How to Promote Natural Hair Growth in 8 Simple Steps

Have you ever caught yourself saying, ‘I would have loved to have long hair, but mine doesn’t grow long’? Well, we are here to tell you that it is false because every hair grows.

The journey of growing your natural hair can be very daunting. From the numerous dos and don’ts to the information overload and sometimes disappointments especially when your routine does not work, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and down.

This is why we bring you this article to help navigate your way on this journey to increased natural hair growth.

With these simple basic steps that we have outlined, you are sure to be on your way to having a long healthy natural hair.

1. Scalp Care

Trying to grow your natural hair would be extremely difficult if you neglect your scalp. When you take care of your scalp, you are essentially ensuring that blood and nutrients can easily flow to the hair follicle, which promotes healthy hair growth and minimizes hair loss.

To care for your scalp, firstly start with keeping it clean. When you have hair products, dirt, and oil building up around your follicle opening, which is where your hair grows out of, that buildup starts to slowly suffocate your hair root causing inflammation, poor hair growth quality and in some cases, a chronically inflamed scalp which can lead to hair loss.

Ensure you have regular scalp washing with gentle massages at least once in a week. It helps greatly to increase the flow of blood, relieve stress, and stimulate hair follicles. You can also add oils like coconut oil or olive oil before shampooing to make detangling easier.

Pay attention to the hair products you use for washing your scalp. Some ingredients there can cause micro-abrasions, which can lead to inflammation of the scalp, harmful bacteria and fungi colonization, and eventual hampering of hair growth.

The use of oil or hair mask with scalp-stimulating ingredients like peppermint, tea tree, or citrus-based oils help increase circulation and decongest scalp.

2. Good Wash Routine

When washing or getting ready for your hair wash, the following tips have been proven to help in ensuring hair growth:

• Use the right shampoo– Some shampoos contain sulfates and harsh chemicals that are harmful to the hair growth process. The main purpose of shampoo is to wash away dirt, so it is important to use a shampoo with beneficial ingredients that will gently cleanse and nourish your hair without causing any harm.
• Loading up on the conditioner– The conditioner is your best friend and should not be skipped during wash day especially if you want to grow your natural hair fast. The conditioner lovely ingredients help prevent breakage and split ends, which basically is your first defense against breakage.
• Use of cold water to wash your hair– It helps lay down the outer layer of your hair more smoothly, eventually preventing moisture loss, snags, and heat damage.
• Drying your hair with a microfiber towel or a t-shirt – Regular bath towels are rough on the hair and can cause breakage and split ends.
• Ensure deep conditioning – Incorporating deep conditioner into your hair routine will help you to nourish and strengthen the hair, which is essential for promoting natural hair growth.

3. Keeping Your Hair Moisturized

Moisture is important for your hair. The hair on your head is one of the driest things on the body, and if you are trying to grow it longer, you need to keep it moisturized. Everyone has different hair types and so the hair needs would be different, but a dry hair turns to brittle hair which eventually results in hair breakage, and you don’t want that.

So, keeping your hair moisturized and hydrated would help seal up your cuticles, trapping water, and your hair’s nutrients. It also means less friction between strands and ultimately less breakage. Conditioning agents can help close up the cuticles too.

4. Getting Trims

As absurd as some may think this is, getting trims frequently helps improve natural hair growth. Taking about an eighth of an inch off your hair every 10 to 12 weeks would help prevent the development of split ends.

Living with frayed, split ends will eventually cause your hair to break farther up on the strand, not only this will make your hair look thinner, but also will keep it from ever getting longer past a certain point.

5. Wearing Protective Hairstyles

A few examples of these hairstyles are flat twists, cornrow ponytails, and box braids. To help avoid scalp tension, switching them out every two weeks and giving yourself breaks between them, helps to avoid scalp tension, thereby preventing traction alopecia- a medical condition in which chronic too-tight hairstyles cause hair loss.

6. Preventing Physical Damage

This helps you maintain the length of hair you already have giving room for growth. There are a lot of habits we unknowingly apply in our daily hair upkeep which can damage the hair. So being mindful of them can go a long way in keeping your hair healthy.

Some include:

• Harsh brushing
• Having too tight hairstyles which would cause friction and traction
• Washing your hair too aggressively
• Wearing braids for too long
• Using hair elastics which can cause a chemical cut. Swap it out for Bobby pins, barrettes, and claw clips.
• Excessive use of heat tools
• Using bleaching agents on your hair
• Not using a satin or silk covering or pillowcase on your hair before bed.

Keep in mind those harmful habits and try to avoid them, in order to protect the length of your hair and prevent needless daily wear and tear.

7. Eating Healthy Foods

Eating healthy foods not only is good for your well-being but for your hair as well. Normally, if you are healthy and eat a balanced diet, your body is typically loaded with hair-strengthening ingredients such as biotin, folic acid, vitamins D, A, C, and E.

On the other hand, if you don’t eat balanced meals or you’re in an intense period of stress or trauma, you might not be getting the proper amount of nutrients that are needed for healthy hair growth. If that’s the case, your body will shut down your hair growth first and redirect nutrients and energy to the organs that need it most, leaving you vitamin deficient.

8. Protect Your Hair during Heat Styling

For you to keep healthy growing hair, you have to minimize the use of heat styling tools. With that being said, we understand the need for flat iron and curling irons for taming and styling your natural hair, especially if you need a quick and easy straight hairdo.

So, if you choose to use a heat styling tool, always make sure you protect your hair by following tips:

• Make sure your hair is completely dry before you use heat styling tools, such as hair straightener or curling iron.
• Use high-quality heat styling tools that are designed for your hair type.
• Use the right heat setting for your hair type.
• Always use a heat protectant when straightening or curling your hair to prevent moisture losses.

Final Words

If you are looking to strengthen and grow your hair, you can simply follow the steps and tips above on how to promote your natural hair growth to get the best results. After all, everyone deserves a hair that grows more than it breaks and we have ensured that this article conveys the necessary information for such.

Author Bio

Helen is a hair care enthusiast, blogger, and proud owner of hairtipsntricks.com. She started her blog to share helpful advice on hair care and hairstyling tips.