Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Taking care of your hair to grow it
• Method 2 of 3: Know how fast your hair is growing
• Method 3 of 3: Style your hair as you grow it
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

As a black woman, you may think your hair is too fragile to grow out long. Do not worry. You can get long shiny hair by putting more effort into taking care of your hair.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Taking care of your hair to grow it

1. Moisturize your hair regularly. Frizzy hair often grows curly. These curly roots prevent the natural oils in your hair from sliding down the hair shaft and moisturizing the rest of your hair.
   • Try co-washing. This means that you only wash your hair with conditioner and do not use shampoo. Some women do this weekly and others every 5 days. It is better not to do this on a daily basis, as this can dry out your hair due to residues of hair care products accumulating in the hair. According to some women, washing the hair takes a lot of effort and takes a long time for the hair to dry. Try to condition your hair only once a week and shampoo if necessary. However, do not wait longer than 4 weeks and shampoo your hair at least once a month. Some women wash their hair every day, but only use water.
   • Always use a deep conditioner when you wash your hair. A deep conditioner that contains olive, avocado, or sweet almond oil works well. Try different products and see which product works best for moisturizing your hair. Don't be afraid to use a product that is not specifically designed for frizzy hair.
     • Warm your hair and wear a shower cap while you wait - the heat activates the conditioner. You can sit under a hair dryer or wrap a towel that you've soaked in hot water around your head (just make sure the water isn't hot enough to burn yourself). You can also use your body heat.
     • Avoid getting the deep conditioner on your scalp. The conditioner can clog your pores and cause alopecia, clogged and inflamed hair follicles and hair loss.
2. Apply a moisturizer to your hair. Make sure you use a product without petroleum jelly, petrolatum or mineral oil.
   • Wet your hair with water. Start at a distance of about 2 to 3 inches from your roots and apply the moisturizing agent up to your ends.
   • Hydrate your hair daily or as needed so that your hair feels soft and flexible. You may have to experiment a bit to find out what works best for you.
   • Make sure the moisture stays in your hair. You can do this by applying a natural oil such as coconut oil or olive oil immediately after using the moisturizing agent (this can also be water). So it can also work to just apply oil to damp hair. Apply the oil one batch at a time as it is easier.
3. Squeeze the excess water from your hair with a microfiber towel. If you have a terry cloth towel, do not iron it over your hair or it will catch strands of hair on the rough fabric of the towel. When you move your hand down you will hear a lot of snapping noises, which means that you are breaking hair. To use a terry cloth towel, grab a section of hair and hold it with the towel over your hand. Squeeze the section of hair. You should now feel the towel getting wet. Do not let the towel slide off the strand, just let go of the strand.
4. Comb your hair gently. By combing your hair a lot you can remove the protective layer from your hair.
   • Comb your hair with a wide tooth comb. Divide your hair into several sections. Start combing at the ends and work your way up to the roots.
   • Don't be afraid to put the comb down every now and then. Sometimes you will have to use your fingers and manually untangle your hair if you encounter a knot or if the strand is very frizzy. If you can't get a knot out of your hair, soften your hair with water or leave-in conditioner to help untangle the knot. If you still can't untangle the knot after that, cut it out of your hair with a good pair of hairdressing scissors.
   • If you want to smooth your hairline brush your hair gently with a soft boar bristle hairbrush. If your hair stays up or curls up along the hairline, try getting your hairline wet and covering your head with a scarf or do-rag. Let your hair dry until it is flat.
   • See if it is best to do this when your hair is completely dry and moisturized or if it is better to detangle your hair wet. You may find that your hair breaks off very quickly or you can easily pull it out by the roots of your scalp when it is dry.
5. Nourish your hair from within by taking multivitamins. Use vitamins that are specially designed for your hair and that make your hair grow faster and make the natural anaganese (growth phase) longer.
6. Learn healthy habits.
   • Drink at least eight glasses of water and eat healthy foods such as fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts.
   • Exercise regularly to improve blood flow to your scalp.
   • Control stress by doing relaxation exercises and meditating. Stress can cause your hair to fall out.

Method 2 of 3: Know how fast your hair is growing

1. If you start with shaved hair, expect it to take one to a year and a half to have shoulder-length hair. Frizzy hair grows just as quickly as other types of hair. If you take good care of your hair, your hair will grow about 13 millimeters per month.
2. Wait another 6 to 15 months for your hair to reach your underarms.
3. Wait another 9 to 18 months for your hair to reach your bra straps. It will take about 3 years for your hair to be that long.
4. Expect it to take 3 to 4 years for your hair to reach your waist. How fast the hair grows differs from person to person. Avoid comparing yourself to others as you will only get frustrated. Just keep taking good care of your hair and be patient. In the end you will see results.

Method 3 of 3: Style your hair as you grow it

1. Choose protective hairstyles so that you don't have to constantly re-style your hair. Twists and bananas are examples of suitable hairstyles.
   • Braid: make a simple braid on top of your head and tie it at the end. You can also wear a hair band.
   • Twists: divide your hair into rows. Then divide each row into 2 separate sections.
     • Start at your hairline and wrap the 2 sections in the first row around each other.
     • Keep twisting your hair as you work your way towards the back of your head, picking up a little more hair each time.
   • Banana nuts: Divide your damp hair into sections and use a comb to create precise partings.
     • Twist each section of hair into a kind of long cord and apply gel or pomade into your hair while twisting. Keep your hair taut until you've twisted the entire section into a cord.
     • Twist the cord a few more times until it starts to curl up on its own. You will then get a solid spiral at the bottom.
     • Wrap the cord around the spiral to make a bun. You can secure the bun by tucking the end under the rest of the bun, or by using pins or hair ties.
   • Be careful and watch out for traction alopecia. Over-styling your hair puts constant pressure on the hair follicles, which can cause your hair to break and leave you with bald spots. The first sign is often pain in the affected area and inflamed hair follicles, which feel like bumps. If you have inflamed hair follicles, loosen your hair and let your hair breathe.
   • Take good care of your hair while wearing it in a protective hairstyle. Your hair will still dry out and your scalp could use some attention too. Grab a spray bottle, fill it with water, aloe vera juice and some natural oils (opt for oils that moisturize your hair) and spray the mixture all over your hair. If you have enough time, keep your head under the showerhead when getting ready for your day and let your hair air dry for the rest of the day. If you wear your hair in a protective style for a long time, you can also wash it with conditioner alone. You may need a special bottle with a spout to get under your braids or buns.
2. Choose natural hair. You can get beautiful natural hair if you know what you are doing. To straighten your natural hair and protect it from heat at the same time, blow dry your hair with a comb attachment on the wet setting. Then treat it briefly with a flat iron.
3. Get a Brazilian keratin treatment. With that, you get straight hair and get rid of your curls without using chemicals. Your hair stays smooth for 1 day to 6 months. Frizzy hair is washed less often, so your hair stays straight longer than the specified time.
4. Use a relaxer if you don't want natural hair. Straighten your hair only once every 8 to 10 weeks, or 4 to 5 times a year. A relaxer contains harsh chemicals that can damage your hair. It is good not to use such a remedy too often so that you do not treat the same part of your hair twice.
   • Start by applying a protectant or petroleum jelly to your scalp and hair shaft. Apply the relaxer to your roots according to the directions on the package. Do not allow the product to act for longer than recommended on the packaging.
   • Wash the relaxer from your hair with warm water and a neutralizing shampoo. Wash and rinse your hair 3 times. The fourth time, leave the shampoo on for about 10 minutes before rinsing your hair for the last time.
5. Use a protein mask after using relaxer. Shampoo and relaxer remove nutrients and protective films from and from your hair, leaving your hair dry and fragile. A protein mask helps prevent damage and makes your hair stronger.
6. Get your ends cut every 8 weeks or every time you get your hair straightened. If you have split ends and don't get them cut, your hair will split even further upwards, which can cause it to break. To keep your hair growing steadily, do not cut more than 1 to 2 inches off your hair at a time.

Tips

• Wrap a scarf around your hair to protect your hair at night. If the scarf slips quickly, you can also sleep on a satin pillowcase.
• Comb your hair gently.
• Make sure you have a healthy scalp.
• Do not use hot aids such as a flat iron, curling iron, hair rollers, etc.
• Treating your hair twice a month with a protein-rich product and a deep conditioner will help keep hair healthy and grow long.
• Let your hair air dry instead of blow drying it. Blow-drying your hair will make it even warmer and combing can break your hair.
• Come up with a simple hair care routine and start with it step by step.
• Keep a hair diary. Sometimes you forget which resources work and which don't. In a hair diary you can easily look up what you did with your hair last time and how your hair felt.
• Try to use a sulfate-free shampoo on shampoo days.
• Try to get your ends cut every 2 to 3 months instead of every 6 to 8 weeks. The most important thing is to keep your hair long.

Warnings

• Do not apply heavy oils, grease and gel to your hair. Gel often hardens your hair, causing it to break. Heavy oils and grease ensure that your hair has less volume and less movement. They also prevent moisture from penetrating the hair shaft. So stick to light, natural oils.
• Do not use hair care products that contain alcohol. Read the list of ingredients and see if you see these words:
  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Propylene glycol
  • Mineral oil or petroleum
  • Sodium dodecyl sulfate
  • Sodium lauryl ether sulfate
  • Chlorine
  • Diethanolamine (DEA)
  • Ethanolamine
  • Triethanolamine
  • Imidazolidinyl urea
  • DMDM hydantoin

Necessities

• Conditioner for daily use
• Deep conditioner
• Light conditioner with proteins
• Shampoo (sulfate-free or not)
• Dryer hood or hot towel
• Shower cap
• Hair dryer with comb attachment
• Flat iron
• Agent that protects the scalp
• Neutralizing shampoo
• Keratin treatment / protein mask
• Moisturizing agent
• Leave-in conditioner
• Soft hairbrush
• Coarse comb
• Multivitamins
• Folic Acid
• Device to massage the scalp