How to Produce Faster Hair Growth on Afro Hair

Growing textured hair takes patience and dedication

Growing African American, black or textured hair to great lengths requires patience, dedication and access to proper hair care techniques. Though physical hair composition is similar across races and cultures, those with textured hair types have unique hair care needs to consider. Unfortunately, hair care research and resources for the textured hair community have been lacking, and the lack of knowledge regarding textured hair care has adversely affected generations of women of color. The steps in this article will provide a basic strategy for producing faster hair growth results for your Afro-textured hair:

Things You'll Need

• o Sulfate-free shampoo
• o Moisturizing deep conditioner
• o Protein Reconstructor
• o Water-based moisturizer
• o Oil
• o Protective hairstyle
• o Satin hair covering, scarf or pillow.

Instructions

1. 

   Wash your hair once a week, with a sulfate-free shampoo. Rinse your hair thoroughly with warm water to lift and release any residues and debris. Gently work a quarter-size amount of sulfate-free shampoo through the hair. Rinse with warm water.

   Most shampoos contain sodium lauryl sulfate and other sulfate detergents that are too harsh for fragile, textured hair. The sulfates in shampoos work by stripping oils, debris and residue from the hair shaft; however, textured hair requires minor lubrication in order to remain pliable enough to resist breakage. Sulfate-free shampoos will cleanse the hair but will leave the strands feeling conditioned, not "stripped." Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo, Elucence Moisture Balancing Shampoo and Crème of Nature shampoo are great examples of super moisturizing, sulfate-free shampoos.

2. Deep condition your hair with a moisturizing deep conditioner once a week.
   Apply deep conditioner to your hair starting at the ends, concentrating the product along the lower 3 to 4 inches. Cover your hair with a plastic cap. Allow the conditioner to remain on your hair for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing. Switch your moisturizing deep conditioner with your protein reconstructor to strengthen and fortify your hair one week out of each month. Deep conditioning under a hooded dryer produces the best conditioning results.

   Great moisturizing conditioners to consider are Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner and KeraCare Humecto Conditioner. Good protein reconstructors for textured hair are Aphogee Treatment for Damaged Hair and Joico K-Pak Reconstructor.

3. 

   Detangle your hair and apply a nickel-size amount of water-based moisturizer to the length of your strands. A water-based moisturizer is any hair product, cream or dressing that contains water as a first ingredient. The best moisturizers will not contain petrolatum or mineral oil. Profectiv® and Organic Root Stimulator® produce quality water-based moisturizers for textured hair types.

4. 

   Apply a pea-sized amount of oil to your hair to help seal in your moisturizer. To evenly and lightly distribute the oil to your ends, rub the oil in your hands first to create a thin coating on your palms. Olive oil and Coconut oil are excellent choices for increasing textured hair growth.

5. 

   Wear your hair in a protective style such as a bun or rollerset. Buns and rollersets protect the precious ends of the hair from manipulation and breakage. The better you are able to retain the ends of the hair, the faster your hair will grow and gain additional length.

6. 

   Protect your hair nightly by wrapping your hair up in a satin or silk headscarf or covering. A satin pillow will also protect your hair at night. This slippery covering is preferable to cotton bandanas, which will zap precious moisture from your hair strands. Satin will also fight breakage and damaging friction from rubbing by allowing your hair to slip freely across your pillow as you toss and turn.

Tips & Warnings

• o Reduce heat use from curling irons, flat irons and blow dryers to achieve faster hair growth. o Cut down on your overall manipulation of the hair. Overaggressive combing and harsh brushing will damage the hair. The less combing and handling you do, the less damage to your precious strands. Avoid brushing wet hair. o Avoid tight hair styles and styles that do not allow you to access your hair on a weekly basis. This includes weaves and braids. Often women of color will move toward these styles to "give the hair a break." However, the hair still needs to be conditioned on a regular basis to maintain its strength. o Invest in quality hair tools. Look for sturdy combs with little to no seams running along the teeth. These seams will snag the hair and damage it. Toss out old flat irons with uneven or unsmooth plates. If you chemically relax your hair, seek out quality, professional relaxer systems, not drug store brands.

References

• Avlon: The Science of Hair Care
• Building a Hair Regimen that Works for Faster Hair Growth
• Protective Styling for Faster Hair Growth

Resources

• Counteracting the Effects of Sulfate Shampoos