This blog is for my heirs and heiresses that have been struggling with retaining length.
Length retention is something many of us struggle with. Luckily for us, our hair is continuously growing. While there isn’t much we can do in order to speed up the growth process, there are various ways we can better care for and protect our hair in order to retain length.
Let’s go over some key length retention tips that you can incorporate into your regular hair routine.
Keep a clean scalp. Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. When you are using your cleanser make sure to focus on the scalp. Massage thoroughly to remove debris and stimulate hair follicles. Your scalp is your foundation.
Deep condition. Every time you wash your hair, you must deep condition. This will help improve and maintain a proper moisture-protein balance of the hair, which helps improve the elasticity and strength. The better elasticity, the easier it is to avoid breakage. Deep conditioning repairs your hair from the inside out. We always recommend deep conditioning with heat in order to lift your cuticles ( heat cap, steam cap, etc.) or leaving it in through the night. This will help replenish moisture into the hair.
Drying your hair properly. Drying your hair with a towel can cause damage. Try using a microfiber towel or an old t-shirt. We all have a few of those lying around and they will help reduce friction to the hair.
Keep your hair well moisturized. Avoid letting your hair become dry and brittle making it vulnerable to breakage. Leave-in conditioners and water forward hair refreshers are great moisturizers. Moisturizing and sealing is important, especially on your ends. Your ends are the eldest and most fragile part of your hair and need babying.
Protect your hair through the night. The friction of Cotton pillowcases cause damage and dryness to the hair. Always wrap your hair at night with a satin scarf or bonnet. And just in case you are like me and fight with your scarf and bonnet in the middle of the night, invest in satin pillowcases.
A professional trim. This may sound counterproductive but removing your split ends helps prevent major damage. Less breakage means more length retention. I understand the length may feel good but being able to see through your hair doesn’t look good. Those split ends will continue to climb up the strand, breaking you hair at higher lengths. As a wise man once said,"you need to cut it."
Protective styling. Proper protective styling can be very beneficial for hair growth. Find what styles work best for the current state of your hair. Prior to putting your hair into a protective style always moisturize and stretch if necessary. An ideal protective style should be left alone for 1 to 4 weeks. What?? I know, I know but hear me out. The more you put in and take down your protective styles, the more you are manipulating your hair. The growth will happen when it is left alone. The idea is to find little to no manipulation styles so you aren't pulling and breaking your hair daily. Don’t forget take care of your hair while it's in these various styles and watch it flourish. Remember, nothing too tight.
Taking down your protective style. Take out your protective style with care. Moisturize prior to taking out your protective style so the hair is not dry and brittle. You can do this a few days ahead of time with a detangling product or leave-in. It is very important to be gentle and take your time when taking down your protective style. This is where most lose all of their new growth. Have you ever been excited to take your hair down because of all the visible new growth and when all is said and done your hair is at the same length? This is because of your take down and detangling process. Your hair is vulnerable after being tucked away for a while. So turn on your favorite movie or show, be gentle and take your time. Detangle your hair while you are taking it down. You can mist with detangling spray or use your pre-poo. When detangling, make sure to use your fingers and/or a wide tooth comb if necessary to reduce breakage. *For all of my type 4 hair Heiresses, Do Not take down your protective style and jump right into the shower thinking the water will help with detangling. This can lead to terrible matting of the hair and loss of all new growth.
Baby your ends! They are the oldest part of your hair. Take good care of them.
Drink water. Hydrate and strengthen your hair from the inside out. Make sure your daily meals consist of great nutrients, vitamins, minerals and protein. This will help build strength for your hair.
Let’s focus on keeping our hair healthy and intact.
Class is now dismissed.
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-The Good Heir Journey
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