By stufflovely
By Choya Randolph
When going natural, a lot of us end up doing the big chop. For many of us, this is the shortest we have ever seen our hair. This is also the beginning of our natural hair journey. Though the goal is to have healthy natural hair, let’s be honest: we want to see INCHES. We want to have big curly hair like Chaka Khan. We want to do a silk press and have our natural hair down to our booty so we can be on Instagram like “Stiff where?” As the saying goes, good things to those who wait. Having long hair is something we simply must wait for. For my naturals who are impatient, you may have questions. Lucky for you, I have answers. Let’s get into it.
How much should my hair be growing?
Not seeing the inches you want? Hair growth takes time. The average person grows half an inch of hair monthly. That means it could take your hair years to reach your back. Before you bust out the ruler to measure your new growth, you should also know that hair growth is different for everyone. Some people can grow a centimeter of hair in a month while others can grow up to an inch.
Though there are multiple factors that play a role in our hair growth, hair growth is based on genetics. So if your ruler isn’t revealing the new growth you want, don’t stress too much about it. Your hair is working on her own time. Don’t try and rush her sis!
Why am I not seeing growth?
There are many reasons as to why you’re not seeing the hair growth you expect. You may not be able to see your hair growth but that doesn’t mean your hair isn’t growing. If you aren’t taking proper care of your hair, your hair could be battling breakage. Breakage tends to happen at the ends of our hair. So if you notice that your ends are brittle, that may mean that your hair breaking off making it seem like your hair isn’t growing. If that is the case, the problem isn’t your hair growth but your hair health.
When doing the big chop, we get accustomed to the ease of having short hair. But once our hair gets longer, we have to put in more work to detangle and condition our hair. If you’re skipping steps and being lazy with your hair care routine, you will not see growth. However, to my naturals who are detangling, deep conditioning, and LOCing, don’t be afraid to set up an appointment with your dermatologist.
How can I make my hair grow faster?
When it comes to hair growth, it’s not like we can yell “FASTER!” at our roots. Our crown grows on her own time. However, there are things we can do to promote hair growth. We can start by taking vitamins such as biotin. Biotin is related to the utilization of amino acids which is good not only for our hair but our skin and nails too. Amino acids are the structural units of protein and our hair is mostly made up of a protein called keratin. You can also take vitamin B. Vitamin B is rich in folic acid which promotes healthy cell growth.
Another way to promote hair growth is by incorporating oil massages into your hair regimen. Oiling your scalp will increase blood circulation which can help with hair growth. You can use an oil of your choice but when oiling your scalp, be intentional with what oil you use. If you already have an oil that does wonders for your hair, it may do the same for your scalp. I do encourage staying away from thick oils as they can clog your scalp or pull at your hair.
Though there are many things we can do to promote hair growth, remember that your hair is going to do what she wants. We all want inches but the most important thing is to have healthy hair. Besides, do you really want to stunt on Instagram with long but unhealthy hair? If your hair is healthy, the inches will come and then you can stunt. For now, be patient and consistent with our hair.
