Treat your natural black hair right, and you surely would be happy with the end result. Most of us make use of harsh chemicals all in the name of hair treatments, as well as extreme heat that damages our hair. These things not only weaken our hair but reduce their growth potential. Well, that is my hair right there. I mean the one you see on the image above. I am not there yet, but have made significant progress in the last couple of years, and would like to share with you things I have learned about hair treatment.
Choosing the right hair product, according to some popular hair stylists, is one of the steps to grow natural hair faster. And I agree with them. But this is where many women have challenges. However, here are simple tips to grow your natural black American hair quickly. I have been trying them for the past years and you can see the result.
Simple everyday action that can help increase your African American hair
Most of us have attempted different tricks to grow our natural hair better, but didn’t succeed. The resultant effect is sometimes a dry and damaged hair. Our African American hair is delicate. So it is better to use the right product and treatment to prevent causing any regrettable damage. Below are simple everyday things that most of us do that make our hair grow well and look healthy. If you are already doing them, please continue. But if not, then follow them strictly.
Related: How To Grow Long Healthy Hair: 10 Ancient Secrets Africans Swear By
Get a pre-shampoo
Pre-shampoo will help to protect your hair from breakage or getting dry. One of the things you will like about it is the thickness which makes it stick to hair strands, thus protecting them even when the regular shampoo is applied. It is something all African American women need to start using to grow their hair. Though it’s possible to formulate home-made pre-shampoo, buying one already formed is quite easy.
Go for suitable shampoos
The right shampoo is needed for our brittle hair. Using the wrong shampoo (with harsh chemicals) from experience can cause severe damage to our precious hair.
But most of us fall victim to harsh and chemically fortified products that do more harm than good. Most shampoos on the market are too harsh for our hair (African Americans precisely), so it is better to avoid them earlier.
So what is the best thing to do?
- Choose sulfate-free shampoo only
- Use shampoos that contain organic oils. Examples of natural organic oils are argan and jojoba oil. They help to make hair strands soft and effortless to manage.
Always use a conditioner after washing
Recommended: 7 Reasons Why Your Hair Isn’t Growing And How To Fix It
The reason for this is to maintain the natural oil in your hair. Constant washing can reap hair of their natural oil which causes most of our hair to break easily or suffer more damages.
Conditioner helps to soften, nourish and restore natural oil and moisture. For black American hair, it is advisable to opt for products made for our unique kind of hair instead of using general products.
Allow your hair to dry up naturally
You need to limit your use of blow dryers, especially when the heat is high. You can set it to the coldest range or wrap your entire hair with the scarf for it to dry naturally.
The excess heat from the blow dryer weakens our hair and may lead to severe hair damage. But if you are bent on using a blow dryer, the one below should get the job done and allow you to change heat settings with ease.
Things that damage and limit hair growth
Most of our actions make it difficult for our hair to grow properly. Even though we think we are doing it a favor, the reverse is the case. Here are few key factors or things you should never subject your hair to.
Heat treatment
Using heat to style hair is not ideal for your hair. Most of us are guilty of this. We do it often even though we know it has negative effect on our hair in the long run. The idea of using flat irons and blowers regularly should be aborted. The heat from these items cooks and makes hair extremely weak. It causes hair to break easily.
Chemicals
The market is saturated with chemically fortified hair products, with most of them being pocket friendly. Their prices might be tempting but the aftermath of using harsh chemicals on your hair should make you resist the urge to use one. They might enhance the look of your hair but for a while. They will end up destroying your beautiful black hair in the long run. There are budget-friendly organic and natural hair products on the market. Get one of these instead of using chemical products.
Stress
One of the things that should make you avoid stress is your hair health. It is scientifically proven to cause hair loss challenges like Telogen effluvium. Under this condition, hair automatically stops growing. It would start falling out gradually like the person in question is sick.
Choose the right product for your hair type
Being able to identify your hair type is the first step every black American woman looking for the right hair product is expected to take. It will also enable you to take proper care of your hair since you know products more conducive for the hair type you have.
Below are the three hair types;
Blacks with Kinky black hair
Kinky hair is very fragile. And there is a need for you to be extremely careful to avoid breakage or other kinds of damage. These hair types are difficult to manage, and it’s easy to see why. You will notice it shrinks after washing and curls are also very tight. And the reason these hair types are weak is that of the few numbers of cuticle layers present which protects the hair.
Curly Hair
In this hair type, the curls are a bit loose compared to what you may find in the kinky hair type. It also looks a bit springy in appearance. Styling is easy for people with curly hair because it is fine and soft.
Wavy hair
First of all, know that this hair type is so easy when it comes to maintenance. The curls that appear to be in waveforms are large and quite heavy compared to the other hair types. Wavy hair is also not so difficult to style. Let’s say it is between the curly and kinky hair type in comparison.
Wrapping it up
These are steps you can take to grow your natural black American hair. We keep emphasizing black American hair because our hair is very delicate, and needs to be handled with extreme care. Please feel free to try any of these products and leave comments concerning the results to help motivate others. Thanks for reading!