7 Reasons Why Your Hair Isn’t Growing And How To Fix It

Not too long ago, everyone believed growing longer natural hair was nearly impossible. Women with kinky curly hair either resorted to texture manipulation or synthetic attachments to have long hair. Due to our African genes, the growth phase for kinky curly hair is usually short. Because of this, it may seem like your natural African hair can’t grow long but it can and it is. Many believe that African hair is coarse and therefore strong. However, the opposite is the case. Because of the curly texture of African hair, it is harder for moisture to travel from the scalp to the hair than it is for straight hair. Although this is a problem, it doesn’t mean you cannot have long hair with African textures.

Hair is made up of a protein called keratin and has no reparative qualities. Your hair is not alive and thus can’t be healthy on its own. Added to the extra attention needed for African hair types, you will have to put some work into haircare to get the long natural hair you desire. If you’ve noticed that your natural hair isn’t growing fast and you want that to change, you’re in the right place. Here are 10 reasons why this problem might persist and some tips on how you can fix it.

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1. You Are Not Eating The Right Things

The food you eat directly affects the strength of your hair and its optimal rate of growth. Vitamins and minerals are essential for your hair, and not having enough of them will hinder hair growth. When your body notices a deficiency, it automatically distributes the available vitamins and minerals to the more important organs, thus, leaving your hair without the essential things needed for its growing longer natural hair.

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To prevent this from happening, you need to have a proper diet that provides enough vitamins such as Vitamin B, B2, and D, and minerals like iron and zinc. If you still feel like your natural hair isn’t growing at a good rate, consult with your doctor to see if you can take vitamin and mineral supplements for hair growth.

2. You Are Stressed

I cannot stress (pun intended) on this point enough, but too much stress can harm your body and subsequently, your hair. When your body, mind, or emotions are under tension, it causes an imbalance of hormones that can, in turn, slows hair growth.

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Stress-busting activities such as walking, yoga, and meditation, when practiced regularly, can reduce tension and in so doing, help your hair grow.

3. You’re Not Taking Care Of Your Scalp

One vital necessity for growing long natural hair is taking care of your scalp. Often, when we are growing our hair, we tend to focus only on the tresses and forget to take care of our scalps. Hair grows out of the follicles in your scalp. Not taking proper care of your scalp can cause those follicles to fill up with dirt and dead skin cells, hampering hair growth. Proper scalp care prevents this from occurring and gives you a better chance at growing longer hair. Taking care of your scalp is not very difficult and can be done easily at home.

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Mix 1 tablespoon each of coconut oil, almond oil, macadamia nut oil, and jojoba oil. Apply the mixture to your scalp properly and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. After that, wash your hair with a silicon-free shampoo and conditioner to get your scalp and hair follicles clean and healthy.

4. You’re Using The Wrong Hair Care Products

Have you ever taken the time to read what ingredients your shampoo contains? If not, then you are making a big mistake. Many shampoos and conditioners contain silicon which makes your hair look shiny. However, silicon blocks nutrients from getting into your scalp and hair and makes your hair dull over time.

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The next time you buy a shampoo or conditioner for your natural hair, do your research and make sure to get products that don’t have silicone in them. There are many quality hair care products made for kinky curly hair. You can also opt for natural African cleansing products for optimal but safe scalp cleaning.

5. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Moisturizing your hair strands is important but moisturizing your whole body from the inside is also critical to growing long natural hair. Just like the point about eating right above, you need to feed your body enough water so your natural tresses can stay moisturized. Ignoring this problem will leave you with dry and brittle hair that splits and breaks easily.

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In addition to taking enough vitamins and minerals in your diet, make sure to drink a lot of water. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day is one of the easiest ways to hydrate yourself and your hair. This internal moisture will service the hair follicles, reduce breakage, and foster hair growth.

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6. You’re Not Trimming

I know we’re talking about how to grow long natural hair so this point might seem out of place. However, periodic trimming of your hair is very helpful for proper hair growth. This is because the ends of your hair occasionally begin to split since they are so old. You might think you’re retaining length by avoiding a trim. However, on the contrary, the split ends will keep growing worse and causing more damage the longer they remain attached to the rest of your hair.

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As a rule of thumb, trim about half an inch off your ends every 12 to 16 weeks. This will help get rid of split ends, which can end up breaking your hair strands completely if not taken care of in time.

7. You’re Over-Manipulating Your Hair And Using Too Much Heat

Let’s face it. While styling your hair with straighteners and curlers might give you the look you desire, the heat your hair receives from them can be damaging. Constantly using these heat operated tools for styling will strip your hair of its natural oils. This will cause your hair to break severely until you don’t notice growth when it happens. Apart from heat styling, overusing certain hairstyles and over-manipulating your hair is very damaging to natural hair.

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Don’t tightly pull your hair in one direction for months on end. This will cause the edges to frail and break off. Try to leave your hair alone sometimes instead of touching and over-styling always. Learn some protective styles to help keep your hair secure and out of reach from your touch. In addition to these, opt for air-drying and heatless styling and only use heat in emergencies.

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Bottom Line

If you are guilty of some or all of these hair care blunders, you know why you’re not enjoying long natural hair. Now that you’re aware of the problem, follow the tips, and you will see a turnaround in a couple of weeks. Your hair and scalp will be healthier, hair growth will improve significantly, and hair breakage will drastically reduce.