I feel like it's not what makes my hair grow, but what RETAINS it. And for me, that's babying my ends.
I agree. It's not just about growth. It's about retention, or maintaining all of the hair you grow. If we are healthy people (as in without a medical issue or condition that would cause our hair not to grow) our hair will grow regardless. Here's some tips I've learned over the years that help with hair growth.
Not over-cleansing your hair-There's a lot of opinions as to how often one should shampoo or not, or whether you should shampoo at all, but it seems to be unanimous that shampooing too much is detrimental. Some people choose to only shampoo their hair once per week or longer, others pre-poo their hair with conditioner or oil before they shampoo to prevent overdrying. You could also try co-washing in between shampoos (washing your hair with conditioner) which allows you to wash your hair without over-drying it and also gives softness.
Use Conditioner-Conditioner replenishes moisture and helps smooth the cuticle after you cleanse your hair.
Pay attention to protein/moisture balance of hair- You can do this by doing what is called a strand test. After grooming your hair find a shed strand and pull on it. Hair that has just the right amount of elasticity (moisture) and strength (protein) will stretch for a while when you pull on it slowly, and then make a slight snapping sound, or show signs of resistance, when it breaks. Hair that needs moisture or contains too much protein won't stretch at all and may make a snapping sound when it breaks or feel rough. Hair that needs protein may break easily, feel "mushy", and not show any signs of resistance before breaking. There are protein based conditioners/deep conditioners (may also be called reconstructors) that are designed to deal with weak and brittle hair, and there are also moisturizing conditioners/deep conditioners that are designed to deal with dry hair.
Don't over-stress your strands- Remember: Whatever you take away from your hair, you must give back to it. Doing excessive heat styling, relaxing, dying, grooming etc...can damage hair, causing breakage and lost length.
There are probably many other rules that people swear by (such as moisturizing, oiling, protective styling, trimming, etc), but these are just some that I think most follow that I would like to share
. There's a lot of lee way when it comes to achieving and maintaining healthy hair. Don't be afraid to experiment with different routines and products to find which ones work best for you.
My hair grows anyway, My hair was near APL when i only washing it every 6mths, greased it every time i saw a flake, and never deep condition it..but the thing is it would only stay at APL
...so far so good ladies...I see also RETENTION is very important...so babying the ends is really important to most people and I guess that includes protective styles and moisture...
