FASTEST Way to INCREASE GROWTH = WASH SCALP More Often?

[EMJazzy]

Since I use gel in my hair I CWC every single day and it must be working because I haven't seen any broken strands of hair in several months and my shed hair doesn't have any splits on the ends of them. My growth *in my determination* has definitely sped up since I started CWC daily...and for those who's wondering if I have dry hair from using poo' that often.....nope not at all. In fact my hair is in the best shape now than it has been in a mighty long time.

 

[hair_wit_favor]

This has proved to be the case for me...I've gotten tremendous growth from co-washing every 2-3 days.

 

[rwanda]

I experienced increased growth one time when I went through a drastic hair experience that took my hair out years ago. I applied color in my hair and waited two weeks to get a relaxer, the relaxer just about cooked my hair and scalp. My scalp was tender to the touch and my hair was stuck to it and felt like straw. When I touched it my hair literally crumbled off of my scalp. Have you ever heard people say they woke up and their hair was on their pillow that morning, well this is what happened to me, some of my hair was so brittle it was on the pillow. Afterwards I had to get my hair cut down because of some bald spots and broke off hair, started going to the salon like 3x's a week for a couple of weeks for treatments, then I went twice a week until I started continuing the process of deep conditioning my hair myself at home. I got so into the habit of washing my hair so often it took no time to grow back and everyone commented on how fast my hair grew back. This was like 10 years ago and to this day I have a habit of washing my hair.

 

[CarLiTa]

I realize now that I used to get faster growth when I was cowashing 3x/week. That was at the beginning of my hair journey, nearly 3 years ago, when I wanted to try everything.

I have certainly fallen off that bandwagon since then, but believe or not, I am getting back on for the benefits of softer hair (i've been struggling with dryness for a whole year due to relocation to colder climate and other factors) and because since I haven't retained any length grown in the past year, I need to make up for it

Co-washing it is! When I was doing it, I wasn't conscious of the growth spurts though, but now I am just remembering having more than the typical 1" every 2 months. My texture was softer and the new growth was more manageable. You know I'm down I just need to figure out how to not get sick with a wet head almost every day.

 

[EMJazzy]

I realize now that I used to get faster growth when I was cowashing 3x/week. That was at the beginning of my hair journey, nearly 3 years ago, when I wanted to try everything.

I have certainly fallen off that bandwagon since then, but believe or not, I am getting back on for the benefits of softer hair (i've been struggling with dryness for a whole year due to relocation to colder climate and other factors) and because since I haven't retained any length grown in the past year, I need to make up for it

Co-washing it is! When I was doing it, I wasn't conscious of the growth spurts though, but now I am just remembering having more than the typical 1" every 2 months. My texture was softer and the new growth was more manageable. You know I'm down I just need to figure out how to not get sick with a wet head almost every day.

Girl get yourself a diffuser!!! Works like a charm.

 

[RosesBlack]

I tried daily CO washes for awhile but my hair didn't respond well at all. Also I really hate going to bed with sopping hair and with the hours I work I generally can only wash midweek at night.

I went back to using poo every other week and DC'ing every weekend and my hair feels much better.

 

[nikkivale]

I think this makes some sense; the stimulation of the scalp and water can open the pores frequently and help the hair move along. I live in a majority white area and ppl are so surprised to find out i wash my hair only once a week because the vast majority of non AA's wash their hair everyday but only because in their case it will get oily and sticky, which is usually the opposite for us. I've never known many non AA's to have problems growing their hair until it gets into those LHC popular lengths like tailbone, kneee etc because their hair retains length easier because it is much stronger than ours..
I tried washing my hair everyday and found out it was a no-no with shampoo the way non AA's do. Cowashing everyday may be a good alternative but i haven't consistently tried it but i may give it a try.

 

[a_ caribbean_dream]

I tried CO washes this past summer and I do believe it helped my hair grow faster. It also improved my texture and manageabliity. (is that even a word? lol)

But as a natural and a college student needing precious time and patience to detangle, it was not good. Too much manipulation and tangles for my taste. My pillow was always soaked in the morning.

But needless to say I loved it and would return if someone comments on how they deal with the same problems....

 

[lovelymissyoli]

I agree wholeheartedly that the more you wash your hair, the faster/thicker it grows. Case and point: When I first big chopped I only styled my hair while it was wet (usually after a co-wash). Also, I only twisted on wet hair with conditioner or conditioner mixed with gel. I made sure to keep a spray bottle close by so that my hair wouldn't get dry. Also, I sprayed my hair daily with a water spritz (plus additional oils, etc).

Here's a pic of my progress from consistently wet styling for 8 months:

Water is my best friend! When I started twisting on dry hair to show more length I realized that my hair didn't grow as fast.

Right now I'm back to co-washing daily. I texturized so that I could do it easier without all the breakage and knots!

 

[AvaSpeaks]

Lovelymissyoil your hair is fabulous

I think that maybe for AA hair, lots of Co-washes could help.

However, because of our hair, I don't think that daily shampooing increases our hair growth. In fact, I think it makes it worse. You gotta remember, our hair is not like 95% of non-Black hair, so ALOT of the things that they do to their hair, daily shampooing, constant blowdrying, we absolutly CANNOT get away with that, if the goal is to retain length and increase the health of our hair.

Constant shampooing like that on our hair dries it out. I believe the Co-Washes work because it's contant moisture on our hair that our hair loves and needs. That constant moisture doesn't dry the hair our and as a result, less breakage.

But for "them", I believe that Co-Washes would do nothing but weigh their hair down and it would look like a wet mop because the conditioners would be too heavy on their hair and they would have too much build-up.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

I tried CO washes this past summer and I do believe it helped my hair grow faster. It also improved my texture and manageabliity. (is that even a word? lol)

But as a natural and a college student needing precious time and patience to detangle, it was not good. Too much manipulation and tangles for my taste. My pillow was always soaked in the morning.

But needless to say I loved it and would return if someone comments on how they deal with the same problems....

See, I'm a natural too and I worry would the constant manipulation do more harm and damage to my hair.

I'm going to try to do the CO washes for a week and see how I like them. If it turns out okay, then I will do it for the whole month of December. I know I will just twist my hair after I'm done.

Maybe when you twist, you should use a really good leave-in cream like Triple Moisture from Neutrogena. It would really help with the dryness and your hair won't be tangled.

 

[Everything Zen]

I am currently doing CO washes daily and I have done so for the past 2.5 weeks. Mostly I started because it was the only thing I have found that helps alleviate my terrible dandruff. After a rollerwrap a few weeks back my scalp felt like cardboard (I think the high heat from the ionic bonnet dryer was a culprit). I literally ran to the store during work, bought a rattail comb and a brush and whimpered as I raked the comb across my scalp and huge flakes almost the size of nickels came up. My scalp was scaley (sp?) and bleeding for a week after. That's when I started daily washing to try and heal it. Now my scalp is virtually flake free (as far as I can tell). I wear my hair in two loose braids pinned up with a loose headwrap/band. Not very glamorous, but it works. I wash my hair in the two braids and use my fingers only to detangle and rebraid with conditioner under the showerhead. That is only manipulation that occurs. I gently squeeze the braids to rinse and wash and use the pads of my fingers to stimulate the scalp. I think that's a lot better for my hair than using a fine tooth comb to pick at my dandruff.

 

[MadisonK]

I know that washing my hair more often equals faster growth. I found this out by accident...i went on vacation to Mexico for 2 weeks. Everyday i washed my hair...nothin' fancy...and just pulled back. When I got home after 2 weeks, my friend could not believe how much my hair grew! It was crazy!

I wonder if it's the scalp stimulation or maybe it was the water in Mexico.

I want to go back to daily co-washes, but I have a lot of hair that comes out when combing. If I could avoid this, I would co-wash everyday. Any suggestions?

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Yes. Co-washing improves the overall health of my hair and help me to retain length because my hair is naturally dry. A great conditioner is Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, any conditioner by Bb. and Pantene Nourishing Rinse.

 

[blueabyss333]

Yes, cowashing works. That's how I got great growth from June to September.

 

[spelmanlocks]

Hmmm...I don't know. Most non-African Americans I speak to definitely wash their hair more often than the average AA (not necessarily speaking of the ones on LHCF). I haven't met a non-AA who washes their hair less than 1x per week. On the other hand most AAs I know wash their hair about every 2 weeks on average. That is often the advice that AAs get from hair salons as well. If you consider that most women in the world don't subscribe to these hair boards I would say those non-AAs you see on boards do not necessarily represent the majority of women. Overall though I think there is often a great disparaty in how the average AAs care for their hair vs. non AAs. That's also why I think that many AAs still struggle with getting their hair to long lengths. Below bra-strap for AAs is certainly not typical (at least not yet) among AAs where as it is waaay more common in non-AAs; of course there are a variety of reasons for this...not necessarily just frequency of washing.

I haven't either. I have two bi-racial cousins who are half asian and they wash their hair every single day and they have hair that is tailbone length. However, I don't think daily washing works very well for people with really curly or crinkly hair, because detangling would be a nightmare causing a lot of hair to be lost. I started washing my hair once a week over a year ago and I have noticed that my hair is much more healthy than when I washed it twice a month. My hair feels much softer and is more manageable also.

 

[lilamae]

I know that washing my hair more often equals faster growth. I found this out by accident...i went on vacation to Mexico for 2 weeks. Everyday i washed my hair...nothin' fancy...and just pulled back. When I got home after 2 weeks, my friend could not believe how much my hair grew! It was crazy!

I wonder if it's the scalp stimulation or maybe it was the water in Mexico.

I want to go back to daily co-washes, but I have a lot of hair that comes out when combing. If I could avoid this, I would co-wash everyday. Any suggestions?

Maybe detangle in the shower under runing water, immediately saturate with leave in( detandling) when you get out of the shower..you should be good to go.

 

[MadisonK]

Maybe detangle in the shower under runing water, immediately saturate with leave in( detandling) when you get out of the shower..you should be good to go.

THANKS! I'm gonna try this. Do you have a leave in you like?

 

[winniebread]

Wow, I noticed a few things. It seeems like quit a few of the ladies here have since increased growth and greater scalp health after increasing the number of washes and/or condition washes each week. So, I'm wondering a couples things:

1) Has anyone ever heard of a challenge where the only thing that is done is increased the amount of washes and didn't use heat? ...no vitamins, growth aides, etc.?

2) If not, is anyone interested in trying this from now until the end of December to see what happens?

- winniebread

 

[OneInAMillion]

I haven't either. I have two bi-racial cousins who are half asian and they wash their hair every single day and they have hair that is tailbone length. However, I don't think daily washing works very well for people with really curly or crinkly hair, because detangling would be a nightmare causing a lot of hair to be lost. I started washing my hair once a week over a year ago and I have noticed that my hair is much more healthy than when I washed it twice a month. My hair feels much softer and is more manageable also.

ITA with the bold. Before I came to the boards, I noticed increased growth by washing once a week as opposed to twice a month.

 

[Blackrican]

I can't wash my hair daily. I am guilty of wearing tons of gel in my hair, and just plopping on a hair scarf at night (allows me to wear the same bun for about 3 days straight). My hair is alot to handle, and I don't see the point in washing my hair everyday, as opposed to leaving it alone (very hard for me). I think that my hair breaks off when i keep playing with it.

BUT....if anyone has any secrets to share, I'm all ears ;-)

 

[BrownSkin2]

When I first went natural, I co washed my twa a few times a week and noticed an increase in thickness. I don't do it now because I'd get lots of tangles and knots. I may experiment with it again next summer. Right now I can see an increase in thickness by lo manipulation, and washing and DC'ing once a week.

 

[ChoKitty]

Wow, I noticed a few things. It seeems like quit a few of the ladies here have since increased growth and greater scalp health after increasing the number of washes and/or condition washes each week. So, I'm wondering a couples things:

1) Has anyone ever heard of a challenge where the only thing that is done is increased the amount of washes and didn't use heat? ...no vitamins, growth aides, etc.?

2) If not, is anyone interested in trying this from now until the end of December to see what happens?

- winniebread

I'd be willing to try that. I'm trying to transition, and I'm three months post relaxer as of the 21st. Maybe it will help with the new growth.

 

[writtenthought]

I'm going to start daily co-washing every night. I will wash while in plaits and than unravel in shower run fingers through and re plait and put in a bun and let it dry over night. I think washing natural hair in plaits is the key. Also only using conditioner not shampoo.

 

[PuffyBrown]

For the ladies who co-wash often, how do you wear your hair? Relaxed answers will really help, thanks!

I too will wear mine in a bun if I am going out to work or school. depending on how early in the evening I washed it, it may still be a little damp when I get up but no biggy just damp enough to smooth into a cute bun. Otherwise, I will do an complete airdry wrap overnight and it turns out smooth, bouncy and silky. My hair is relaxed. I would never...ever...get away with doing this on my thick natural hair. I will be so glad when I get past shoulder length so that I can wear it down more often because bunning is time consuming.

 

[Spongie Bloom]

i think i am going to try this i am in braids till 2nd week of december so might as well

 

[lilamae]

THANKS! I'm gonna try this. Do you have a leave in you like?

YES! The best one is PATENE DETANGLING SPRAY it is amazing

 

[winniebread]

I know that washing my hair more often equals faster growth. I found this out by accident...i went on vacation to Mexico for 2 weeks. Everyday i washed my hair...nothin' fancy...and just pulled back. When I got home after 2 weeks, my friend could not believe how much my hair grew! It was crazy!

I wonder if it's the scalp stimulation or maybe it was the water in Mexico.

I want to go back to daily co-washes, but I have a lot of hair that comes out when combing. If I could avoid this, I would co-wash everyday. Any suggestions?

MadisonK,

Have you every tried coming your hair when it's soaked with conditioner? I heard that that reduces shedding. I also recently read a thread where those who use garlic shampoo have significantly reduced their shedding. ...something worth looking into.

- winniebread

 

[winniebread]

Wow...thank you so much for all of those who responded. I think I am really going to try this. I pray that I will be consistent with this. I've already washed the front of my hair once this week over the sink. I think I am going to Condition wash the front again before I go to bed.

My goal is to really get my hair back to where it was a few years ago. I don't remember quit was I was doing. I know my hair was all natural then and I'm pretty sure that I washed it once per week instead of the once every 2 to 3 weeks that I currently have been doing. Now I am part natural and part texturized and I straighten my hair about 1x every 3-4 weeks. I think my hair likes being moist more.

My old pics are still in my fotki. My hair was at its longest in 2003 but I'm thinking and hoping that it has the potentially to be even longer. Maybe doing condition washes 2-3x per week is what I need to get to the other side of my mid-back length goal.

Anybody else planning on trying this out with me?

- winniebread

 

[Mook's hair]

When I was in college I worked at a Mexican restaurant and came home each night smelling like greasy fajita onions. I washed & conditioned my relaxed hair after every shift because I couldn't walk around smelling like that.

I did experience rapid growth and healthy hair. I was using Cream of Nature Shampoo and Shenique silk reforming complex conditioner.