Growing black hair longer or fuller requires some time and effort. Afro-textured hair is often prone to breakage and dryness because hair strands may curl or coil over each other. Black women who want to grow their hair longer need to focus on moisturizing, minimizing breakage and keeping the ends intact.
Keep Your Hair Conditioned
Conditioning and moisturizing your hair may not increase the rate of black hair growth, but it will help you retain the length that you do grow. Always apply a light conditioner to black hair after a shampoo to help prevent dryness or split ends. Condition your hair with a deep conditioning commercial product twice per week. According to author Cathy Howse of UltraBlackHair.com, moisturizing treatments are necessary to maintain black hair.
Stimulate Scalp
Scalp stimulation helps to increase blood flow to your scalp and hair follicles. The increased circulation helps provide nourishment to hair follicles and may improve the rate of hair growth. Always be gentle when massaging your scalp. Only use the tips of your fingers in circular patterns to gently move the scalp. Black hair tends to be quite fragile, so avoid tangling or breaking hair strands.
Eat Healthier
Black women can improve hair growth by eating a nutrient-dense diet. Although all hair types need protein, iron and vitamins A and B are especially important for the growth and maintenance of fragile black hair. Iron and B vitamins help improve the oxygenation and circulation of the scalp.
Start With Healthy Ends
For most healthy black women, length retention, rather than actual hair growth, is the most pressing issue. If you do not maintain the health and integrity of the ends of your hair, there won't be much visible length gain. While trimming black hair won't make it grow faster, having your stylist get rid of damage at the beginning will eventually help you retain the inches you grow later.
Considerations
Chemical hair straighteners, coloring or heated styling tools can quickly destroy months of hair growth progress for black women. If possible, try to wear hairstyles that don't require the use of flat irons or hot curlers. According to DailyGlow.com, if your hair is extremely dry or prone to breakage, try using hair clarifying treatments or mild shampoos to gently remove product build up. If you do choose to use chemical hair straighteners, never reapply the product to hair that has been previously treated.
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