Hair Advice: Help...My Hair Won't Grow??? What am I Doing Wrong?

Have you ever wondered why your hair will not grow? It might be that you have bad hair habits that is preventing it from growing long and healthy. Here are some tips you can follow so that you can be on the road to healthy long hair in 2010!

Brushing your hair harshly
Brushing your hair too hard when detangling your mane can rip and tear your hair. Try using a silicone-based detangler on wet hair, and instead of using a fine-tooth comb, use a brush with a cushioned ball tip. Make sure you hold the hair very gentle and start at the ends and work your way up. My fellow longhaircareforum.com members swear by Denman Brushes. They rave that this brush is great to use to blow dry and detangle their hair. The Denman Classic Styling Brush D3 is currently on sale right now for $8.99.

Not Trimming your hair
I know, i know....black women hate to cut their hair...especially when you've been trying to grow it for years and it's now starting to touch your back! Well ladies, in order for your hair to grow long AND HEALTHY, you MUST TRIM! You have to trim your hair every eight week or when you see a need to, if not your hair will start to split. The split will continue up to the strands and start to break off. If you don't have the time and money to see a stylist to get a decent trim, a good product to try is Aphogee Gloss Therapy Hair Polish until you're able to see a stylist who can nip those split ends in the butt.

Tight Ponytails...A NO NO!!!!

We all love the look of a slick and neat ponytail, but did you know that you are breaking your hair as your pulling and tugging it into that clip? Pulling the hair tightly back puts stress on a delicate area and can cause thinness to your hairline (which is not cute). If your using a rubber band to keep your hair in place you are cutting your hair. If you are suffering from hair lost around the edges, trying mixing peppermint oil with your castor oil and apply it ever night to the balding edges. As you apply, massage the oils into the scalp. When putting your hair into a ponytail, try to use a gentle, cloth-covered elastic band instead to secure your style. My favorite brand to use is Goody.

Putting your curling or flat iron on a high setting

The hotter the iron, the better the style? I don't think so. Your hair will curl just as good when your setting is on low....actually I find that the style looks better when curled on a lower setting. If your hair sizzles when you put the iron on it, you are frying aka breaking your hair. Try using a piece of white tissue paper to do a heat-test. If the paper makes a sizzling sound, turn the setting down. Also note, curling the same section of hair over and over again can also cause damage to your hair. If you want curls, try buying a hot curler set instead of a curling iron. It is much safer on your hair and you can even apply your makeup while the hot roller are setting your hair! I use Conair Instant Heat Multi-Sized Hot Rollers with Heated Clips.

For those ladies who are already suffering from heat damage, you can try L’Oréal’s Everstrong product line to help repair your hair back to health. This new EverStrong Sulfate-Free line contains L’Oréal’s patented Bio-Ceramide complex, which strengthens hair after just one wash. A product I recently purchased that I fell in love with is the EverStrong Overnight Repair Treatment. The leave-in formula that penetrates the hair fiber while you sleep to improve strength after just one use and absorbs quickly without leaving residue on your pillow.

Hair Care Tips

As I was sitting on my bed last night pondering on my hair goals for 2010 I started to flash back on my hair journey. Growing up I always thought that my hair couldn't grow...and if it did, it would didn't grow past my neck (NL: neck length). I finally gave up on my hair and decided to just cut it all off in the summer time and rock a weave during the winter months. A co-worker of mine told me about Long Hair Care Forum, and after reading the many posts I found out my hair actually had hope.

Everyone’s hair grows...at different rates, but it grows. The main reason why a lot of African American women have problems with hair growth is because they don't understand the concept of retention and very often abuse their hair and scalp.

Here are some tips for you ladies:

1. Remember the ends of your hair are the oldest and it must be taken cared of. As long as you keep your hair moisturized and protect those ends you should be straight. If possible, try to moisturize your hair nightly and tie your hair down with a silk scarf. If you don’t have a silk scarf then use a silk pillow case to protect your hair while you sleep.
2. When you apply moisturizers or conditioners to your hair...never neglect the ends of your hair!
3. There are wonderful growth aid products out there such as Mega Tek and Ovation Cell Therapy. Products like these boost the rate of your hair growth.
4. Eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and exercise also helps with the health of your hair.
5. Massage your scalp nightly. You must NOT scratch your scalp if it gets flaky, try massaging more, patting, or softly removing scales with a comb. Scratching tears the skin or makes it easy for bacteria to enter and infections to arise.
6. Heat can be your enemy. Try to limit the use of heat (i.e. flat irons, curling irons, pressing combs and blow driers). If you do use any of these products, try using them at a low temperature.
7. Protective Styling is your friend! I've managed to keep my hair healthy and I was also able to retain my length by using weaves as a protective style. There's plenty of protective styles you can use such as bunning, weaves, braids, half wigs, wigs, lace fronts.....the list goes on!
8. Deep conditioning is your friend. Try to do this weekly and your hair will thank you. To spice up your deep conditioner, try adding a little honey or extra virgin olive oil.
9. When detangling, try using conditioner to soften your hair and then detangle starting from the ends up working your way to the roots. I love Mane and Tail's Detangler!!! Treat your hair like fine china...handle with care and always remember that your hair is most fragile when wet.
10. We all like that creamy crack called a relaxer and let’s not forget that color box. If you do color or relax try to keep it at a minimum. I personally relax my hair ever 16-18 weeks, instead of the usual 6-8 weeks.
11. Dust or trim your ends when needed to avoid split ends. I trim my ends after each relaxer process.