
Although I have grown my hair out from 1/4 of an inch to bra strap length and beyond, I have made so many mistakes caring for my hair over the past six years or so. For starters the hair shears and I have had a very unhealthy codependent relationship. I have cut my hair so many times over the past few years. My other mistake was experimenting so much with my natural hair care routine that I have seldomly stuck to a specific hair regimen. My desire to eliminate wasteful plastic bottles as well as not experience irritating chemical sensitivity from commercial hair care led me on this chemical-free path to begin with. I was literally trying to save myself and the planet one curl at a time.
I’ve learned A LOT about my hair and healthy hair care in general over the years. Even though I completely swore off growing my hair out after last year’s mini/major chop I’m back at it again. Here are five healthy hair growth and length retention tips that I’ve observed with my own hair as well as what I’ve noticed with others.
1. Simple heat-free styling is your best friend.
One major thing in common that I have noticed with women of all textures who have extremely long healthy hair is that they do very simple styling and updos. I believe that there is a huge difference in their mentality on how they care for their hair because keeping up with hair trends and styling does not seem to be the priority. Many of these women wear their hair in a single braid, classic bun, chignon, or topknot and avoid heat styling. Wearing my hair up a majority of the time is a new goal of mine.
2. Keep the scissors at bay!
Consistently cutting, trimming, and reshaping my curls has definitely prevented me from retaining the length that I wanted over the years. I would not have been able to grow out last year’s drastic hair cut with consistent reshapings if I hadn’t decided to stop cutting my hair all together last October 2015. I did at least 3-4 major reshapings last year between the spring and fall. You can see photos of various hair styles that I have worn along with last year’s drastic hair cut here.
Now a little over a year after that initial mini chop, my hair has almost fully grown back. I’m now only cutting single strand knots. If you have damaged hair, it is important to either slowly trim out the damage while keeping your hair protected, or cut the damage off in one go. If your ends are healthy though, put those scissors down!
3. Commercial hair color, especially bleaching, weakens the hair and can cause breakage.
Luckily I have never loved commercial hair dye. Of the few times I dyed my hair, my hair was extremely dehydrated and brittle. Slowly cutting the dye out of my hair was usually the solution. Maintaining healthy chemically treated hair never worked for me unless I planned to keep my hair the exact same length.
If 1/2 inch of hair growth monthly is the norm, retaining that length each month is more challenging if you color it. I have seen so many beauties online with gorgeous hair experience serious hair breakage from hair color. Ladies with extremely long hair (waist length and beyond) usually avoid chemically coloring their hair, at least not with bleach. Henna is a much healthier alternative to chemical hair color.
4. Big curly hair is insanely beautiful, yet wearing your hair loose 24/7 can cause tangles, single strand knots, and split ends.
This concept is where I’ve been the most hard headed! I am 100% hands down a wash and go girl, and I love my natural curl pattern more than anything. I wonder if I had at least been consistent with my favorite messy top knot bun, or stuck with my original braid out updos, if I would have seen even more progress in hair length retention over the years.
Embracing my curls fully has been amazing, yet I chose to wear my hair loose rather than protect it. In the process I forgot my goals for growing it out, and created a personal identity around having big hair. Now I’m looking at this process of hair growth and length retention very differently.
5. Maintain a consistent hair care regimen with gentle detangling.
Once you have found a hair regimen that works for you, it is really important to stick with it. When you change your hair care regimen constantly, it is very hard to really know what is working for you and what is not. This not only pertains to the products that you use, but also how you handle your hair, and how you style it.
A good consistent hair care regimen will allow you to detangle your hair gently and easily which helps to retain length. A lot of length can be lost through the detangling process. Finger detangling is extremely helpful even if you do decide to follow up with a detangling brush or wide tooth comb afterwards. I have noticed less tangles and knots overall as well as easier detangling sessions after wearing updos of all kinds, and also setting my curls with braids after washing my hair.
Final Thoughts
As much fun as it is to experiment with different products and styles, I am realizing that those simple styles of single braids, classic buns, chignons, and topknots are the best way to go for me especially in the winter. Along with these simple styles, I prefer simple products such as a gentle hair cleanser, conditioner/strengthener, and an oil/butter. By wearing my hair up a majority of the time, I am hoping it will help me to reach my hair length goals without even noticing it happening at all.
What has helped you maintain maximum hair growth and length retention if you are growing your hair out?
(Image by my hubby)
Lisa says
I’ve been natural for just two years but one thing that has helped me grow my hair is keeping my scalp clean and not using a ton of random products. Simple is best. Loved the honesty in this post. Love love love all your blogs!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lisa,
Yes keeping your scalp and hair clean and free of product build up definitely helps with hair growth! Thanks so much for the love and you know I’m all about simplicity. 😉 Have a great day!
Gina says
I happen to have really great hair with natural beach style waves that are really easy to maintain. Genetics help (both my mom and I have a lot of strong, wavy hair that grows at a really high speed… people is always blown away by this) but since I never blow dry or style it (well, if I’m out of the shower and it’s freezing cold and I have to leave the house, I may blow dry a bit), it is in excellent condition and I believe this to be the best thing for having long, healthy hair. In the past I used conditioners and hair masks but I don’t use it now (I detangle before and after washing it with a wide tooth comb… gonna try with fingers) and the truth is there is no difference at all. At home, I usually wear it in a messy bun (because it interferes with a lot of activities lol), but I like to wear it down the most. My only issue is the lack of volume due to its weight, but I can live with it, specially since I’m not willing to blow dry, use product or spend more than two minutes in my hair. I have a friend who, for years, believed I was lying when I said I did nothing to my hair. Then, we went on vacation together and she was a testimony of my extreme laziness (applicable to any other beauty routines). She’s still mad at me. I don’t even go to the hairdresser anymore (I was going 2-3 times a year) and I blunt-snip my ends myself when I remember… which doesn’t happen very often. So, beside having good genetics, I think a low-maintenance routine is the best thing for maximum hair growth and length retention. Also, my skin (very problematic in the past, with lots of hormonal breakouts, I don’t have good genetics on this) cleared up after adopting a caveman regime and using only high linoleic oils (I will forever be grateful to you for such an enlightening post regarding this) so I’m 100% on board with simplicity now. I save money, I save my hair and skin, I save my health, I save the planet and I embrace and love myself.
Thanks for your blog, you inspired me so much and continue to inspire every day in my minimalist and zero waste journey (yours was the first blog ever I read on this, and the one that made me make the switch!)
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Gina,
Having extreme volume isn’t as easy without layers just because of the weight of long hair like you said. I personally don’t mind the look and feel it is still very very beautiful. It is also so great that you have learned to trim your own ends. Sounds like your low maintenance heat-free regimen is definitely working wonders for you.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and also for your kind words. I’m thrilled the info on high linoleic oils has been so helpful to you and that my articles have been inspiring. That really means a lot. Wishing you the best!
La Neal says
I agree with most of these except I have found blowing my hair out once a week a life saver. I have fine 4a hair and trying to wear natural curly styles does not work for my hair type and lifestyle. Now I do Bantu knot outs, twist outs and braid outs on blow dried hair and I have barely any knots or dryness.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi La Neal,
I am definitely aware that some women’s hair thrive being blowdried. I have noticed bubbles and mid shaft splits in my hair stands from using heat so I avoid it. It really is all about finding what works for you though in the long run. Thanks so much for sharing this and taking the time to comment!
Himawari says
Hi, Dawn Michelle. I love how honest you are about the process you go through as well as changing your mind about and improving what doesn’t work. Here’s my hair care routine in case it’s useful to anyone.
Every day I comb my hair with a hair comb that has only 4 very loosely spaced teeth in order to detangle it. At night or in the morning, I detangle and brush the natural oils through with a fine-tooth Japanese traditional comb. This spreads the sebum and makes my hair strong. I wear my hair up in a claw clip during the day when I’m in the house and only wear it down when I go out. At night I make a loose bun on top of my head with soft elastics.
I don’t wash my hair often. When I do, I do water only washing. I have almost waist-length hair. It’s very wavy and puffy but not frizzy. I’ve stopped using any products in it at all, except a little honey on my ends once in a while when they feel dry. I just mix a little honey with water in my hands and squeeze it into my hair ends after I’ve just washed it.
Love your blog as always!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Himawari,
I love how simple your hair regimen is! As much as I wanted to stick with solely water only hair washing, I wasn’t able to find the best way to have consistent results. It could be because I was all about wearing my hair out at the time, but I also didn’t do well with combing through dry hair with my tight curls. I opted for daily rinses instead.
It may be something I will revisit in the future. But I honestly do need to stick with my current regimen with updos for a good amount time for now because it really has been successful so far. Thanks so much for sharing this and for the compliment!
Himawari says
Your hair regimen is awesome. Everyone has to do what works for them, and we all have different hair. Plus, things change seasonally or lifestyles change. What I love about your approach the most is how you really try different things and you keep searching for what works the best and you don’t rest on “good enough”, you really want to delve into everything and understand. It inspires me to try different things too and not settle. All my best!
Dawn Michelle says
Awww thank you Himawari! Wishing you the best as well!
Lina says
Hello Dawn, what a great blog. What do you think about using liquid black soap & adding aloe vera to it to balance the ph. Won’t that make it less like shampoo bars, (less alkaline)?
I also wanted to ask, do you ever do protein treatments & if not, how do you maintain protein/moisture balance? Thank you for sharing your knowledge & experiences.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lina,
Thanks for the compliment! Adding aloe vera to black soap would theoretically lower the alkaline pH, yet it is still important to actually test the pH with pH strips to achieve an accurate ratio of both ingredients if that is your goal. Otherwise following up with an acidic rinse would be important to balance your hair’s pH.
Also I don’t specifically use protein treatments, but I do use henna to strengthen my hair. Maintaining a protein/moisture balance usually is in regards to chemically treated hair, not healthy virgin hair in my opinion. I’ve been currently using a henna tea around once a week for strengthening. I used to do full henna treatments monthly or bimonthly but using a henna tea as needed really helps with keeping my strands strong and is much easier to do. I hope this is helpful to you!
TomoniqueUnique says
I have been natural for three years now but recently this month started to wear my real hair out, over the three years I struggled with retaining my max length until the last few months. I have low prosperity hair, my hair also thrives on water. What I did and noticed retained at least 2-3 inches was wetting my hair, putting an oil, sealing my ends then jelling my hair back into two ponytails. I would wear my hair like this under neath my wigs because I was too lazy to braid my hair lol, now that I am wearing my hair I notice that it has retained way more length just by caring for my ends any apply a jell. I feel that the jell added extra protection to save my ends.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi TomoniqueUnique,
Thanks so much for sharing these tips and happy new year!
lina says
Hello Dawn, I’m really enjoying the trials and experiences you share. I wanted to get your thoughts on mixing black soap with aloe vera to make it less alkaline as a shampoo. Also I want to ask if you ever do protein treatments & if not how do you maintain protein moisture balance and what do you recommend for those who are protein-sensitive? Thanks for all you do.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lina,
In theory mixing aloe with a soap would make it less alkaline yet you would need to use pH strips to ensure you have a good pH balance to know how much of each to use. I prefer to follow up with an acidic rinse after using any natural soap on my hair. Also I don’t use protein treatments but instead full henna treatments or a henna tea to strengthen my hair. I hope this helps!
Nirojini says
I found using henna and dying my hair with natural henna only really is good for my hair and has helped my hair to grow longer and it is useful to get a trim every 3 months if you notice split ends, as it will get rid of the damaged hair. Also try not to use heat products on your hair all the time also helps to keep the hair healthy.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Nirojini,
Henna really is amazing for hair! Not using heat really helps too.