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The secrets of a Black Hair myth
Is hair growth a myth for black women or can we grow long hair?
It is said in Western culture that a woman's beauty is her hair and due to our constant exposure to European beauty standards, mainly through the media, women of African decent have been on an incessant search for the white woman's long hair. I wondered though for a long time, what is wrong with us because long hair just seemed to be an elusive dream for black women. Our hair just would not grow.
I realized much later on that the problem was not our hair growing because as long as we are living, our hair grows. We're just not very good at retaining length. Which a result of our poor hair care choices that come from a need to always 'fix' our hair. We treat our hair with harsh chemicals, a lot of heat, and excessive hair styling. Add to that we are susceptible to slower growth rates because we don't nourish ourselves well enough.
There's nothing wrong with women wanting hair growth and as black women, the more hair we have, the more room we have to be creative with our styles and we love to style ourselves from head to toe...its in our DNA. However, we have to always keep our intention in check and make sure that our beauty goals are never about looking like another group of women but to enhance our own natural beauty.
In this article, I will share some things I think black women should consider if they wish to achieve their hair growth goals in a realistic and healthy way.
Eat foods that will improve your hair growth rate and the quality of your hair
We appear to have a lower growth rate than other groups of women but it is almost always the case that our(black people) diets are lacking the proper nourishment that we need. Beautiful and healthy hair, skin, nails starts with what is on your plate because we actually become what we eat. Our bodies need a healthy supply of certain minerals that support the production of a protein called keratin that is essential for hair growth. A diet full of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts that are rich in vitamins like A, B, C, E, copper and selenium will support healthy hair growth rates.
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Detangle hair only when wet with wide tooth comb
When I transitioned to natural hair, I learned a few things about my hair....one was that my hair broke a lot when I combed it except when I was detangling with a conditioner while it was soaking wet. I also noticed that my scalp was always tender and inflammation can definitely hinder hair growth. I started combing my hair only when I was conditioning and I invested in the widest toothed comb I could find. I even tried finger detangling for a while and it significantly reduced my tender headedness but nothing worked better than when tried locs. Which brings me to my next tip...
Minimal styling (Protective styles, locs)
One of the benefits to having a loc'd hairstyle is that you leave your hair alone a lot. It's one of the reasons people with locs are able to retain much more hair length than people with loose natural hair that gets combed and styled often. I know, I know...locs are too permanent for some of us but I will personally forever maintain that it is the best hairstyle for us as I have never seen ankle length hair on black people except through locs. That speaks volumes to me. There are other less permanent protective styles like braids and twists can also help with hair growth by giving your hair a break from manipulation.
Make Scalp Care a priority
We have to make sure the foundation is good because truthfully, our hair is dead once it comes out of the scalp. This means we cannot change it, we can only maintain it and healthy hair grows through a healthy scalp. A good cleansing shampoo is very important for removing dirt, dead skin and dandruff from the scalp. I suggest shampooing 4 times with focus on the scalp for the first two washes and then the hair shaft. When my scalp is very dirty or excessively itchy, I use a scalp scrub (coming soon to tropikinaturals.com) that has a renewing and stimulating effect to free up follicles and improve blood circulation. Diluted apple cider vinegar has also proven to be effective in cleaning the scalp.
Hair products for hair growth
When it comes to scalp care, I highly recommend the Jamaican Black Castor Oil & Neem Shampoo from TROPIKI. It is cleansing without removing all the hair's natural sebum as the castor oil works to heal deep beneath the scalp while the neem treats itchiness, dryness and dandruff. It includes essential oils like pimento berry oil, rosemary and orange oil to stimulate scalp and promote healthy hair growth.
TROPIKI Jamaican Black Castor Oil & Neem Shampoo, $10USD/$1525.14JMD
I also recommend that you add from TROPIKI the Island Essence Hair Growth Oil to your scalp care. It has 9 oils that are essential to hair growth including Castor oil, Moringa oil, Camellia oil, Jojoba oil, Vitamin E oil as well an essential oil blend aimed at optimal scalp health and improved hair growth. Using a pump or two, give yourself a daily scalp massage for extra stimulation.
