In this article, I will be sharing how I grew my type 4 hair long and how you can also do the same.

As we begin the New Year, a lot of us have made resolutions. For some of us, those resolutions include taking better care of our hair so it can be healthy and grow.

It’s one thing for your hair to grow, but it’s another to actually retain the length. If you’re interested in important tips to retain length and improve the overall health of your type 4 hair, here are three simple techniques I recommend you practice this year.

LOW MANIPULATION:

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The most important tip, in my opinion, is low manipulation of your hair. Because of the kinky and curly nature of our hair, it is more fragile and susceptible to breakage. That doesn’t mean our hair is weak! It simply means we have to be a little more careful when manipulating our hair.

Try to keep your hands, combs and brushes away from your hair as much as you can, and try styles that minimize those. Perm and flexi rod sets are cute, I like them too, but don’t do them every week. Look into updo styles, twists, low buns: styles that don’t require too much hair manipulation and keep your ends covered.

This is the basis of protective styling. Personally, I prefer wearing my hair in mini twists or loose twists, and I have detailed tutorials on how to do them on my YouTube channel!

Once my hair is washed, moisturized and twisted, I know I don’t have to manipulate it till the next time I repeat that process and style.

MOISTURIZE:

My next key tip is to moisturize. This is very important, especially now that we are in the winter, when it’s cold and dry in some places. Dry hair becomes brittle and will break! You want to make sure you’re deep conditioning often; I recommend doing so every two weeks. You really want to make sure you’re moisturizing effectively in order to gain and retain the length and hair health you’re seeking!

Who says your hair style has to be boring? Try out these tips and tag us in your new looks on social media!

I love to use Uncle Funky’s Daughter Midnite Train Leave-In Conditioner, Supercurl Miracle Moisture Crème and Extra Butter Curl Forming Crème as my go-to combo. That is a power packed moisture recipe! On a typical wash day, I cleanse my hair with Bye-Bye Buildup which is an amazing Rhassoul clay moisturizing cleansing conditioner.

I then deep condition using Heal & Renew Intensive Hair Masque, and immediately following, (ensuring my hair is still very damp), I put it in 10 to 12 large twists. I find this is the best way to apply moisturizers on damp hair. Working twist by twist, I apply Midnite Train, especially at my ends, followed by Supercurl all through my hair and lastly, I seal everything up with Extra Butter, which has a creamy, buttery consistency. Afterwards, I go ahead and do my loose or midi twists. A plus?

All the products mentioned can be found at Target, and Bye-Bye Buildup will be newly available in stores in February! You can also get travel sized products as a part of the Ultimate Travel Kit if you’re a girl who’s always on the go!

HEALTHY EATING:

My final tip is healthy eating. If your body is healthy, your hair, skin and nails will reap the benefits. Our hair and nails are among the last parts of our bodies to get nutrients, it takes care of the important stuff first! So, make sure you’re eating all your vegetables, having a balanced diet, drinking lots of water and even working out to make sure your body is healthy, nourished and running at optimum efficiency!