Black People or White People? Whose hair grows the fastest

[HoneyDew]

My BF, a white guy with type 2 wavy hair seems to grow his hair much faster than mine. But I think it is because all he does is shampoo, condition, moisturize and airdry - he has no chemicals in his hair and uses no heat.

He wears it long in a ponytail. I will trim 3-4 inches off for him and it seems to be back in NO TIME.

Meanwhile, I am just I-N-C-H-I-N-G along!!

I think I just don't retain as much as he does. I don't think it grows faster, really, I just don't retain as much

 

[wantlonghair25]

I don't argue too much about the relaxed vs. natural deal... but i have to be honest.... as long as black people continue to relax, texturize blow-out, etc., we will always have hair struggle. These are methods that are not native to the black scalp and your hair will ALWAYS stuggle to thrive. Not saying that it won't thrive, but I am positive that black women would be able to have the same lackluster approach to their hair and watch the inches grow and grow if they stop putting chemicals in it. Everything knows you can't fail with mother nature. Not only that, but maybe the ethnic hair market would be more reputable if black women were natural. The needs of the consumer would change and they would have to produce items that satisfy.

Truuuuue! But for those of us who want a relaxer what is the solution? Do you think we can minimize damage by using as many natural products as possible to go along with the relaxer?

 

[Bint Yusef]

My BF, a white guy with type 2 wavy hair seems to grow his hair much faster than mine. But I think it is because all he does is shampoo, condition, moisturize and airdry - he has no chemicals in his hair and uses no heat.

He wears it long in a ponytail. I will trim 3-4 inches off for him and it seems to be back in NO TIME.

Meanwhile, I am just I-N-C-H-I-N-G along!!

I think I just don't retain as much as he does. I don't think it grows faster, really, I just don't retain as much

I remember a talk on another board a while back that Black men's hair grows faster than Black women's hair. I think its just their simplified routine like you said.

 

[lovenharmony]

I was being tongue n' cheek with my post. Of course, I don't go around trying to prove anything openly. But, we are here on this website for a reason: we want to achieve HEALTHY hair first and long hair ultimately. I think it's that much sweeter for others to see and believe that we can achieve it, too. And it's not necessarily to prove to others but to ourselves.

I agree Serenity peace!! I love challanges and me obtaining long hair now that I know how to take care of it is somewhat of a personal challange for me. I am definitely NOT doing it to prove to anyone that I can grow long hair, I've always wanted it, so if it's possible why not go for it?

 

[Serenity_Peace]

I remember a talk on another board a while back that Black men's hair grows faster than Black women's hair. I think its just their simplified routine like you said.

I absolutely believe this to be true. My roommate is prime example. My boyfriend is also white and his hair grows like weeds. He does nothing but wash and condition. Looking at him and my roommate tells me that I may need to Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

 

[Bint Yusef]

I absolutely believe this to be true. My roommate is prime example. My boyfriend is also white and his hair grows like weeds. He does nothing but wash and condition. Looking at him and my roommate tells me that I may need to Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

Youre right about this.

I need to leave heat alone for real.

 

[Ladyhenri]

I once read an article written by a white professor about hair growth. The average for all races in .5 inches per month.
White people have more hair because they rarely get breakage, and this is more because they have 'stronger' hairs than black people, And they hardly ever abuse their hair as much as we black people. They dont do tight braids that pulls the hair right out of the scalp, they dont have to relax their hair, they enjoy pampering their hairs and do so via frequent shampoos and conditioners.
This being said i think they are entitled to more durable hairs than us cos we black people have many better features than white people, ie booty, shape, lips, nicer facial features, etc. Every race has strengths and weaknesss.
You dont hear many white women saying that they need to do lunges to develope the slightest hint of a butt while many of us are walking around with a booty like buffy the body's

Someone said something about good hair products being for white people...uh...White people (on the whole) take better care of their hair than black people. They are more intrested in hair care products than black women, so the industry caters to the available market.
If a very expensive hair cream was produced for white people, it would be snapped up, but many black women would be like..."puleeeaase...i could rock the bestest weave for that same amount."

I think many black women's hairs tell a story about their hair practices and unfortunately, many black women in the real world are still very ignorant about the damage they are doing to their hair.

Lol.....i just realised i'm heading OT
Black people and white people have have pretty much the same growth rate give or take a few fractions of an inch. White people retain their growth easier

 

[LocksOfLuV]

I remember a talk on another board a while back that Black men's hair grows faster than Black women's hair. I think its just their simplified routine like you said.

It does seem to. My SO (who is Black American) hair AND nails grow at exceptional rates. I swear it grews so fast it's ridiculous. I think black males in general hair/nails grow faster than ours regardless of their routines.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Truuuuue! But for those of us who want a relaxer what is the solution? Do you think we can minimize damage by using as many natural products as possible to go along with the relaxer?

Theres nothing that CAN be done... thats the choice you choose to make and i know its a difficult one. Natural is the new trend in hait so even black people who are making products are making them for people who are natural. Black women are wising up and becoming more savvy about their hair choices but we aren't forcing the market to do so. You can start getting involved by complaining to companies about your concerns with their products. If you get a product that doesn't seem to be doing anything for your hair, don't just toss it away and forget about it. Contact the manufactuers and let them know that you need "da da da" for your relaxed type "dada" hair. The more involved YOU are the more interested they are in YOUR business and money.

 

[HoneyDew]

I remember a talk on another board a while back that Black men's hair grows faster than Black women's hair. I think its just their simplified routine like you said.

I agree!! My brothers' hair always grew faster than mine. I used to be jealous of them.

 

[camellia]

I once read an article written by a white professor about hair growth. The average for all races in .5 inches per month.
White people have more hair because they rarely get breakage, and this is more because they have 'stronger' hairs than black people, And they hardly ever abuse their hair as much as we black people. They dont do tight braids that pulls the hair right out of the scalp, they dont have to relax their hair, they enjoy pampering their hairs and do so via frequent shampoos and conditioners.
This being said i think they are entitled to more durable hairs than us cos we black people have many better features than white people, ie booty, shape, lips, nicer facial features, etc. Every race has strengths and weaknesss.
You dont hear many white women saying that they need to do lunges to develope the slightest hint of a butt while many of us are walking around with a booty like buffy the body's

Someone said something about good hair products being for white people...uh...White people (on the whole) take better care of their hair than black people. They are more intrested in hair care products than black women, so the industry caters to the available market.
If a very expensive hair cream was produced for white people, it would be snapped up, but many black women would be like..."puleeeaase...i could rock the bestest weave for that same amount."

I think many black women's hairs tell a story about their hair practices and unfortunately, many black women in the real world are still very ignorant about the damage they are doing to their hair.

Lol.....i just realised i'm heading OT
Black people and white people have have pretty much the same growth rate give or take a few fractions of an inch. White people retain their growth easier

I agree with this.

As far as products are concerned, I'll just throw in my two cents. I've never used "black" products. When we were kids, my Mom used whatever shampoo and conditioner was on sale, usually Suave. I never thought my hair required "ethic" products or anything special. I refuse to use them now, because most of the ingredients are terrible.

My hair still broke off and looked horrible once I started doing it myself, in spite of the "white" hair products I used my whole life, because of my infrequent washing , and loads of heat.

If you constantly abuse your hair, it won't retain length, no matter now fast it grows. Of course, there are exceptions , but in general, I've found this to be true.

 

[chocolatesis]

I think its all the same as far as rate, generally, but i think they grow it EASIER.

I agree. Their hair is a lot less prone to breakage. So when their hair grows an inch, you see the full inch that is added to the length, especially if they don't dye their hair.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

I agree with this.

As far as products are concerned, I'll just throw in my two cents. I've never used "black" products. When we were kids, my Mom used whatever shampoo and conditioner was on sale, usually Suave. I never thought my hair required "ethic" products or anything special. I refuse to use them now, because most of the ingredients are terrible.

My hair still broke off and looked horrible once I started doing it myself, in spite of the "white" hair products I used my whole life, because of my infrequent washing , and loads of heat.

If you constantly abuse your hair, it won't retain length, no matter now fast it grows. Of course, there are exceptions , but in general, I've found this to be true.

ITA! I grew up using Sauve, Patene And Herbal Essences. But i think as black women become more knowledgeble about their hair and the neccesary techniques for maintaince, we need to make the market more knowledgeable. We can't expect people to know what to put on the shelves for our hair if they don't HAVE our hair. Even "ethnic" products aren't made by blacks. Did you know that Deep Brilliance is owned by Farouk and Mizani by L'oreal? Thats why they give you the suggestion cards, numbers, emails, etc, so you can help the do research and improve formulas. As far as Henretta's comment about black women who don't want to make the effort, well... to each her own. But there are more women out there willing to work hard than there are those who won't. They want your business regardless of your hair type but you have to help them improve the products.

 

[cutiebe2]

I honestly think that white women grow their hair faster than blacks. I have seen some girls at my school cut their hair off at the begining of the school year, by the end of the year (9months) their hair is longer than shoulder length. Its nothing against us because our hair does grow, but even with no breakage this year my hair has not grown that quickly.

 

[B_Phlyy]

I think that white people hair grows faster. I think given all things equal about the hair (meaning the hair type is the same so they can use the same products and retain all their length), a white person would get to various lengths quicker.

 

[silvergirl]

i think all races average around the same amount of growth.

since going natural my hair seems to grow so much faster now. since transitioning not even two years ago my hair is now about 2-3 inches past underarm . which to me is shocking cause when i was relaxed in 2 years i probably would have lost inches instead of grown any lol.

its all about retention.

 

[Tee]

i would the person who takes better care of their hair. regardless of color.

 

[sprungonhairboards]

Sometimes a majority just means all the fools are on the same side.

Umm, Imma have to jack this line of truth

 

[chica_canella]

Its true. I mean, you don't find it odd that we spend the most money on beauty products, but you only see them with the BEST ingredients in their products? Why is it that their products work better on our hair than some of them do on their own? the cosmetic companies don't make that much of an effort to do research on products to suit the average black hair. Its not so much that our hair doesn't grow as fast or we don't retain as much length. Our hair doesn't stand a fighting chance against theirs because their isn't anything decent marketed to us. Notice blacks in other parts of the world; they have amazing hair (albeit short or long) because they have been using tried and true techniques that work, organic or homemade products, and the market acknowleges their exsistance and makes quality products that work for them. America's cosmetics market has never realized the potential of the average black consumer, although they have been getting rich off of us for YEARS!!!! Its only now that certain companies are starting to tap into our market... yeah, after we started making our own products!

you know you are so right. so many white products work better on my hair than black products. I think also that they do this in order for us to see a little improvement but not enough where we have to stop buying them so people keep going back and buying black products.

if you understand what i mean.

 

[MissMarie]

I once read an article written by a white professor about hair growth. The average for all races in .5 inches per month.
White people have more hair because they rarely get breakage, and this is more because they have 'stronger' hairs than black people, And they hardly ever abuse their hair as much as we black people. They dont do tight braids that pulls the hair right out of the scalp, they dont have to relax their hair, they enjoy pampering their hairs and do so via frequent shampoos and conditioners.

I think the average is close to the same for all groups with maybe more white people being super-growers and Asians having the greatest growth ability of all, but the average Joe Shmoe getting around 1/2 a month. I agree with the general sentiment that tightly coiled African hair types are more fragile and that fact combined with some of our hair habits leads to a lack of retention.

ITA with the above. I know for me my hair never got much past my shoulders growing up, even when it grew a bit it'd always break right back off or have to be trimmed aggressively to avoid splits. I had several white friends whose hair seemed to grow like weeds and always had super long hair.
Nowadays though I don't relax, color/dye my hair, use heat only 3-5 times a year vs weekly and even multiple times a week, I changed all of the products I use on my hair to those that work with my texture and needs, I changed my comb and brush to accomodate my coily texture and I generally leave my hair alone. Several of my same white h.s. friends now dye, blowdry, highlight, flatiron, chemically straighten their hair on a regular basis. So now I'm the one with the really long hair, and they are having problems getting their hair past armpit length and having to constantly trim their ends because they're damaged. If their stronger strands are having trouble with all that manipulation just think of what it does to the average black woman's hair.

 

[kellie7777]

i don't believe there is a big difference in how much hair grows per month. but we do have those people like some said that are the exception to the rule.
i do know however, that a white persons hair regime is like min- ni- mal.
they shampoo don't dig their scalp, condition if they got time and then they put it in a pony tail and leave to air dry, but most airdry.
Compared to a black person's regime.... enuf said.
most white girls that i know usually have their hair off their shoulders in a high pony tail. so it barely touches their clothes. They also get their hair cut to trim off jagged edges every now and then, if ever, or when they want a style in place.
hair length is all about retention- hubby washes his hair every day with shower soap. no conditioner, air dries and his hair growth is more than .5 per month guarenteed. erplexed

 

[Creatividual]

Maybe it’s more of a retention issue. It could be genetics but not necessarily a function of race. I have met a few Caucasian girls who couldn’t grow their hair past apl who were just astounded by the fact that I am black and had such long hair. Then again, it could have been due to health issues with them, so I’m really not sure.

ITA. On avg. people's hair grows about a .5 inch per month but some people's grows faster. I definitely think it is a retention issue with most of black women's hair b/c we have some of the driest hair of other races. So I don't think our hair grows any more or less than caucasians, it's just that many of our hair types are more prone to breakage. But once we discover how to give our hair the moisture and protein balance it craves and don't comb and brush our hair so much, many of us experience little to no breakage.