- Black hair, like other types of hair, grows an average of a 1/2 inch per month. Some people think their hair grows more slowly than this because the coily nature of black hair makes it harder to see that it's growing. The hair shrinks up and doesn't show its real length unless its stretched out.
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Chemically relaxed hair will show its length more readily because it's straightened. This mistakenly makes some people believe that relaxers make the hair grow; this isn't true. It's simply the straighter nature of chemically processed hair that makes growth more apparent.
Natural black hair can shrink up quite a bit; hair that's actually shoulder length may coil up to a few inches. To showcase growth, you can style natural hair in ways that stretch it out like braids and twists. It will still shrink, but you'll be able to see your length more easily. -
You can help promote healthy growth with a few techniques.
First, always treat black hair with gentle care. Don't pull tightly or tug on hair. When detangling (especially natural hair), do it in the shower while hair is saturated with a moisturizing conditioner. Begin combing at the ends of the hair and work your way up to the scalp. By starting at the ends, you minimize pulling on tangles. Don't brush hair when it's wet; it's very fragile and can weaken and break.
One of the keys to good black hair growth is keeping moisture in the hair. Cover your hair at night with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet. Your hair glides against these materials instead of getting caught on them, as it does with cotton pillow cases.
Don't use a lot of heat on black hair, whether it's relaxed or natural. Too much heat styling (from blow dryers, curling irons and flat irons) dries out the hair and leads to split ends and breakage. Air dry the hair when possible and use low heat dryers with diffuser attachments when you have to dry in a hurry.
Setting options that don't rely on heat include wet sets on magnetic rollers and wet wrapping with setting mousse, lotion or foam.
Trim the ends of your hair as needed. The less you manipulate your hair, the less often you'll need to trim dry ends. If your ends are split, they need to be trimmed right away so that they don't work their way up your hair shaft, causing more damage. Trim a 1/2 inch off the ends every few months.
