Growing Black Hair - 5 Tips

Texture of hair all depends on your ethnicity. Like everything else that makes each race unique, hair is uppermost on the list. Good hair, bad hair is all relative but normally it is only classified that way among people of the black race. People who are in some way related through their African forebears or the Negro.

I say unique because i don't believe in good hair , bad hair, i just believe in different textures that all require different methods to grow, and maintain. Just because you don't know how to care for hair does not mean you can't learn and it doesn't have to be a loosing battle.

Anything can be learned and mastered! With black hair this is a priority. To grow black hair this is essential. To have well maintained and healthy hair this is not optional.

The issue arises because many of us do not know how to care for black hair. We have no real understanding of what it takes and then we allow others with less knowledge and experience to dictate how we are to treat our own hair.

Even among black people the methods of caring for and growing hair is different. It is not because they are incorrect on how to do it but because people of color all have different textures of hair and even within their own families.

There is nothing but to learn what works for each individual. Some things hinge on a basic understanding of how hair grows but any person that deals with black hair worth a grain of salt, will learn how it works for each individual person. That includes mother's that do their children's hair. It is a lifetime process of trial and error, but some rules are basic.

There are millions, if not billions of dollars spent a year on black hair. There are thousands of options on how to grow healthy black hair, yet most of us who have to deal with black hair everyday are missing some of the most essential information. That the a b c's of caring for black hair are simple.

The confusion is on how these things work and the lies that most of us buy cause us to try multiple products investing money into the next best thing when it may not be the next best thing for us.

Some products are tried and true but are not good for everyone's hair. Manufacturers use the media to spin tales that have little to do with what is good for anyone.

What you need to know

1. When to or how often to wash and dry hair, you know when your hair is dirty

• Water is essential for health that includes hair
• Black hair should only be washed when dirty, that is determined by the person
• Depending on the shampoo used you can end up stripping your hair of necessary oils making it brittle and splitting

2. What about moisturizing, chemically/scientifically blended vs natural oils

• Black hair should always be moisturized, the coarseness tends to drink oil
• Sticking to natural oils like, coconut oil, shea oil and olive oil are best
• Only oil the hair not the scalp

3. Using heat with blow dryers vs air drying

• Air drying is best for natural and relaxed hair
• The least amount of heat you use on your hair is best
• If using a blow dryer - don't dry your hair completely and focus on the roots

4. Natural vs relaxed

• This is a personal choice, but chemically relaxed hair needs a bit more pampering, taking more time to take care of
• Both needs to be conditioned, oiled and washed
• I suggest never relaxing your hair completely straight

5. Don't brush wet hair

• Wet hair is vulnerable to damage, brushing it when it is wet causes breakage
• Don't use a small toothed or close toothed comb, use a large tooth comb and do this in small sections

6. Keep your ends protected

• Split ends and breakage happen when hair ends are left exposed
• Do this as much as possible - tuck your ends in, use styles that do not leave them exposed to the elements
• Trimming your ends is optional, truth is this can promote healthier hair by proactively helping with split end damage, but the amount is up to you, Hair grows about 1/2 inch or so a month and it grows through cycles.

7. Pulling hair too tight, this leads to damaged follicles, and hair growing issues

• Hair bands, elastic and such
• braids or plaits

8. Uses alcohol based gels

• Alcohol dries out hair follicles leave hair brittle
• Don't use anything with alcohol and sulpha products - too much salt

9. The elements

• sun - heat
• cold - dry
• wind - abrasive

10. What you put in your mouth - Food, nutrition is vital. A good diet is essential.

• Vitamins, minerals,
• Fruits, vegetables
• Protein, dairy,
• Drinking water
• Healthy oils

The more natural your choice of products to use on your hair the better. Your inner health has a lot to do with the way your hair grows. Like most things in the human body nothing works separately.

The body and how things grow, work together. Hair is one of those components of the human body that needs nutrition to grow as well.

Trimming is an option depending on the health of your health.

knowing your own texture or grade of hair

Some people have thicker, coarser hair than others which makes taking care of hair, black hair especially a remarkable feat in itself. Learning someone's hair is a life long affair and can never be taken for granted.

The work that goes into caring for hair is challenging, making it a very sticky situation because every time you put your hand to someone's hair you should be thinking in terms of ' this will affect someone's life, how they look, how they feel about themselves and how others preceive them'.

I need to treat their hair as a precious commodity and how "i want to be my best in caring for them and it".

Hair a woman's adornment (some men as well)

I find it interesting how we tend to take hair so seriously. Those who have it complain about the work it takes to keep it and those who don't have it envy those with it, which is why weaves are a billion dollar business.

And it is not just for those with short hair. Women with long hair use weaves and wigs for short hair styles, added length or volume. But women and men use hair to make them look and feel more beautiful.

I don't always agree with the thought that long hair makes a woman beautiful or enviable. Actually i believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder and every person is a glimpse of God's glory. I believe beauty comes from within.

A person's inner beauty lasts longer than a person's physical beauty. Truth is inner beauty gets better with age and experience that is not necessarily so with outer beauty!

Here are the 5 top tips:

1. Wash hair when dirty, this varies for each individual. Two weeks to 4 weeks or longer. some of us can't but think in terms of what you need to have clean hair. Maybe you don't need to use shampoo every time. Why? Because shampoo strips hair of oils as well as dirt.
2. Don't comb hair everyday. For some people this is difficult to do depending on the hair style they have or the work that they do but if you can stay away from combing your hair everyday it allows it to rest.
3. Moisturize, Moisturize with natural oils. Oils that are good for your body nutritional are good for your hair. Oils like coconut, safflower, shea, and olive oil are great. There are others so use what you can afford. Add them to your shampoo, your conditioner and your daily hair oiling routine.
4. Resist using heating gadgets everyday, dryers, flat irons, curling irons and what ever else that generates heat try to cut back on them drastically. Try air drying half of the time.
5. Protecting your ends, split ends lead to hair damage, so try to use styles that keep your ends covered. Using silk wraps and pillow cases help.

Remember:

• Trimming is optional
• Nutrition/Food is vital
• Water is essential

One last thing - hair is an added feature that can enhance a person's beauty, like your eyes, your skin, your mouth, your cheeks, whatever that makes one beautiful, it is best as a whole not separated.

We who use makeup , use it to enhance our beauty, our uniqueness, our differences, that is what makes the world such a wonderful place. The discovery that we are all alike yet different is so mysterious yet exalting!

Truth is we are not the sum of our parts. Plastic surgery is changing that everyday! The sad fact is what we are born with identifies us with our human ancestry. It reflects the creative expression of a awesome designer.

When you look at any individual they are a reminder that we are made in the image of God and a reminder we are created beings glorifying the master of the universe. We are all expressions of an intelligent design.

Wow! that always intrigues me!

So remember you are beautify! Not according to what society says is beautiful or any one dictates is beauty but because you are a masterpiece showing the glory of God and His creativity in the earth.

A unique, one of a kind specimen, a classic couture design.