How long have you been natural?" and "How did grow your hair?" So with these questions, I want to give a thorough explanation while keeping the information as simple as possible. I don't want to make these tips complicated and scare anyone away (LOL)!

A Background on my Natural Hair Growth Journey

In 2006, I had my last relaxer treatment. Then, I transitioned my hair for a year and a half. Then, I "big chopped" the relaxed ends and became fully natural (S/N: This month marks 12 years, since I became a full natural *happy face*!)

I have cut a couple of inches at a time during my earlier years of my hair growth journey due to the lack of maintaining the health of my hair. After my hair cut in 2011, I wanted to learn more on how to take better care of my hair. In six consecutive years, my hair grew from armpit length to tailbone length.

Yet, during 2017, I fell into a lazy cycle of prolonging my wash days and neglecting the maintenance of my hair throughout the weeks. This is where you DO NOT want to be at in your journey. Due to this laziness, the ends of my hair became thin and less dense (YIKES). So, in the beginning of 2018, I decided of cut all thin and dead ends of my hair and start fresh at waist length! I have trimmed my hair a few times since then, but hair has truly retained the hair growth that I'm experiencing at this moment! Now, my goal is to reach tailbone length with healthier hair!

Tips for a Healthy Hair Growth & Length Retention

Tip #1: Incorporate Clarifying Treatments to Promote Hair Growth

Clarifying your scalp is very important, because you want to remove all of the toxins, bacteria and build-up that can hinder your hair growth. From my experience, clarifying my hair and once or twice a month helps my scalp to have a consistent growth rate and it helps to balance the moisture retention in my hair shaft.

Here are some treatments that I recommend to help with this process.

Clay Masks 

• Use clay powders such as, Bentonite clay, Aritha powder, Rhassoul clay, Activated Charcoal and many more!
• Mix your favorite clays with apple cider vinegar, warm water and your favorite oils.
• Add more water for a looser consistency and more clay for a thicker consistency
• Apply the clay mixture on wet or dry hair (your preference)
• Let the mask sit in your hair between 15 to 30 minutes.
• Then rinse your hair with warm water
• Follow up with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner (deep conditioner)

Here are some demos of me using clay masks as clarifying treatments!

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinses

• Choose an applicator bottle (For Example: a 9-ounce bottle). Pour 1 ounce of ACV and 8 ounces of warm water.
• Apply the rinse to your scalp and massage it in.
• Apply the rest to your hair shaft.
• Let the rinse sit for approximately 10 minutes.
• Then, rinse your with warm water.
• Follow up with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner (deep conditioner)

Clarifying Shampoos

• Choose a clarifying shampoo that contains no harsh ingredients (i.e. Sulfates, Parabens, Silicones, Formaldehyde, etc.)
• Follow the given directions and continue your wash day with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner (deep conditioner)

Tip #2: Deep Condition! It is so Important for Hair Growth & Length Retention!

From experience of my curls, deep conditioning is one of the most important steps in a wash day routine! Deep conditioning deeply penetrates the moisture, improve strength (with protein) and elasticity in your hair and this will help promote long-term length retention. I usually deep condition my hair on every wash day which is once a week (Once every two weeks, if my hair is feeling extra good, haha).

Find a deep conditioner that works best for you. We all have different curl patterns, textures, hair porosity, and hair densities. Some may like heavy conditioners and others may like lighter conditioners. I, personally like conditioners that have a medium consistency due to my normal to low hair porosity and medium to high hair density.


Tip #3: Moisturize and Seal your Hair to Promote Length Retention

As you are prepping your hair for styling, it is important to moisturize and seal your hair with products that work for your curl identity and this helps to prevent hair breakage and promotes long-term length retention. I usually use the L.C.O Method (Liquid-Cream-Oil) to help keep my hair moisturized throughout the week.

The type of products that I use, for my hair type, are leave-in sprays or leave-in conditioners as my hydration-base. Then, I apply curl defining creams or hair puddings as my moisturizers. Finally, I apply a butter or an oil to seal all the moisture. Also, when I use a styling gel, I apply it after my hair is sealed with the oil blend (light consistency).

Tip #4: Trim your Ends to Promote Length Retention

Stay consistent with your hair trimming. Remember, you do not have to cut so much at a time. Take your time and evaluate your ends and determine when it is time to trim. With curly hair, especially for me, it tends to develop "fairy knots" at the ends of the hair. This is caused by too much hair manipulation and hair exposure/contact to materials such as cotton t-shirts and pillow cases.

As I began to stay consistent in trimming my hair (in small amounts) every 3 to 4 months, I truly saw my hair retain so much length (as shown in the comparison photo, below).

Tip #5: Incorporate Scalp Massages for Hair Growth

Massaging your scalp helps to encourage blood circulation which also helps the hair follicles to grow. For an added benefit, use penetrating essential oils (of your choice) when massaging your scalp to help the hair to grow at a good rate.

Tip #6: Incorporate Healthier Eating Habits for a Healthy Hair Growth!

Along with all of the great external ways to help your hair to grow. We must not neglect our internal health. Incorporating healthy habits will help our bodies to receive the vitamins and nutrients that we need for healthy functions. Protein, biotin, zinc, iron, Vitamins A, B , C and D3 are just a few examples of important nutrients that help with hair growth from the inside out (14 Best Foods for Hair Growth, Raman 2018).

For more information, read this great article that breaks down the different types of food that is helpful in promoting hair growth! https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-for-hair-growth

If you like drink smoothies, then check out Mane Like Me's Signature Smoothies for Healthy Hair!
https://www.manelikeme.com/mlm-healthy-hair-signature-smoothie

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I hope these tips were helpful for you and your hair growth journey! Also, comment your favorite hair growth tip that you follow and it has worked for your hair!

Thank you all so much reading this post and will talk you in the next one!

XOXO,
A Curly Engineer

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Disclaimer: Any tips that are presented in this blog are only suggestions. You do not have to follow them.