Help! the hair on the side of my head won't grow

[Misseyl]

As my siggy will show I have been wearing box braids since December of 2009 and my hair on both sides of my head refuse to grow. I don't know what to do. I am torn right now because I plan to relax in July and while the hair on at the back, top and certain sections on the side are growing, there are a few areas that did not grow in at all. I purchased some Jamaican Castor oil and will be using that when I get it but away from that I don't know what else to do. I was thinking putting off relaxing in July and see if the Castor oil will help but I miss my hair and want to finish this braiding thing once and for all. Now that I'm about to relax again does anyone have any ideas how I may go about it so that I retain hair on my sides?

 

[ms.blue]

Stop braiding. The braids may have been causing too much stress on your scalp/hair.

 

[BrownSkin2]

Maybe you need to take a break from braiding. It could be hindering your growth. Braids don't work for everyone, myself included.

 

[Misseyl]

ms.blue and BrownSkin2 - thanks for your replies ladies. Yep, the braids might not be helping my sides at all. Come July I will be relaxing and hopefully I can use some of the information that I've learned from here, Ulovemegz and others.

 

[DarkJoy]

I wore braids for like 4 years straight. Didn't help my hair at all either. I think doing it just made my hair weaker over time by making the cuticle rough and frayed.

Have you trimmed lately? That might kick start the growing if the ends are jacked up (like mine were)

 

[virtuenow]

Could it be the relaxer. Also known to destroy follicles.

 

[Misseyl]

Could it be the relaxer. Also known to destroy follicles.

I use Phytorelaxer Index II and I've never experienced any burns so I don't know but coming this July I will be using Q'tips to apply the relaxer on my edges. Previously each time I relax, the relaxer would cover my edges from tip to end, so coming July I will be applying the relaxer using Q'tips and smooth it in using my rat tail comb. If anyone has any suggestions on how to approach this please comment because I'm at my wits end.

 

[claud-uk]

Scalp massages with your fingertips will help with getting some blood to your scalp. You might want to take up a couple of vitamins to help things along. I'm suffering badly with my front hairline due to 20 years of relaxers but it's coming back - one side is much stronger than the other but they're both making progress.

 

[MsDee14]

How often do you leave your hair out in-between braids? And how long do you wait to relax after removing the braids?
I think it could be stress from the braids or overprocessing from the relaxer.

I think you should take a break from braids and not relax until you get that under control.

JBCO is a good start, maybe add in a few drops of an essential oil to help boost up the stimulation.
A Sulfur Oil mix
Scalp Massages

I'm sure others will chime in with more recommendations.