How to Grow African American Hair from Your Neck to Your Lower Back

If you have chemically treated hair or have just started getting perms/relaxers, this article is a must read to help you grow your hair past the nape of your neck. Today, the majority of African American or Black women have chemically relaxed hair. This statement is made not to diminish the increase of African American women choosing to go natural. However, there remains a disconcerting truth that many African American or Black women continue to place an extensive amount of heat and chemicals on their hair. As a result, African American women find their hair looking and feeling “nice” for 1-2 weeks after their salon visit. Nevertheless, when they cannot reach their hair stylist or make it to the salon, African American women notice that their hair is dry, brittle, or shows signs of split ends. The excessively hot black hair straightening appliances, as well as the chemically based salon hair care products, ravage their African American hair. Why? Because African American hair requires more moisture, especially if it has been chemically relaxed for years and has weaker sulfur bonds. After getting their hair fried, died, and laid to the side, African American women discover that their hair is fried, has died, and has thinning sides --- not to mention split ends.
To grow long and strong African American hair, especially relaxed hair, you must keep the moisture content of your hair above 15% percent. The average person’s hair moisture content ranges between 8% to 10%. Yet, due to the styling techniques used on African American hair everyday, such as curling irons, blow dryers, etc… African Americans’ hair moisture content usually falls much lower than the 8% range. This leads to breakage and dryness and makes it difficult for African American hair to grow beyond the nape of the neck. To combat this and increase moisture, African Americans desiring longer hair must start using natural hair care products high in natural oils, that keep African American hair moisturized. Why can’t you just use regular synthetic hair care products? Because once your hair attempts to grow past your neck or shoulders, it becomes extremely difficult for the ends of African American hair to obtain the natural oils and essential fatty acids it needs to stay moisturized and grow. Using natural hair care products counteracts this, doing for African American hair what vitamins and supplements do for the body. Natural hair care products provide vital nutrients to the hair shaft and scalp that it would not normally receive.
Here are the Best Steps to Grow Your African American Hair from Your Neck to Your Butt. I only recommend the products that I have tried or used on my clients and seen results, which are Ojon, Beauty 4 Ashes, and Carol’s Daughter.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Time
• Quality Hair Care Products
• Vitamins
• Water

1. Step #1: Start using all natural hair care products that are loaded with essential fatty acids. The best is Beauty 4 Ashes GodHead™. Silky Smooth Shampoo and conditioner. All Beauty 4 Ashes products work particularly well to restore damaged or dry hair, because Beauty 4 Ashes products are filled with essential fatty acids, Omega 3, Omega 6, and great natural oils like jojoba, olive, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and wheat germ. wwwdiscoverb4acom

2. Step #2: Start eating a diet that is rich is essential fatty acids. The main components of all fats are the fatty acids which might be saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Saturated and monounsaturated fats are not necessary in the diet as they can be made in the human body. However, two polyunsaturated fatty acids that cannot be made in the body, that are critical to growing African American hair beyond the neck line, are linoleic acid, in the Omega 3 family; and alpha-linolenic acid, in the Omega 6 family. To get Omega 3 and 6, they must be in your diet. Here are some easy ways to include Omega 3 and 6 in your African American Hair Care Diet
   
   Great Linoleic Acid (Omega 6 family) foods sources: Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Grains, Seeds
   
   Great Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Omega 3 family) foods sources: Flax seeds, Mustard seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Green leafy vegetables

3. Step # 3: Keep your hair moisturized. Shampoo and condition your hair more often, using only quality products. I seen and smelled the horror of what washing one’s hair once a month can do. Depending on how thick your hair is, once a month washings can to scalp irritations and poor circulation. Unwashed hair can also be a breeding paradise for lice, bugs, and other creatures that land on your hair and lay eggs without you knowing. After you wash you hair, always follow up with a quality hair lotion like Carols Daughter Hair Milk or Beauty 4 Ashes Puritea TeaRific Ten hair lotion to combat dryness to your African American hair.

4. Step #4: Begin giving yourself home hot oil treatments. Do this by placing a mixture of olive oil and safflower oil into a small bowl, then heating it for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. Divide your hair into even parts and use your fingertips to apply the warm oil.

5. Step # 5: Treat your African American hair with love. Keep your hair in less stressful styles that require less pulling. Limit the amount of heat and chemicals you place on your hair. Try getting relaxers less often.
   If you follow these tips, your Black hair will grow, these tips even work for men who have braids or fros and desperately want their hair growth to go to the next level.

[-sonjiamarie]

on 10/10/2009 my hair is to my upper back and i'm going 2 try 2 follow these intructions..good advice!

[cwillsitcgetsit]

on 7/25/2009 Great advice. I started using organic hair products in the beg. of jan and my hair has shown significant improvement. Thanks for the product suggestions as well. I most def. will try that hot oil treatment. plz read and rate my article on aa hair health and growth http://www.ehow.com/how_5187100_thin-american-hair-healthy-long.html

[ngredients]

on 6/5/2009 You have to also remember that genetics is an important factor in the lengths your hair will grow. Many of us can achieve healthy beautiful hair but it may not be flowing down our backs. To make sure that your hair reaches its full potential visit www.n-gredients.comLove is Life,C

[TaniasPage]

on 3/28/2009 This is a great article, i have reccently started using a natural protein treatment that helps the hair grow, but moisturizing is important with this process especially for african american hair. 5*

[Alisiane]

on 11/23/2008 This is such a mysterious and dedication requiring process...thanks for sharing your personal tips on the subject :-)