Confession: Some of us transitioners and naturalistas get a little overzealous (and borderline OCD) when it comes to caring for our hair. Some of us have routines that are hardwired into our into our lives, with no chance of changing. Pre-poo every Wednesday. Detangle and co-wash Thursday. Protectively style for 3 weeks. Henna on the 1st of every monthโฆand the list goes on. Personally, I canโt live my life that way. I just do what my hair needs, when it needs it. If I can go a week and a half before washing, then so be it. If Iโm not feeling protective styling, then Iโll let it all hang out. Even though Iโm not the most routine//regimented transitioner, I do believe that there are some little habits and practices that if done often enough, can lead to real damage. Letโs jump right in:
1. Picking at Split Ends and Single Strand Knots
As we all know, direct sunlight is very telling. When Iโm chilling passenger side riding around (not gettinโ it), I often hold the ends of my hair up so I can see how theyโre doing. Sometimes, I see split ends that look absolutely terrifying. Of course, I donโt have scissors in my car, so I pinch down with my nails and yank. I know. Bad Christina. I had to stop myself from doing this because well, it is damaging. And truth be told, it only exacerbates the problem instead of alleviating it. Whenever you use dull scissors (or in this case, fingernails) to take off split ends, the hair bends; which lends itself to fraying as opposed to a clean cut across. Frayed ends split, which means the problem you sought to remedy has come right back. Additionally, often times picking at ends leads to taking them off unevenly across the shaft of the hair. When a strand of hair is unevenly cut (or nipped), the ends are more susceptible to damage and splitting. Even though a simple split end pinch here and there might be tempting, just wait until you can get a sharp pair of hair scissors in your hands. That way, you can avoid having to take off more length more often.
2. Finger Twirling and Touching
This one might be more for me than it is for yaโll. I am a recovering chronic finger twirler. Not a day used to go by where I wasnโt twirling my hair at some point โ while having conversations, while working, while deep in thought, while driving, over dinner.โฆyou get the point. While twirling your hair around your finger isnโt the worst thing you can do, it isnโt exactly the best either. Each time you touch or otherwise manipulate your hair, you may not see it, but you are losing protein and damaging the cuticle. Over time (especially if you tend to twirl or touch the same area or section of hair), you run the risk of weakening that area by causing mid-shaft splits and breakage. I am not saying that you can never ever touch, run your fingers through, or twirl your hair. That is crazy and unrealistic. What I am saying, is if you have a bad habit like I do, tucking your hair away (buns, etc.) may help you save your strands from unnecessary damage.
3. Constant Length Checking
This practice doesnโt really cause damage to your hair, it causes damage to you. Transitioners and naturalistas that are interested in retaining and growing longer hair are often curious to see how much their hair grows in a given period. I understand. I am curious too. But please understand that length checking your hair every 4 days isnโt going to yield you any satisfactory results. Some months, your hair will grow like a weed. Other months, youโll swear your hair got stage fright and coiled back into your scalp. Growing out healthy, natural hair is not a sprint. Itโs not a marathon. Heck, itโs not even a race. It takes time. So what if so-and-so got 3 inches of growth in 3 months. What does that have to do with you and your hair? Stop โtryna seeโ if your hair has grown every five minutes. A watched pot never boils.
4. Trying to Get That Old Thing Back
For the longest time, I was in denial about my banana clips. When I first began transitioning, I loved me some banana clips โ they made for quick, easy, and cute styling. But toward the end of summer, I realized that every clip I attempted to work my hair into either broke, wouldnโt close, or popped open. I spent more time (and incurred more breakage and tangles) trying to force my hair into an old favorite that simply wouldnโt work anymore. As much as it sucked, I had to move on. If you have an old style, styling tool, or accessory that used to work wonders but now is a struggle, it might be time to let it go. Save yourself from the frustration, breakage, damage, tangles, and time. Find something else to use, or a new style to wear. There is always more.
What bad habits keep your hair from thriving?
This is a very lazy list (-.-โ)
agreeโฆhow can #3 stall hair growth?
I have to agree with you :/ Of course ripping/pinching and over manipulating your hair isnโt going to help with hair growth. I would love an article with more scientifically based data and not just the same old common sense information. Tell me more about proteins, oils, porosity, and rebuilding structure! I would loooove more facts and data and less โdonโt twirl your hairโ
hair grows no matter what. the topic should be โhow to retain length,โ
I can totally relate to #3. Iโm super impatient! I noticed that I was becoming obsessive, so Iโve been trying to keep my hair in protective styles with added hair. Putting my hair up and taking my hair down in such styles takes so long that it discourages me from length checking too frequently ๐
Same here. It got to a point where I was measuring my hair length daily. DAILY! I was not going to see any change and I knew it but I couldnโt help myself. I just kept having dreams where Iโd wake up and my hair would magically be down my back. Currently in braids so I canโt length check.
Cosign! I did this early on after my big chop. I checked for growth about once a week, and now I can look back and realize how detrimental it was.โฆnot to my growth per se, but to my psyche! Some weeks I SWORE I saw growth, and others when I didnโt notice anything different, Iโd obsess over my regimen to see what I could change, if there was a supplement I could use, what products were โworking against meโโฆanything! I wasted so much time and MONEY watching that proverbial โpotโ. Once I got to a point where I realized I… Read more »
I twirl my hair when I do my finger cools and at lease once or twice daily to touch them up so r u saying thatโs bad too?
No. 3 was me when I first started my natural journey, once a week to be exact! Now, that Iโm older and less โOCD-ishโ about my hair, I do length-checks twice a year and no more. I donโt have a regimen for it either so basically in 2012 I did a length check in October and again in December โฆ there, that was twice. I havenโt done any yet for 2013, but when I do it will only be TWICE! So if Iโm weak and I do it twice in one month I wonโt be checking again for the rest… Read more »
This is a good list! I think itโs normal to be be concerned about the health of your hair to an extent, but there is a balance. I think keeping it simple is best. My motto from the beginning has been to keep my hair moisturized, stretched, and trimmed, and it has grown tremendously over the past year and a half.
Iโm #2 and #3.. I absolutely love to play with my coils and I get tons of SSKโs because of it and end up having to cut them off. I feel like I just canโt help myself. Itโs,also, a nervous habit to either scratch my head or twirl and tug my hair when Iโm anxious. I protective style 3โ4 days a week for nursing school clinicals, so I hope that is helping lol. However, when itโs not in a protective style, Iโm twirling and tugging. I length check at least 2โ3 times a week while Iโm washing or styling. I… Read more »
I am a chronic curl twirler! I have alot of hair so the clips break. My hair is only shoulder length so I need to figure out what other accessories will work for me. Any ideas yaโll???
#4 Applies to me because I used a hair scrunchy for my ponytails but they just arenโt working anymore and I really donโt like how banana clips lookโฆ would they help me achieve a โnormalโ looking ponytail or are there other substitutes out there? Iโm 7 months into transitioning btw.
You can try hair bungees. They are sold at Rickyโs and Sallyโs Beauty Supply. It looks like a miniature bungee and basically you hook one end into your hair and wrap it around then hook the other end into the first hook. Hope that helps!
Oh yeahโฆ I remember I used to wear those when I was little (last time I was natural), I never knew their name though. Thanks for the tip:D
I twirl my hair by my edges/nape All.The.Time. I need to stop, those areas are signifigantly shorter than the rest of my hair. :-/
i am so guilty of 1 and 2. I swear 5 minutes before readin this I was twirling one of my twists and felt a knot and snapped it off. I guess thats another habit to get rid of.
I feel like I periodically have problem 4. Between TWA and not so TWA but not long, by hair styling started to feel complicated. I figured out some new styles after a while, but now that my hair is actually getting longer itโs tough again! Iโm trying to be gentle even if that means hairstyles not working out exactly as planned sometimes.
Dear BGLH,I wish to voice a complaint. I love this site and donโt hesitate to recommend it,it is my go to for hair information and it has helped me tremendously in my hair journey,however lately I feel that the articles arenโt of the standard Iโve come to enjoy from this site. Please write more โwell thought outโ for lack of a better phrase articles. Many thanks
My thoughts exactly. This article feels like it was written in five minutes and posted just for the sake of having a new article up. I would rather wait a few days and have an article that was well researched and thought out than have an article of common sense basic information that has been told to us over and over again already. I think if this website wants to stay competitive it should raise the standards for the articles. Waiting 2 or 3 days is not going to make me quit checking the website. It will simply add a… Read more »
I agree with the ladies above, I have seen this topic on this site many times within the last few months. Each time, the article does not add anything new. Every time itโs just a few suggestions. Iโd rather have a well thought out article then this.
Iโm guilty of the bannana clip thing! lol! cant tell you how many iโve broken, sending them FLYING across the bathroom trying to get them to open wide enough for my big poof of hair! lol! When i was relaxed I used to see these huge clips that i knew were for women with LOTS of hair and I alway got the smaller ones.โฆnow? i need those HUGE long ones and they canโt be CHEAP little dollar store ones bc ive broken more of those than I can count. They look cute n fashionable but might as well be put… Read more »
i think iโm going to start carrying some small sharp scissors in my beauty bagโฆi am always ripping off knots when i see them and i KNOW its bad!!! I just canโt stand to look at them and know its there! Bad Bad girl!
my hair is 3years natural.โฆ I Discovered on my 3rd year anniversary that my hair was damaged from me constantly playin in my hairโฆone minute I was two strand twisting and then I was wearing it loose, then I would twist it up and bend the ends with a flat iron..yes, I said itโฆflat iron.โฆand needless to say on my 3rd year anniversary my hair was a hot mess.โฆno growth change.โฆfor acknowledge being natural for 3yrsโฆ I notice one side behind my ear was shorter than beforeโฆ I was devastated.โฆ I am still trying to find a way to keep… Read more »
I agree with the list,over-manipulation is not good for any hairtype.
Thanks for the tips, I am guilty of #1 and #2. I knew they were damaging but I continued to do them. After reading this article I will be more proactive in not being damaging to my own hair. Again Thanks!
I never knew finger twirling could cause damage. I guess it really is the smaller things cause the most impact!
snapping at split ends *guilty smile* . if im new a white surface, i feel like i must hunt down splits.
i LIVE in two strand swists, so im always untwisting and retwisting strands. bad habit of mine.
Hereโs my take. This list is kind of lazy. In my years of being Natural, I have realized the worse thing we do to ourselves that has cause us not to retain length is being totally ignorant to the science of our hair. We are constantly looking for magic products and solutions which lead us to: #1. Stress, #2 constantly manipulate, #4 become inconsistent with our hair regimen #5 Compare our hairโs growth and progress to others which leads us down a worm hole of product addiction. The best thing to do to your hair is be consistent, use good… Read more »
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Oh a watched pot boils alright, it just seems like it takes forever to start boiling,