Around October of 2013, I made a conscious effort to take better care of my hair. I had my hair colored blonde and although it was very long, it was damaged due to heat styling and the bleaches contained in the hair dye. I hesitantly cut about 4 inches of my hair and decided I was going to limit the amount of heat I put on my hair.
About a year later (November 2014), I grew back about 7 inches of hair and haven’t used a flat iron in about 10 months! Here are some things I learned.
1) My hair is a plant. Yes! I learned to treat my hair like a plant. I literally “feed” my hair DAILY. Previously, my hair would be dry and I would always wonder why. Now, I realize that just like skin, my hair needs moisture. No, I don’t oil my hair EVERYDAY, but I DO deep condition (once per week), apply growth oil (once per week), and co-wash (wash my hair with conditioner only) twice per week. I know this sounds like A LOT, but once you start doing it on a consistent basis, it will become a habit.
I was talking to someone the other day and she was complaining about how her hair wasn’t growing. I noticed she had very dry scalp. This is an example of the “plant” reference. Think about it, if you don’t water a plant, it will dry up and eventually stop growing. Fortunately, our hair still naturally grows with or without moisture, but if you hair is dry, it will grow MUCH SLOOOOOOOOWER.
2) Too much heat will make hair growth retention virtually IMPOSSIBLE. Man, I had to learn this the hard way. Like I said, my hair was growing but because I was blow drying it and using the flat iron ALL THE TIME, I couldn’t retain any of the length because I had to keep cutting off the dead ends. If you want to retain your hair growth, you’ll have to come up with creative ways to style your hair that DON’T require too much heat.
3) My healthy hair journey is unique! Sometimes I find myself comparing my healthy hair journey to other people. But, I have to remind myself that my process is unique. I learned not to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and to just focus on me. While I do receive so much inspiration from women who have reached their hair goals, I remember not to compare my beginning to someone else’s middle. I have also learned to be patient. Of all things, PATIENCE is what grows hair the best. My hair has gone through so many stages over the last year, I’ve taken lots of pictures and am doing my best to enjoy the process. My goal is to have my hair at about waist length, I hope to be there within the next 2 years or so!
*Some of my favorite products include: Ovation Cell Therapy, the Mane Choice Deep Conditioner, and Jamaican Red Pimento Growth Oil.
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