Tagged: curly hair growth

July 9, 2015

4 Simple Steps To Longer Natural Hair

Before I started my natural hair journey, I found myself often becoming envious of other people’s hair. I remember looking at girls with natural hair and thinking “how did she grow her hair so long?”

On top of that, throughout my childhood and early teens I’d constantly been told that “afro hair doesn’t grow,” OR “black girls can’t grow long hair” which led me to believe that growing long hair was simply impossible for a girl like me.

After deciding to go natural, doing the big chop and spending ages digesting everything there is to know about natural hair care, I was able to grow my hair to the longest length it’s ever been.

Now, don’t get me wrong, growing long hair isn’t just about length, it’s about having healthy hair. In my opinion, healthy hair is what all women (regardless of ethnicity or hair texture) should aspire to,

So how can you as a curly haired naturalista grow longer hair?

Here are 4 simple yet highly effective steps.

1. Moisturise

I’m sure you’ve heard it a thousand times before but moisturising your curls is absolutely vital if you want to grow long, healthy natural tresses. When it comes to moisturising, you should opt for products that have a high percentage of water because moisture comes from water. To get the most out of water, mix water, leave-in conditioner and a natural oil like jojoba and pour it into a spray bottle. Spritz your hair with this mixture a few times each day. This will help to keep your curls in top shape throughout the day. It’ll also aid growth because you’ll retain more hair as a result of keeping your hair moisturised.

2. Dust, don’t trim.

Years back, I heard about ‘dusting.’ I thought it sounded a bit crazy but it works. The idea is simple; rather than trimming or cutting large chunks of hair every 6-9 weeks (as recommended by hair stylists), instead choose to only ‘dust’ or trim off unhealthy ends. Dusting simply involves searching for splits, knots and tangles and cutting them off every time you spot them. The minute you see one strand that’s visibly unhealthy, trim it. This saves thousands of healthy hair strands from being trimmed off and enables you to only get rid of the exact hairs that are damaged or split. It’s a hair saver!

3. Apply heat once or twice a year.

As much as I love the look of my hair when straightened, I have seen incredible results by simply not straightening it more than twice a year. In fact, I avoid applying heat to my hair unless I really, really need to. Whilst heat-based styles can look great for special occasions, they can also wreck havoc on your curls. Instead of using heat, try using your blow dryer on the cool setting, towel drying your hair and rocking gorgeous formal styles using nothing more than your

natural curls and hair accessories (think flowers, hair bands, ribbons etc).

Opt for hair accessories like ribbons, scarves and flowers rather than applying heat to your hair.

4. Exercise.

This is one that many of us miss because we’re so busy. However, exercising regularly not only boosts your body’s health but it also aids hair growth by stimulating the scalp and increasing blood flow to it. Even if you despise working out, try simply walking or doing fun activities that don’t feel like a workout. Zumba, hiking and swimming are some great options and they’ll leave you in top shape as well!

So there you have it, my 4 top tips for growing healthier, longer hair this summer.

If you have any extra tips to share, please let them in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter at www.mycurls.co.uk for more hair tips and a chance to win free products.

July 19, 2012

Why Isn’t My Hair Growing?

Have you ever felt like everyone’s hair seems to grow whilst yours seems to be the same length irregardless of how much you try?

Despite protective styling, conditioning, moisturizing, steaming, oiling, plaiting etc, it still feels like your hair hasn’t grown an inch in ages!

The thing is, millions of women feel exactly the same!

To help you, the first question I’m going to as isn’t ‘how long is your hair?’ or ‘how much time do you spend styling it?’

It’s this:

Are you alive?

If you’re reading this, your heart is pulsing- right? You are breathing- right? Well then, that definitely means you’re alive. Great!

So, if you’re alive and have no underlying health problems then your hair is definitely growing!

That’s a fact.

There’s a big difference between your hair not growing and your hair not being longer or fuller. Click to Tweet!

If your hair is no longer than it was six moths ago that means that you’re not retaining or keeping your new and old hair.

New hair is the hair that grows from your scalp; for instance when a woman who dyes her hair says her ‘roots’ are showing, the roots are new hair.

Whilst new hair grows, the hair that’s already on your head needs to be kept in good condition so that you can have longer hair. Basically, there needs to be a balance between the new hair growing and the current hair staying.

When you achieve this balance then you’ll experience growth. Simple!

For those who are struggling to keep their existing hair from breaking there are two key things you should consider:

Conditioning more frequently and properly!

If you’ve been telling yourself that conditioning is for women with a certain hair texture then you’re very much mislead.

Women with any and every texture that exists, need to condition their hair.

But it’s no use using just any product on your hair. Pick your conditioner carefully. Read the ingredients, look for high quality ingredients like coconut, lavendar oil, Vitamin E and honey.

Look at how much of the good ingredients is in the product you’re considering. For example, in our Coco Curly Conditioner Coconut oil is one of the primary ingredients (we loooove coconut oil!).

Test out different conditioners to see which one works for you and once you find that gem, use it regularly.

Of course, some women have greasier hair and may therefore chose to condition less-which is fine.

Protein.

Your hair is made from protein which means that regular protein treatments will actually help to strengthen your hair.

Many women with breaking/ damaged hair notice an immediate difference with just one protein treatment simply because protein really helps to add strength and stop damage.

There’s no need for a salon trip, simply use normal eggs or mayonaise to give your hair a protein boost!

Patience.

They say patience is a virtue for a reason! It’s so easy to want immediate results whenever we have a goal or desire but the truth is that hair growth takes time!

Contrary to what some people might have you believe, truly healthy hair doesn’t just happen in a day!

Your body needs time to work it’s magic and produce the healthy hair you deserve.

In fact, your body is constantly working and operating and will in time produce the results you desire in terms of your hair growth goals.

Be patient and you’ll reap the rewards.

If you’re stuck for hair style ideas check out our other blog posts.

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