Happy Monday Curlfriends!!
Over the weekend I decided to do a random length check because I felt my hair was a bit longer than it was when I checked it in the beginning of last month and it turns out I was right! The pic from this month isn't level to the pic from last month so the difference isn't as great as it seems but by the placement of my finger, you can see it's lower on my nose. =D I haven't taken any growth supplements or vitamins yet (I plan to start in June) and my hair is still flourishing at it's own pace! So here's some tips that I've found helpful in keeping my hair healthy and retaining length!
1. Utilize Protective Styling.
From my first BC in 2010 I learned that protective styling was very important to keeping my hair from breaking. It helped me keep my hands out of my hair minimizing stress and friction on my hair strands. It also kept my ends tucked away in most cases, protecting them from being dry and brittle and losing moisture.
2. Deep Conditioning goes a long way!
When I was relaxed I'd only get a deep condition when I got a touch up or my next relaxer and I loved a good deep condition but now that I'm natural??? I realize it's a pretty good idea to deep condition with every wash! As long as you're balancing with a protein treatment when needed, deep conditioning won't harm but only help to keep hair moisturized, soft and supple. However, if your aren't balancing with a protein treatment, your hair will feel gummy from over conditioning which can cause more damage then you intended.
3. Hair is protein, you NEED protein!
As I said in the last tip you MUST balance between moisture (dep conditioning) and protein! Protein treatments keep your hair strong and help to strengthen the strand's ability to retain moisture therefore keeping the hair soft, moisturized and easier to manage. As with deep conditioning, if you're only doing the one process you'll cause more damage. If you're only using protein conditioners or treatments your hair will become dry, brittle and will easily break.
4. Handle with care.
Being rough when handling your hair is NOT the way to go! You must be gentle at all times. Our hair is naturally fragile and when we handle it roughly we're only making things worse. A good note is checking the condition of your fingernails. Make sure you have not snags, hangnails or chipped nail polish. I've snagged my hair a number of times before I realized my nails were in bad shape for hair handling.
5. Hot Oil Treatments!
There's nothing like a good hot oil treatment. It helps to lubricate dry, flaky, itchy scalp as well as hair strands. A good hot oil treatment will help minimize friction between hair strands resulting in less knotting and breakage. I try to do one once a month or more (in the winter).
6. Say NO to heat!
Heat in nature is drying and direct heat in the hair is a strain no matter how much you try to protect the hair. (In my experience) I currently use NO heat in my regimen. After my first BC I straightened my hair every 6 months with little hair damage but I still had to put work in to make my hair feel as it did before applying heat. I'm noticing a no hear regimen us working a lot better for me!
7. Be Patient.
I often talk about our mindset toward our hair. It can get frustrating when your hair is shorter than the girl with 3c hair who did her BC 2 months after you did..lol BUT stay patient, have fun and love YOUR hair and YOUR journey through it all. You'll see results and you'll know when you're getting it right for YOU!
Love you much for reading!!
