Black and Natural Hair: 5 Tips For Longer Hair

Everyone wants longer natural hair.  Take a look at a few reasons you might be holding yourself back from your natural hair goal.

1. You ignore breakage.

Chances are, your hair natural hair isn’t longer is that you have split ends which are breaking off your hair at the same rate as it is growing.  The only reasonable thing to do is to trim your hair (2-3 inches). While it is not possible to fully eliminate breakage entirely, it is possible to reduce it to a minimal level by being very gentle, choosing  gentle detangling methods and being patient when handling your hair.

2. Over-manipulation

Find a happy medium with your hair.  Once out of your natural transition, puffs and afros are addictive. They are simple and cute but they are styles that may cause hair to tangle, knot and break.  Keeping a protective style in for too long isn’t great either. The time and effort required to unravel the strands and remove lint can cause a lot of damage.  How do you know your hair is over- manipulated? The top signs are breakage, tangling and knotting.

3. You are still hunting for that magic product

There are no magic products.  There are people who have seemingly terrible product choices but great natural hair and vice versa.  Most hair products only mask damage, so you want to prevent damage in the first place. You and your  hair handling methods are the most important tools, over and above  products.

4. You are following someone else’s natural hair regimen

Never ever make the mistake of not listening to your hair.  If someone swears by a certain technique, that does not mean it will for you.  There is nothing wrong with experimenting with any method, product or routine. There is something wrong with failing to see that it is not working for your hair. Always pay attention to if your hair breaks or feels less than ideal.

5. You are using too much heat

Length retention has a huge mechanical component to it. Heat ultimately degrades hair. For some people, regular heat use is not a problem as their hair is able to cope, but for others, even slight heat is an issue.  The finer and kinkier your natural hair, the less likely it is to take a lot of heat.  Learn how your hair behaves and don’t choose style or ease above hair health. Also, consider heat free methods such as curl formers, braids/twists or banding.

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