My hair went from the picture on the left, to the picture on the right in 7 short months.
My hair hasn’t always grown this fast (or been this healthy) though, so before sharing with you my top four tips for growing long and healthy hair, I am first going to give you a quick back story!
As a baby I had the most beautiful head of curly hair, and when I look back at the pictures now I would do almost anything to have that hair back. I grew up in a single-parent household, and whilst my mum adored my curly hair, she really had no idea how she was meant to properly care for it. As I grew up her lack of knowledge passed on to me, and as I result I became a teenager who hated her dry and frizzy hair. I was so ashamed of my curly hair, I saw it as a curse and not as a blessing. I wouldn’t be caught dead in public with curly hair and would straighten my hair for the best part of an hour before school. I honestly battled my hair for years. The lowest point in my hair journey though came when I was 16 and decided to dye my already dyed black hair bright red.
I actually really loved my red hair but the constant bleaching completely destroyed it. My hair eventually began to fall off and one side became much longer than the other. It was a mess, I finally had to accept that I needed it cut. After my big chop I could no longer tie my hair up and I was devastated. Why had I done this to myself. It was then I decided that I would do whatever it took to get my hair long and healthy. I began taking better care of my hair over the next five years. I started wearing it natural in public and still straightened it but only every few weeks. I defiantly noticed an improvement in my hair. The problem was that it was still growing so slow.
The pictures above were taken around 7 months apart (same amount of time as the first pictures in this post!!!) and as you can see, basically no growth. As time went on I was getting more and more frustrated with the frizz and my lack of growth, so I did what we all do and I turned to the internet. Whilst browsing I stumbled across the Curly Girl Method (CGM) and my life was changed forever. Just to give a slight background to people who haven’t heard about the CGM, its basically a method where you cut out certain ingredients (such as silicones, sulphates, waxes and drying alcohols) and apply different products (such a leave in, gel, mousse etc) in certain ways in order to get the most out of your natural curls! Since starting the CGM my hair has grown faster than it ever has in its entire life. I am going to dedicate an entire post to the CGM and how to get started next as there is an awful lot more to it than I have mentioned. So, for now I am going to share with you my top four tips for hair growth that I have taken away from doing the method!
- STOP USING HEAT ON YOUR HAIR!!
I know you probably see that everywhere but it’s true, you have to cut out the heat if you want to see substantial growth, especially is you have naturally kinky/curly hair! Frying my hair with straighteners, even I was only doing it once/twice every couple of weeks was hindering my hair growth because the ends were drying out and quite literally breaking off. Giving you hair time away from heat will allow it to become stronger and healthier which in turn will lead to the growth you are wanting to see! Now, I’m not saying never straighten your hair again and for some people this will be harder than it will for others. I mean it took me a good 5/6 years after completely ruining my hair to finally give up my straightener, so I know the struggle. The results don’t lie though – and I wish I had just embraced my natural curls sooner!
2. STOP GETTING YOUR HAIR CUT
It’s a myth that you need your hair cut every 6 – 12 weeks to help with growth. Cutting the ends of your hair off is not going to speed up how fast the hair grows out of the top of your head. Yes regular trims will help keep split ends at bay which will increase your hairs health but if you aren’t using heat and you are caring for your natural hair then your hair shouldn’t be becoming so split that you feel the need for regular trims. If you are just starting your hair growth journey and you have a lot of damage, then yes, go and get a good cut (or several trims over a period of time to remove the damage) as it’s best to start with a healthy canvas. You can also keep your split ends at bay yourself at home by investing in a good pair of hairdressing scissors and following the search and destroy method. This is where you spend around 10 – 20 mins each month searching the hair for split ends and then destroying them by sniping them off. This way you are able to get rid of those perky split ends without having to compromise on your length!
3. SCALP MASSAGES
The CGM recommends that you stop using shampoo and co-wash your hair with a conditioner instead. This has led to me having to rigorously massage my scalp on wash days so that I can ensure all the product build up has left my scalp. Scalp massages are great for encouraging hair growth because they increase the blood flow to the scalp and the hair follicles. You can give your scalp a good massage when washing your hair like I do, or another great way is to massage an oil (like Jamaican Black Castor Oil) into your scalp whilst upside down before you wash. This way you get the maximum blood flow to your scalp and by using an oil also known for promoting hair growth you will be doubling your chances of speedy hair growth! I had never thought about massaging my scalp pre CGM, and since I have started I have noticed an immense change in the speed of my growth, so I defiantly recommend giving this one a try!
4. TREAT YOUR HAIR WITH LOVE
If you are serious about getting the length of your dreams then you need to ensure that your hair is always treated with love.
- Sleep on a silk of satin pillow case to stop your hair rubbing on a rough pillow case. This will help with frizz, hair loss and split ends. You could even sleep in a silk/satin scarf to keep your hair protected throughout the night.
- Don’t brush your hair when its dry – if you are naturally curly, not only does it ruin your curls but it will always pull at your hair increasing hair loss. Trying only brushing your hair (with a wet brush or even better just use your fingers to detangle) when your hair is soaking wet and full of conditioner!
- Deep condition once a week! Well-moisturised hair is healthier hair and will be less prone to breakage or falling out!
So, there are my four tips for growing long and healthy hair! As you can see from the photo above they really do work! I actually got my hair cut a few weeks after the picture on the left (about half and inch), began the techniques I just described and seven months later was shocked to see the change in length!
I now love my natural hair and even wore it that way for my graduation! I hope some of the tips and tricks work for you! Please comment below and let me know what you think or if you have any hair growth tips of your own!
Naturally Aaliyah 