Natural hair growth – Natural Hair Growth Tips for Length

NaturalHairZone.com has compiled ten possible reasons why you are struggling to see natural hair growth and has outlined natural hair growth tips to help you on your journey. We discuss, in full, the stumbling blocks to hair growth.

In this article about Natural Hair Growth, we will discuss the following

1. Iron Deficiency

This is a major setback that is faced by some naturals.

And in most cases, naturals are not even aware they are suffering from an Iron deficiency. Some common symptoms of Iron deficiency are extreme fatigue, weakness, pale skin, cold hands and feet, brittle nails and hair and, in some cases, unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances like ice or dirt.

Anaemia and Hair Growth

Besides negatively affecting your overall health, iron deficiency anaemia is a major stumbling block when you are on a NHJ.

The implication of being anaemic is that despite following the best NH practices and routines when you have low Iron levels; your hair is the last place your body will send this precious nutrient – the result being dry, brittle and breaking hair, amongst others.

Are you suffering from thinning hair?

Usually, anaemia is treated by a doctor prescribing Iron pills for a while and then rechecking the iron levels after the dosage period.

In some extremely low iron level cases, a doctor may give an Iron injection intravenously into your veins. In addition to Iron pills/iron injections, most doctors advise incorporating foods that contain iron into your diet.

Changes in Iron Levels 

It is important to note that changes in Iron levels are not overnight (unless given intravenously). Thus, in addition to dietary lifestyle changes, time must pass before your iron levels can be restored to respectable levels.

In this regard, naturals who are anaemic and on a natural hair journey are advised to be patient and not expect any results/changes over time. However, they should give their body time to replenish before changes occur.

If you suspect that your iron levels are low or have had a history of anaemia and notice thin, brittle hair, amongst others, then it is recommended that you visit your health care professional for a check-up.

Self-Prescribing Iron Supplements for Hair Growth

Some naturals self-prescribe iron supplements; however, it is important to stress that Iron poisoning (due to high iron levels) is real, and dosage with Iron supplements must strictly be done under professional supervision.

 

2. Poor Hair Regime

A poor hair regime could be why your hair is suffering setbacks.

Reviewing your commitment to your hair regime is important when you fail to see any progress. If you are not consistent with applying moisture or sealing this moisture in – then your hair will suffer.

Also, if you fail to clean /clarify your scalp to deal with build-up or skip protein treatments causing your hair to weaken further, you will likely not see much progress in your hair journey.

A well Rounded Hair Routine

It is also advisable to have a well-rounded routine. Too much moisture and your hair will break, too much protein and strands will snap, and too much manipulation and your hair growth will be slower / minimised.

If you fail to retain length, have an honest heart-to-heart with yourself and see if you can benefit from being more consistent with your hair regime. You may need to tweak certain practices in your weekly /monthly routine.

Do you have low-porosity hair?

Natural hair is a great indicator of your habits and always gives feedback. If your hair regime is working for you, your hair WILL let you know, but if your regime is not effective, then your hair will be sure to let you know as well.

Take time to review and revise it accordingly.

 

3. Moisture Deficiency

Moisture deficiency is one of the major reasons for hair loss/damage.

Moisture deficiency occurs when not enough moisture is introduced into your natural hair strands, causing it to become dry and making it prone to snapping and breakage.

Also, dry hair is especially prone to split ends, and if left untended, split ends travel up the shaft giving hair the uneven thin look at the edges.

As a rule of thumb, hair is thirsty and needs to be moisturised regularly, and by moisture, this means introducing water or a product containing water as its first ingredient onto the hair shaft.

Moisture can be introduced into your hair shafts routinely and sealed using the LCO or LOC method to ensure no dryness due to evaporation

 

4. Using Wrong Products/Product Junkie

Using the wrong products or buying every new product on the market (being a product junkie) contributes to major setbacks in one’s natural hair journey. Newbies particularly face this setback to their NHJ.

Many products in the market claim to be the holy grail for natural hair care, and if you are not mindful, you can find yourself in a situation where you purchase the wrong products or continuously try new products and fail to see results.

Reasons Why Natural Hair Products may not be “Working for You”  

The reasons for this are two-fold.

Firstly, if you continuously introduce new products into your hair regime, you do not get to STUDY if your hair responds well to that particular product.

Not all natural hair is the same, and what may work for one person may not work for you and vice versa.

And the only way you can know for sure is if you use a product for a reasonable time to ascertain if it is a good fit for your hair.

Secondly, if you use the wrong products, your hair will respond with breakage, dryness and, in some cases, loss of volume or natural texture.

Again, it is important to take stock of what you are introducing into your hair and ensure that whatever it is, your hair agrees with it.

You’ve heard about high-porosity hair – but what is it actually? 

 

5. Not Eating (and Drinking) Right

Hair health is an Internal thing as much as an external one.

And you may follow all the right NHJ techniques, such as PS, ACV rinse, L.O.C / L.C.O method, bagging and the like.

NaturalHairZone.com comprehensively discusses all-natural words in the Natural Hair Glossary

However, if what you put into your body is deficient of necessary nutrients, then your hair will suffer.

Drink Watch and Watch your Hair Grow

Let’s start with what you drink. At NaturalHairZone.com, we have seen tremendous hair growth by drinking at least 1,0 l of water daily.

Your hair likes to be hydrated from within, and drinking lots of water helps with hair growth.

Try it consistently for three months, track your before and after progress and prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the results.

What you Eat Affects your Natural Hair Growth 

Just as important, YOUR HAIR IS WHAT YOU EAT. Eating the right foods plays a key role in any natural’s hair growth.

Consuming iron, omega-rich foods and other foods for hair growth and thickness #15 has been proven to have positive results for natural hair and naturals who consistently add these nutrient-rich foods into their diet are likely to see positive hair growth.

 

6. Heat

Heat plays a major factor in hair growth.

Lack of heat/minimal heat = healthy, happy natural hair.

Naturals who use minimal to no heat are known to retain most of their growth because too much heat damages hair, especially 4c hair.

It is advisable to minimise the use of heat, and when you do utilise heat, do so with the help of a heat protectant to protect your hair strands from heat damage.

Protect Your Strands

There is no set number of times that a natural can use heat a year, as hair can be damaged with only ONE heat treatment session. Thus, the key here is always to protect your strands.

When you use heat, consider using the lower heat settings and be sure to elicit the help of a natural hair professional #23, skilled in achieving the straightened look without frying your locks.

If you struggle with hair retention, consider switching your heat habits to minimise heat damage and see some real gains in your natural hair journey.

 

7. Too much Manipulation

Yes!

There is such a thing as too much manipulation in the NHJ.

Too much manipulation happens when a natural has hand-in hair syndrome and is constantly styling and manipulating her hair strands.

Believe it or not, this impacts on retention of hair growth!

Natural hair, especially 4C hair, thrives on little to no manipulation during protective styling. When natural hair is constantly manipulated, the ends usually break off.

As length is from roots to end, the secret to keeping or retaining growth is keeping ends tucked away for certain periods and not constantly exposing them.

Take me to your 3C Hair page. 

 

8. Protective Styling Gone Wrong

Protective styling is perhaps one of the most misunderstood NHJ practices, specifically leaving protective styling too long.

While protective styling is one of the major keys to realise hair length, some naturals go to the extreme and leave protective styling for too long. Hair that has been in protective styling for too long is more prone to breakage.

This is because whatever length realised during the protective period is usually lost during the style takedown or when detangling the hair.

It is, therefore, more prudent, if you want to realise more length, to keep your hair in protective styling for a reasonable amount of time that avoids the matting and detangling that results in hair breakage/shrinkage.

 

9. An Unhealthy Scalp is an Unhealthy Afro

An unhealthy scalp = unhealthy afro.

One of the reasons for an unhealthy scalp is product build-up due to putting a lot of products on your scalp but not properly cleansing your scalp. This results in irritations, flare-ups and dandruff, leading to unhealthy hair.

In order to avoid this, it is advised to clarify your scalp with any good clarifying shampoo.

Also, you can do an ACV rinse – which you can achieve by spritzing your scalp with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water and then massaging it gently before rinsing it off.

Have you assessed your natural hair journey yet? 

Acidic PH of Water and the effect on your Natural Hair

The slightly acidic PH of the water plays a part in helping to cleanse your scalp and is a great remedy for itchy scalp.

It is also recommended not to go too long before cleansing your scalp, especially when you co-wash your hair and use many products that may lead to build-up.

 

10. Salon Visits

Last but not least, one of the reasons why your natural hair is not growing may be salon visits!

Yes, you read right, salon visits!

At NaturalHairZone.com, the average age for when staffers have last visited a salon to get their hair done is two years.

There are many collaborated stories of naturals walking into a salon and the hair stylist frowning at the beautiful thick TWA or FRO and trying to convince the natural to put some ‘texturiser’ onto the hair to soften it.

We think it might be time to learn how to thicken hair naturally! 

When the Stylist says, “…it’s too thick!…” 

Some stylists have also been known to be so blatant as to increase the cost of styling as, in their misguided opinion, natural hair is too thick and ‘unmanageable’ and insist on blow drying the hair to make it ‘manageable’.

The natural hair journey is very personal and makes you realise that some of the most ignorant people about natural hair are the very ones that advertise their skills in caring for afro-textured hair.

Taking Responsibility for your Own Hair 

Some naturals only begin to realise real hair growth when they take responsibility for their hair or visit hair salons committed to properly nurturing natural hair.

Taking Control of your Natural Hair Growth 

Armed with these ten gems, take control of your healthy natural hair journey and take proactive steps to realise your natural hair’s health and eventual length. We would love to hear your comments below…