Natural Hair: Tips for Hair Growth + Length Retention

So I took my braids out recently, and I was pretty impressed with the growth! I've been taking my hair more seriously nowadays! When I chopped my hair off in April, I cut a significant amount, roughly about two to three inches. Don't get me wrong--- it still had length, but I definitely cut off quite a bit. Five months later, my hair has come back around full throttle, and I am loving the length!  

Here are some my tips for hair growth and length retention:

Moisturize

Water is the best moisturizer your hair can have. Whether you use water alone or water in conjunction with Aloe Vera juice or some other mixture, water is sure to give your hair strands the most optimum levels of moisture it needs. Now, when you follow water with a hair cream and an oil, you not only seal in the wonderful moisture of water but you also increase the likelihood that your hair will stay moisturized longer. You can moisturize your hair by spraying water on your hair once a day or every other day. I typically assess my hair to see what it needs. Some days I spray my hair daily if it needs water and follow up with a cream and oil. Other days, I spray with water only. It truly depends on my hair needs at the moment.

While water sprayed on outside of the hair is important, drinking water for inside replenishment is important for the inside. I have been a beast about drinking water this summer, often drinking 8 to 10 glasses per day! Once upon a time, I had to force myself to drink water, but now, my body does not feel right without it. 

Protective Styles and Low Manipulation Styles
Until recently, I have been wearing several protective styles. In May and most of June, I wore box braids. In the later part of July, I wore Marley Twists. In August and September, I wore box braids. In addition to wearing these protective styles, I continued to wash and moisturize my hair, which only improved the overall health of my hair. Protective styling has been working for me, and I'll be wearing mini-twists or marley twists very soon. Who knows!?!?! Maybe even box braids again (Check out my post on Ten Reasons Why I Love Box Braids) Stay tuned!

Healthy Eating

I am sure you have heard the phrase, "You are what you eat!" This is a phrase I live by. I typically stick to a mainly pollo-pescetarian based diet, but I have been making greater efforts to incorporate more vegetables and fruits in my daily eating. My daily smoothie now consists of 4 cups of fruits and vegetables, and my body has been living for these smoothies. My typical smoothie may include a leafy green like collards, spinach chard, or kale. It also may include tomatoes, avocados, bananas, berries, oranges, apples, flax seed, chia seed, almond butter, ginger, and the list goes on. No smoothie is EVER the same. I typically include whatever fruit and veggie my body is craving. My skin has been more radiant and has a natural glow to it. My nails have to be filed on a weekly basis to keep up with the growth, and I know my hair is getting some of these gains too! Not to mention, I take prenatal vitamins and fish oil, which also encourages hair growth.

Scalp massages 

I really wasn't into scalp massages until I started wearing my protective styles recently. Prior and after washing my hair, I would put a little olive or coconut oil on my hands and massage my scalp. This was super relaxing, and scalp massages have been known to stimulate the blood flow to the scalp, which encourages hair growth. While I do not believe scalp massages alone caused my hair growth, I do believe it promoted a healthy scalp, creating a good environment for hair growth.

Check out my hair growth comparison from April 2015 to September 2015: 

(April 2015)

(September 2015)

Honestly, my hair has been thicker and feels stronger in general. I also love the shape of my hair as it grows out. I have received tons of compliments from random strangers, church peeps, and family. Even my husband could see the difference in the growth! So...going forward, I will continue to incorporate these areas into my regimen and hopefully you can add these areas to your hair regimen too!

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken