by
Cipriana
*This article was originally published on September 17, 2011. It was re-posted as part of our ‘Best of 2011′ Series.
By Cipriana of UrbanBushBabes.com
After going natural, some women choose to focus on attaining length. But for many it can be a frustrating process. Here are 5 tips that will help you achieve length will staying motivated and encouraged.
Diligence is a must for achieving length. Make sure your hair is properly and constantly moisturized and well-maintained. It can be tempting to slack off but remember that every time you are lazy with your hair you risk drying it out and compromising its health — which can lead to breakage.
Learning this can not only save your strands when detangling but will also make you much happier in the process of attaining length. A patient natural will be less likely to take out frustration or anger on their hair.
Eye on the Prize? Instead of thinking years ahead of the length you want to attain try to focus on 3 or 6 months down the line. This will give you a better idea of what is and is not working for your hair so you can assess and make the necessary changes
Hair only grows on average ½ an inch a month so setting a hair goal of 1-2 inches per month is unrealistic and you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.
Realize setbacks are just steps along you hair journey to achieving your goals. Without those failures you wouldn’t know what works and what does not work for your hair. Every mistake is a step towards discovering a haircare regimen that helps you achieve your length goals.
These 5 tips helped me tremendously during my years to attain and maintain length. What tips and tricks do you use?
For more of Cipriana’s writings check out UrbanBushBabes.com.
27 Responses
Thanks for these useful tips for long hair naturally, but i am confused because my hairs are very thin, can i use these tips?
Of course you can.
Hi,pls i ave a natural hair and i am unable to handle it.it so hard that i find it difficult to comb and it itch too…
I think some of these women with successful journeys need to start some adopt-a-natural-head campaign, lol. But seriously. I noticed that whenever I look through these youtube channels or tumblers, or whatever, one small detail catches my attention, that’s probably the difference between a successful and unsuccessful regimen.
Take Laila-Jean, for example. She keeps her hair in these beautiful updos, and I could not figure out for the life of me how those twists don’t dry out by the end of the day in that London winter! (I have a theory that it’s much easier to be natural in a place like Texas where the weather is usually not that cold, so I’m always looking at people who live in places like Chicago or Boston or NYC for hair tips). Now she talked about the scores of products she uses, but one thing I saw on her Tumblr that I hadn’t seen before was her nightly routine. “Oh, I just spritz my hair with some water and Aloe Vera juice and some oil, then wrap it in a plastic cap, then put my satin bonnet on top in the winter. I leave out the plastic cap step in the warmer months.” DO YOU KNOW HOW MOISTURIZING THAT IS?
Kimmaytube, too–she works from home. She keeps that hair in a warm, moist environment underneath her satin bonnet quite often, unless she has somewhere to go. She mentioned it in like a sentence in one of her videos.
So tips from these regimens are really good. But what I notice is that so much attention is given to weekly wash/cowash/conditioning routines, while less is given to daily routines, which I think makes all the difference for the results we get in retaining. I have been scared to put 2-stranded twists in my hair, because my hair breaks like crazy in those things since my hair gets so dry! Every 2 seconds, I’m trying to moisturize them, and my hair ends up getting messy by Day 3. But so many people swear by it. It’s not that it doesn’t work for some, but some people may just need that one small but important tip that can dramatically change the success of their journey. Literally. I so wish I could leave my hair alone and rock twists for weeks like others do (my hair would probably be down to my bum if I did). Until then, I’m constantly stretching my hair out in braid-outs (which takes time, so I try not to get it wet for a few days = dryness = breakage) or I keep my hair moist but loose and in a bun = shrinkage and knots = another year with no noticeable growth =/
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Thank you so much ladies and BGLH, looking forward to sharing much more in the New Year.
Happy New Year Everyone!!!
Cipri, as always, thanks for sharing sound advice. Your ‘tumbleweed’ tip has changed my ends. 🙂
Another unrealistic goal is assuming 1/2 inch growth a month but trimming your hair at the recommend 6-8 weeks at 1/4-1/2 inch each time. It one of those looks realistic at first just because of practical advice but the math will show that it is not realistic. Which I find people gloss over because individuals giving advice about trimming like its the end all of hair necessity but when following this practical advice your retained length will be little to barely noticeable especially in hair types with curls and kinks with a smaller diameter than pencil.
One has got to remember that is hair is half an inch a month (give or take depending on the individual) that 4 weeks with 2-3 days (with the exception of February. So if your are the exact average and only cut ever 8 weeks at 1/2 an inch each time, your going to see approximately half the length you expect for average year, so 3 inches instead of 6 even though 6 inches a year is quoted as realistic.
So realistic really depends on the persons rate of growth, the delicacy of their hair and hair practices. Rather than the average.
1/2 is the average, one can have more or less than that in a month depending on the individual. 1 inch of growth in a month is not unrealistic, I have experienced it myself but I will say that it doesn’t happen regularly every month. So I’d say more than a 1/2 of growth per month is not unrealistic, it just may or may not happen.
When I first started my natural hair care journey, I tried very many different products and listened to various naturals on their hair care routine, which I believe ultimately has stunted my growth. My follicles have gotten confused because I have not stuck with the very basic and simple (and a little secret recipe) routine that promoted my hair growth in the earlier stages. Everything is not for everybody, but these are some good tips. I’ll be returning to the earlier process and I so look forward to enjoying more of BGLH for the upcoming year. Happy new hair and year to all!
great tips…. very nice post….thank you
These are great tips! I’m trying to grow my hair longer for once! Let’s see how it goes…
thanks ladies!
-Adobuere
adventuresofdobs.blogspot.com
Many black women are anaemic(and don’t even know it) due to menstrual problems and fibroids etc. Being anaemic ,being dehydrated thyroid problems and pregnancy etc can also be responsible for having very dry hair.When I lost my hair,I found taking an iron supplement,I use Spatone, here in the UK ,a natural liquid form of iron, which means you don’t get constipated and also making sure I also get lots of fish oils and evening primose oils along with massaging my scalp really helped.With very dry hair you need a two pronged attack, from the inside as well as the outside.
Great tips! I’m transitioning my hair as we speak, so far I have mixed feelings, I will be strong and see it through/
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG952563.jpg[/img]
Awesome tips! I can’t say I’m a fan of the list format, though–can we have all of the tips on one page, instead of having to click each topic individually?
Also, make sure your health and diet is in order. A chronic illness can affect your growth and retention. For example PCOS can make your shed like crazy, a slow thyroid can slow down growth and cause hair to shed, certain medications and so on. B12 , iodine, and/or Vitamin D deficiency can cause hair loss. When in doubt see a doctor or naturopath to make sure you’re getting the right nutrients and don’t have critical deficiencies which a lot of Americans do have.
Don’t forget you can experience post-partum shedding after pregnancy too…
I am experiencing PPS which actually made me finally do the BC. I dont hear alot about how to recover from tht type of hair loss.
Very good tips and post. When I wear my hair down I usually pick a top that is a silk or satin like material. @Shelli I notice that you are wearing those type of materials in the two pics. (May be just coincidental.)
Hi Kristi, no, not coincidental:)! LOL! I find that it’s easier to wear my hair down during the Summer as a lot of my tops/dresses are silkier/smoother:). However, I will say, it’s only in the last year that I’ve been in a protective styling mode and been cognizant of this type of thing.
Great post, great tips, great hair.
Peace, Love and Chocolate,
Tiffany
Hello Tiffany and Thank you :DDD
Peace, Love and Chocolate (this is so cute!!!)
I agree with all of these and would add protecting your hair. This doesn’t necessarily mean protective styles, although it can (and I love simple, quick low manipulation ones). But I’m thinking of things like, limiting “hands in hair” syndrome, wear a satin bonnet/scarf or use a satin pillowcase at night (I do both), detangle gently (I prefer finger detangling), keep your hair off of your cotton or wool clothing, etc., if you wear your hair down, be careful with purses and coats, DOORS etc. (lol) to avoid snagging hair (I’ve done that a few times *wince*), ensure the edges of your nails are smooth and hangnail free when handling your hair. So, little things like that that all go back to protecting the strands.
And, the other thing I’d add is deep conditioning … you touched on it in regard to your tip about diligence and ensuring hair is moisturized. So, guess it’s kind of included. And, I know DCing can be a controversial topic. But regular DCs (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on the individual) are invaluable in my opinion. I always achieve the most length retention and retain moisture throughout the week with DCing. I have a special technique though that I think really made the difference. It’s here if anyone didn’t see it and is interested:
http://bglhonline.com/2011/09/natural-hair-deep-conditioning-technique-cool-then-seal/
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SDC12980-1.JPG[/img]
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/WnG2.JPG[/img]
Beautiful hair and yes I have wrote a post about something similar which I talked about the dangers of chipped nail polish when you are caring for your hair. Yes chipped nails is a no no. Good point 🙂
Awww thanks Cipriana!
Yeees chips nails are the devil! I am constantly filing my nails and repainting them so the polish/snag doesn’t catch on my hair. It’s a task!
WIG