adminHI, there everyone, it is me again. I hope you are all well. As a follow-up to my discussion with you last week on hair care and how to grow it, I will attempt to answer a letter from a lady who wrote the following:Hi, my name is Sheena and I am 15 years old and my question is: How many inches of natural hair can I roughly expect in one year? Also my hair never seems to grow past my neck. It does not even touch my shoulder. What should I do?
P.S. I have been transitioning for three months
Hello there Sheena, there are so many people who write to me asking that question. In fact even I used to ask the same question until I found out the secrets I am about to tell you.
If you master the art of length retention, the average amount that your hair can grow is six inches per year. Some people grow slightly under this amount and some slightly over.
The next thing I would advise is to be patient, as growth takes time. I grow my hair in sessions of 12 months at a time. I try not to judge its growth before that (three months is too short a time to judge reasonable growth). You should learn what works for your hair and what doesn’t which is a trial and error process and that takes time in and of itself.
In my opinion, the reason why your hair never seems to grow past your neck is because you are breaking your hair off faster than it is growing, so it appears that you are not gaining length. Also genealogy does play an important part in how long your hair grows — some say. I don’t know about that. Although I don’t know all the details of what may be breaking your hair, here are some general tips to avoid breakage:
First avoid frequently combing or brushing your hair. I want you to notice how much hair is on your brush or comb every time you comb or brush it. I also want you to listen to the sound your hair makes when you are brushing or combing it. There is a sound of dryness which is a sure sign your hair will break. Detangle your hair once per week with a wide-tooth comb and always use a moisturiser as you detangle on damp hair.
Moisturise or oil your hair often and focus your attention on the roots and your ends (your ends are the oldest and most fragile part of your hair)
Deep conditioning your hair often is very important. It is better to get it done by a trained professional though. I promise you, your hair will look and feel healthier after a deep condition if done right.
During the day, choose styles that don’t require you to manipulate your hair by combing or brushing it too frequently. Simple buns, plaits and pony tails do just fine. Avoid hair accessories that could potentially cause breakage, for example, rubber bands).
Also while you are transitioning, it is to be expected that you will experience some degree of breakage due to the inconsistency of hair textures, your natural roots and relaxed ends. Plus, you will have to trim your relaxed ends as you transition, but wait for at least 12 months before you trim your ends. Do not believe anyone who says trimming or cutting your hair makes it grow quicker. Hair grows from the root, my dear, so it’s your roots that need to be looked after more.
But too much processing of your hair can cause split ends and these prevent hair styles from sitting properly or longer. So cutting your hair removes split-ends and helps your hair style sit better and for longer. It also looks neater.
If you combine the advice I gave last week and this week, I am sure, like me, you will find a winning formula.
That is it for this week – God Bless!
Anastasia can be messaged on 0772 933 845.
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