Growing natural 4c/b hair...is it better to add hair?

[wednesday]

I've been natural, this time around, for 6 years. The first 4 years i really wasn't taking care of my hair and pretty much wore braids back to back, used a lot of mineral oil, heat, sulfates and jacked up my hairline and my hair STAYED at neck length the whole time! Anywho, i've been making an effort to take care of my hair since early last year. My protective style of choice has been braids (human hair, synthetic, kinky twist, yarn). Last year i kinda BCed again( i am scissor happy) because my ends were a mess. I didn't really see much growth until i started wearing kinky twists this year and i've managed to reach just below collar bone length. LONG story short i see so many people that have done the big chop in the last year or so that have incredible growth and they wear protective styles WITHOUT adding hair. For a while i thought the hair i used for kinky twist was causing my mid strand splits and Noni suggested i just twist my own hair (but i was too scared/insecure about the length). I'm starting to think adding hair has hindered my growth in some way. I think in 2011 i'm going to challenge myself to not wear hair extensions.

So ladies, what has your experience been. Do you think you hair grows faster in protective styles with or without added hair?

 

[Fhrizzball]

It's not about faster growth but better retaining of hair for me. With added hair my hairline suffers so I'm still nursing that back to health. Also I believe over time the added bulk may thin the strands some. Also with just using my own hair I don't have to worry about buildup and matting as much as I do with extensions. But to each its own because I kinda want to try out a sew in but we'll see how that goes.

If you're still not ready to just wear your own hair you can always try wigs or halfwigs until it grows out some.

 

[wednesday]

bumping....

 

[aa9746]

I've been natural, this time around, for 6 years. The first 4 years i really wasn't taking care of my hair and pretty much wore braids back to back, used a lot of mineral oil, heat, sulfates and jacked up my hairline and my hair STAYED at neck length the whole time! Anywho, i've been making an effort to take care of my hair since early last year. My protective style of choice has been braids (human hair, synthetic, kinky twist, yarn). Last year i kinda BCed again( i am scissor happy) because my ends were a mess. I didn't really see much growth until i started wearing kinky twists this year and i've managed to reach just below collar bone length. LONG story short i see so many people that have done the big chop in the last year or so that have incredible growth and they wear protective styles WITHOUT adding hair. For a while i thought the hair i used for kinky twist was causing my mid strand splits and Noni suggested i just twist my own hair (but i was too scared/insecure about the length). I'm starting to think adding hair has hindered my growth in some way. I think in 2011 i'm going to challenge myself to not wear hair extensions.

So ladies, what has your experience been. Do you think you hair grows faster in protective styles with or without added hair?

Protective styles with or without added hair helps to retain my growth. Hair grows at the same rate at about 1/2 inch per month.

 

[Nonie]

My hair's thickness isn't affected by extensions. I think because I do my own extensions, I am able to control how much hair I add and thus how much the additional hair puts strain on my scalp and weight on my own hair. I am also able to redo the braids as soon as that becomes necessary thus removing the strain from the original starting point and moving it to newer stronger growth hair.

I find additional hair when wearing braids helps prevent my hair from locking because the additional hair separates my hair strand in their distinct sections used to create the braid. When I've tried to braid small sections without extension hair and washed my hair a few times (I tried this in the front where I sometimes leave extension hair out and just wear my own hair as bangs), my hair started to lock up.

When I wear twists, I usually wear them w/o extensions because I don't seem to have the problem of "locking" with twists. I am yet to wear twists w/o extensions for as long as I wear extension braids in order to compare the two styles. But I do believe low manipulation of any kind does help with retention. I also find regular dusting helps me maintain strong thick hair. Leaving my ends to their own devises leads to thinning that leads to breakage.

 

[HauteHippie]

I wear full sew-ins and I don't think it sets me back. I keep my hair moisturized under the tracks and do a protein treatment after takedown (and detangling).

 

[wednesday]

Thanks guys. I guess i'm just a slow grower.