There is a general misconception about natural hair that it is nearly impossible to grow it past a certain length. However, the truth is that a lot of us actually do not know how to properly take care of our hair. In a nutshell, lack of adequate proper care is what is largely responsible for our hair to grow to its full potential.
If you are like me who has tried so many methods under the sun to help grow your hair such as the inversion method and random DIYs on the internet for magic hair growth, you would be happy to know that the secret to longer natural hair is simply length retention.
Believe it or not, our hair does grow; although the growth rate is faster for some people. Sadly; we are unable to enjoy that growth because we are not focused on retaining the length of our hair.
The moment I focused on length retention and preserving my ends, I began to see a big difference in the overall length and health of my hair.
I am going to be sharing with you seven length retention tips to help your natural hair grow to its full potential.
1. Wear Your Protective Styles For Longer Periods
Wearing your hair in protective styles play an important role in growing your natural hair and in length retention because it reduces manipulation on the hair like excessive combing, excessive use of heat as well as other factors that can cause hair breakage. If you are looking to retain and grow the length of your hair, opt for keeping your protective styles in for longer periods in order to avoid excessive manipulation of your hair that can lead to hair breakage.
2. Focus On The Health Of Your Hair
Healthy hair grows, so prioritize the health of your hair by moisturizing and hydrating your hair properly. Having a good hair care regime that promotes the health of your hair, scalp and follicles, is sure to do wonders when looking to grow the length of your natural hair. If you want to see tremendous growth in your natural hair journey, focus on the health of your hair.
3. Sleep With Silk Or Satin
The friction between your hair and a cotton pillowcase can cause dryness and breakage. Sleeping with silk or satin can significantly reduce breakage and help preserve your hairstyle. Before going to bed, be sure to keep your hair covered under a bonnet or pillowcase made of silk or satin.
4. Protein Treatments Are A Game Changer
When it comes to length retention, I noticed the biggest difference when I combined wearing my natural hair in protective styles for longer periods with incorporating protein treatments into my wash day routine every three months. Protein treatments help to strengthen your hair thus making it less prone to breakage and anything that fights off breakage will help retain the length of your hair. My favourite at home protein treatment is the well known rice water treatment because it strengthens your hair, boosts its sheen and is very budget friendly.
5. Be Gentle When Detangling
A lot of us are guilty of being a little too hard handed when it comes to our natural hair, especially during the detangling process. We tug at our hair with our combs and brushes out of frustration and forget that we need to treat our tresses with tender love and care. We experience the most breakage during the detangling process and it can appear as though our hair is not growing or cannot grow past a certain length, when in reality we are just being too rough with our hair. Detangling your hair with the right tools and products should not hurt and if it does, you are probably not being gentle enough. I will suggest you divide your hair in sections and run your fingers through your hair to feel and loosen knots where applicable to detangle the hair before running a comb through it.
6. Trim Your Ends
I know trimming your ends might seem counter-productive especially when trying to grow your hair, but trimming your hair regularly helps to eliminate split ends that can cause further breakage to your hair. Retaining length is not only about stimulating hair growth from your scalp, it is also about ensuring the health of the older parts of your hair which basically include the ends of your hair. I would recommend getting your hair trimmed by professionals at your favourite natural hair salon at least twice a year if your hair goal is length retention.
Natural hair truly is capable of growth and a lot of the time we just do not know how to achieve that growth, but with the right information, hair care routine and patience, your hair can grow to its full potential.
Enough said! I can’t wait to hear your testimonies on how these tips helped in the growth and health of your natural hair because they sure work.
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