Heyaaa guys! So I've been getting loads of questions about how I grew my big hair in such a small space of time. So I've put together 14 things I did, which I think definitely contributed to my fast growth! Remember our theme for this month is "Grow long healthy hair!" Enjoyeeee and I hope it helps.
1. I alternate a protective style with a period of TLC for my hair. What does this mean? Check point 6!I do protective styles once every two months. I take them out after a month and spend the following month pampering my natural hair. You may be wondering what I mean by "pamper" Check point 6!
2. Because my scalp is extremely sensitive, it swells up quite easily when I do protective styles like Braids. So to stop swelling and maintain a healthy scalp, I use my home made Amla oil and Aloe vers Spray. Learn to make it here. It works like a charm! I just spray it directly to my scalp and it prevents my scalp from getting dry and flaky, Cures alopecia (When hair is done too tight!) and prevents hair from breaking. Aloe vera and alma oil have many more benefits such as encouraging hair growth -Read about it here
3. I never leave a protective style for more than a month! Or else my hair begins to break easily.
4. I've said it before and I'll say it again! Water is your hair's best buddy. I keep a spray bottle with 90% water and 10% aloe vera juice. I cannot stress enough how good this is for your hair! Dry hair becomes brittle and breaks easily. But moisturized hair is more flexible and withstands a pull better.
I spray it all over my hair like once every 2 days
5. To keep my hairline in check, I never do hairstyles that pull tightly on it like those small tiny twists/braids or tight pony tails!
6. When my hair is out of the protective style ( just my natural hair), here's what I do in the TLC month!
~I do a hot oil treatment with a Castor oil and Honey mix. I let it stay in for about 2hrs, while massaging my scalp, with my hair wrapped up in a plastic bag or Foil -see here! Hot oil treatments are really good because they heat up the scalp and when it's massaged there is more blood circulation. This stimulates hair follicles to produce more hair! ~Next I shampoo and condition with Palmolive Shea butter like normal. I wash twice with shampoo and condition once. ~Then I let my hair dry naturally. Absolutely no heat guys! Especially when hair is wet.
7. So after all that, I oil my hair while its still moist. I've experimented with loads of hair food but here's what I'm using at the moment (below) Its really great and does not have a Strong fragrance. It was also really cheap! R17 or so. That's roughly 1.7$!
8. While in the TLC month, I do simple hairstyles with my natural hair like buns, twist outs, big cornrows and more buns! Just protective styles that can still allow me full access to my hair if I want to let it loose! ( Not weaves, crochet braids, braids or twists!)
9. In the second week of my TLC month, I wash my hair again! But this time I only wash with conditioner. I literally cover my hair with conditioner, wash wash once and rinse! Using shampoo all the time can rid your hair of it's natural oils, which is not good. You need those natural oils for healthy hair. So rather do a condition wash once in a while!
10. I use my home made detangle spray (learn how to make it here) every time before I handle my hair. If not I'll just end up crying in pain! It makes my hair easier to handle, preventing breakage. I'm also very terrified of combs, so I mostly use my fingers to detangle.
11. You can only have your hair! No one else's. This is what I tell myself. My hair is 4c. Extremely coarse and Uncombable! Learn to love your hair guys! Your crown of glory. God made no mistakes! I've also learned to be patient with my hair. It won't grow waist length over night! But it is growing and it will grow!
13. I keep track of what works for my hair. Be it hair oil, detangle sprays, shampoos. Experiment with different products till you find what works for your hair!
14. Genetics definitely has a role to play! I get my good hair from my Grand pa! My 2 beautiful sisters Faith and Elma are forever complaining about inheriting stubborn hair! But i think their hair is gorgeous! Although genetics affects what hair we have, we can still do so much to help it grow long and healthy! Don't be discouraged guys!
Hope my personal tips helped! Do leave some feedback and ask questions yes yes!
Xoxo Joan
