How to Help the Hair Grow Longer
Your hair grows out of your scalp at a rate of 1/2 inch per month. You might not see your hair lengthen, though, if your hair breaks off. In order to have longer hair, you must baby it, especially your hair ends. Obstacles to growing your hair longer include excessive heat, a poor diet, harmful hair products, improper use of tools and lack of information. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Hair moisturizer
- Jojoba oil (optional)
- Protein hair reconstructor
- Body-art henna (optional)
- Silk or satin pillowcases
- Silk or satin scarf (optional)
- Silk or satin hair bonnet (optional)
- Professional hair scissors
- Protein-rich foods
- Sulfur-rich foods
Instructions
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Wash your hair every three to four days using shampoo diluted with water. Washing your hair often keeps your hair moisturized. Diluted shampoo helps to prevent further drying of your hair from any chemicals the shampoo might contain.
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Keep the ends of your hair, the last 3 to 4 inches, well moisturized by applying a natural substance, such as jojoba oil, to your fingers and smoothing it on them. Although all of your hair needs regular moisturizing, the ends of your hair are the oldest part of your hair and dry out first. African-American hair ends dry out faster since it takes more time for the sebum, the natural oil your scalp produces, to leave your scalp and reach your hair ends because of the natural curl pattern.
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Strengthen your hair once or twice a month using a protein hair conditioner or natural henna. Natural henna, which includes body art henna, comes from a Middle Eastern tree or shrub and contains protein. Powdered henna mixed with water safely coats each of your hair strands, making your hair stronger and thicker. Henna also produces a reddish-brown dye if you allow it to sit mixed with water overnight, otherwise henna will not deposit color on your hair.
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Air dry your hair rather than use a blow dryer. Blow dryers can cause serious damage to your hair and hair ends. The heat can cause your hair ends to split, weakening the ends you want to save as well as the entire strands. Air dry your hair overnight to save time.
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Dry your hair on the lowest or cool setting of your hair dryer if you have no time to air dry your hair. These cooler settings take a little longer, but they save your hair from heat damage.
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Sleep on pillows covered with satin or silk. Satin and silk pillowcases keep your hair moisturized and allow your hair to glide across the pillow surface. Cotton and cotton-blend fabrics pull on your hair, causing breakage. If you do not have silk or satin pillowcases, think about wearing a bonnet or scarf to bed, made of silk or satin.
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Cut split ends, also called "dusting," regularly. Trimming your hair is not always necessary if you have healthy hair. Dust your hair using quality, professional hair scissors. If you need to trim your hair, trim about every three months or have a professional hair stylist who specializes in long hair trim your hair.
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Increase the protein and sulfur in your diet. Made primarily of keratin, a tough, sulfur-containing protein, your hair will thrive when you add more protein and sulfur to your diet. Add foods such as eggs, salmon, poultry, garlic, onions, tofu, sea vegetables, spirulina and protein powder to help your hair grow longer.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the ends of your hair from drying out by tucking them into hairstyles such as buns, braids and French twists.
If you shed more than the usual 100 strands of hair per day, consult your doctor to see if you have an iron deficiency, also known as anemia. If you have anemia, your doctor will recommend iron supplements, vitamin C and a diet rich in iron.
Do not take iron supplements unless recommended by your doctor. Too much iron in your body can cause health problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, cardiovascular disease and death in children 6 years old and younger.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you might have a low red-blood-cell count. You must produce a normal amount of red blood cells for health and to nourish your scalp and hair.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit my long hair image by Frenk_Danielle Kaufmann from Fotolia.com
