Growing Your Natural Hair: Five Tips You Should Know

In recent years, embracing natural hair has become a popular trend among young African women. Many are on a quest for the perfect hair products that promise to promote long, thick hair. Others scour social media platforms for tips from influencers. However, growing black afro hair can be a challenging task due to its texture, which makes it prone to dryness, breakage, itchy scalp, and other issues. Despite these challenges, there are proven methods that can help. With consistency and patience, the following 5 tips can help you achieve healthy, vibrant natural hair.

Detangling

The detangling process appears to be the most important part of the hair care journey. This is the stage where hair loss often occurs. Unfortunately, many women overlook the importance of detangling before shampooing. Detangling involves gently removing knots and tangles from the hair before washing. Two natural products have proven to be highly effective in making detangling smooth: okra gel and flask seed gel. The slippery nature of these gels enables easy removal of knots and tangles without causing unnecessary breakages.

How to detangle with okra gel or flask seed gel

• Section the hair into five or six parts, according to the volume of your hair
• Taking a section, spray water into the hair and work the water in with your fingers
• Start applying your okra or flask seed gel, starting from the tip to the root of your hair.
• Gently remove the knots with your fingers and not a comb
• Twist it down and do the same for all the sections.

Shampooing

A crucial step in the hair care journey is maintaining a clean scalp, as dirty hair follicles can hinder hair growth. Most women wash their hair at regular intervals, but the challenge lies in choosing the right shampoo and using it correctly. There are various types of shampoos available, each catering to specific hair needs. Two essential shampoos for natural hair growth are clarifying and moisturizing shampoos. Clarifying shampoos provide a thorough cleanse of the hair and scalp, while moisturizing shampoos help lock moisture, preventing dryness. Every woman growing her natural hair should consider these two shampoos as staples in their hair care journey.

How to Shampoo

The best way to shampoo is to do it while in big twists. This prevents tangling of the hair, thereby preventing breakages. It is best to go in first with a clarifying shampoo to clean the hair and scalp of dirt, followed by a moisturizing shampoo to help retain hair moisture. Washing the afro hair should be done at least once every two weeks to keep a clean scalp.

For optimal shampooing, consider washing your hair while it is in large twists. This technique helps minimize tangling, which can lead to breakage. Begin with a clarifying shampoo to thoroughly cleanse the hair and scalp of death and impurities. Follow up with a moisturizing shampoo to help lock in moisture and hydrate your hair. To maintain healthy alcohol, aim to wash it at least once every two weeks. This frequency helps keep the scalp clean and promotes overall hair well-being.

READ ALSO: Top 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Deep Conditioning

This is the step in the natural hair routine that strengthens the hair. Deep conditioning is a hair treatment step that involves applying a thick mask that restores strength and moisture to the natural hair. There are many natural hair brands that have deep conditioning masks that help to strengthen the hair. However, there are natural masks that can be prepared at home to serve the same purposes. Masks like rice mask, avocado mask, fenugreek mask, and many others have proven to have the ability to strengthen the hair. Deep conditioning is done after washing the hair with a shampoo.

How to deep condition

• In sections, apply a substantial amount of the mask into the hair, working from tip to root
• Work it in with your fingers to ensure even distribution
• Cover hair with rubber cap for 30 minutes and rinse off

Protective Styling

Growing long and thick natural hair basically depends on preventing breakages at all costs. Aside from good detangling, washing, and deep conditioning, the glue that binds it all together is protective styling. Protective styling refers to hairstyles that are purposefully made to minimize manipulation, reduce damage, and promote healthy hair growth. Some common protective styles for the natural hair are braids, cornrows, twists, buns, and many more styles that are meant to protect your hair from damage. However, it is advised to keep these styles for 2–6 weeks to avoid tangling, which can cause breakages.

Hydrating and Moisturizing

The secret to minimizing breakage is keeping the hair consistently hydrated and moisturized. This can be achieved by using water to hydrate the hair and leave-in conditioner to lock in moisture. For optimal results, it is recommended to hydrate and moisturize your hair at least three times a week.

After completing the hair care process, from the tangling to protective styling, the final step is to maintain moisture while in a protective style. This step helps prevent unnecessary breakage, ensuring your hair remains healthy and thriving.

How to hydrate and moisturize

• Spray water into the hair and massage in with your fingers to aid fast penetration.
• Apply an appreciable amount of leave-in conditioner and massage in.
• Lock in the moisture with shea butter or a light-weight oil like olive oil or coconut oil.

NB: Pay much attention to the ends of the hair.

After consistently practicing these tips, your black natural hair will never stop growing.