Length Retention, Shrinkage & Hair Growth 101

Are you frustrated with your hair growth not growing as fast as you’d like, shrinkage not letting you flourish or you can’t seem to retain length? Well keep reading I might have some solutions for you!

Let’s start with shrinkage. 

Shrinkage causes our naturally curly hair to appear much shorter than it actually is when it’s completely dry, but when that curl is stretched out… that length is like whoa! Shrinkage is a sign that our naturally curly hair is well moisturized and HEALTHY! Can we avoid shrinkage a 100% ? No, but we can reduce our shrinkage. You can blow dry your roots to extend your hair, giving you less shrinkage (make sure you use a heat protectant and low heat). Try some curly hair styling techniques, such praying hands, tie your hair up while wet in a bun so you can stretch your roots, also Flexi rods can help your roots stretch. I personally don’t mind hair shrinkage. It lets me know that my hair is doing great!

Hair Growth.

Sometimes we feel like out hair isn’t growing as fast as we would like. Two very important key words for hair growth: Patience & Consistency! Just with anything in life we need to stay consistent and patient to see the results we are looking for. Here are a couple of tips that helped me on my journey with my hair growth not only in length but also in volume.

• Nightly scalp massages. Massaging your scalp with oil helps increase blood flow to the scalp. This promotes circulation which encourages faster hair growth. I massage my scalp every night (with my head upside down) before I put on my satin bonnet/scarf. 

• Regular trims! This is something I failed to do starting my hair journey. I did not want to let my ends go! I wanted to keep my length while trying to grow my hair. I realized that I should trim my ends for healthy hair growth, I immediately saw my hair flourish! Your ends are the oldest part of your hair, and you have to trim those old ends in order to see healthy growth. Your ends need love too! Moisturize your ends and seal with an oil or butter. Healthy ends will minimize hair breakage and will allow you to see your hair growth. Now I trim my ends every 3-6 months.

• Get in the habit of creating a routine. Scalp massages, deep conditioning weekly, sleeping with a silk or satin bonnet or pillowcase. Drink plenty of water and have a healthy balanced diet (more fruits and vegetables incorporated in your diet). Remember what you put inside your body shows on the outside of your body, hair included! Take hair vitamins, be gentle with your hair, detangling from the ends working your way up so you can prevent hair breakage.

Length Retention Tips:

Make sure to balance your protein and moisture! If your hair is limp with no bounce back then you’re lacking protein. If your hair feels straw like (stiff) then your hair is lacking moisture. Balancing the two is very important to prevent hair breakage. 

Give your hair a break! Sometimes over manipulating your hair can cause friction and cause breakage and thin your hair. Try to style your hair with a low maintenance and manipulation style.

A clean scalp plays a role in not only length retention but also hair growth. Scalp buildup will slow your hair growth! So make sure you clarify your hair at least once a month to remove all that buildup from your scalp. My favorite is the Bye Bye Buildup Cleansing Conditioner. 

Also, try using the LOC method ( Leave-in, Oil, Cream) or the LCO method (leave-in, Cream, Oil). Both methods lock in moisture and helps prevent moisture loss. I’ll style my hair with Thirsty Curls as my Leave in, Supercurl as my Cream and Shining Star as my oil, and I always get moisturized balanced curls! 

I hope these tips help you beautiful ladies, and remember Patience & Consistency is key!

XOXO