Why My Natural Hair Grows So Fast
Recently I got a comment on a video asking me why I think my hair grows so fast, and since today is the last day of my hair being loose because I am starting locs tomorrow I thought it would be a good time to sit down answer this question.
I don’t think we spend enough time talking about retention of length — I think we just talked about growth. The actual length or amount of hair that sits on top of your head is twofold.
- It’s what’s coming out of your scalp (growth)
- but it’s also keeping the hair that’s coming out of your scalp on top of your head (retention)
— not ripping it out — it not falling out — not pulling it out — not breaking it off etc etc. So keep in mind that when I’m talking about these things I’m not just addressing how I get hair to grow out of my scalp like I’m one of those Play-Doh dolls, I’m also talking about how I keep the hair growing out of my scalp on my head.
I have great genes
The women in my mom’s side of the family don’t have fast growing hair. They all do. It’s long it’s luscious it’s thick and we all have a lot of it. Now I think it’d be ridiculous for me to look at my family members and totally negate the fact that our hair comes out of our head like that. We can shave our hair we can cut our hair and boom it’s back. Our hair is strong our hair is sturdy it doesn’t break as quickly as other people’s hair and it’s coming out of our scalp at a pretty good clip.
I have above average growth for a black girl
Don’t quote me on any of this because I may be wrong but I believe that the average a person a human’s hair grows on average is half an inch a month. So you should be able to expect about six inches a year. Now what I understand is that’s an average for humans across the board. So some people’s hair grows slower some people’s hair grows faster than that. African Americans typically are on the slower end. So they may not get a full six inches a year for many reasons. I, on the other hand, find that when I am maintaining my hair at in a good way like I’m really being intentional about maintaining my hair and retaining the length I can get six inches. So I’m pretty much smack-dab average. So I feel like the reason why it seems like my hair grows really really fast is that I’m not below average which is more typical for an African American person.
My diet is pretty healthy
I don’t really share a lot of what my diet entails but if you follow me on social media you will know that I am a pretty healthy eater. I drink a lot of water. On top of that, I eat a very plant-heavy gluten-free mostly organic mostly non-GMO diet. I’m gonna say I don’t eat prepackaged and processed foods but when I do eat prepackaged and processed foods most of them are like non-GMO organic type things. For example this morning I had gluten-free bread with avocado and some homemade chia pudding for breakfast, a cup of tea that was sweetened with vanilla syrup flavoring and some stevia, and every single day I take a prenatal, vitamin B, folate, and vitamin D in fish oil. Even my multivitamins are all Garden of Life which are plant-based. So the gist is I have a relatively healthy diet. What you put in your body is what you get out.
Sometimes I exercise
When I’m exercising on a consistent basis my hair and nails grow faster.
I mindful when I maintain my hair
A lot of this has to do with knowledge and this is what I was really harping on earlier when it comes to whether you’re pulling your hair out of your head. I maintain my hair in a way that helps the hair stay on my head. So, for example, I’ve seen a lot of people online who before they wash their hair they will just take their dry hairspray it with water put a little bit of product on it and just
comb through it. And every time I see that I cringe. All I’m thinking is you’re ripping your hair out of your head! In contrast what I do — I will separate my hair gently with the little finger crawling into four to six sections and cover that section totally untouched with conditioner and oil mixed together, roll it up into a Bantu knot, secure it with a little band, and sit under the dryer — all BEFORE I detangle anything. Then and only then will I detangle my hair.
I rarely use heat
Excessive use of heat weakens your hair and makes it break off. I rarely use heat on my hair, and when I do I notice a difference.
I tend toward protective styles
A protective style is a style that puts your hair away specifically the ends. So like a bun cornrows twist anything faux locs crochet braids anything that basically gets your hair away from your body and protects it. That’s what I tend to do the most, mostly ’cause I’m lazy. When you just leave your hair alone it can thrive. If you’re always raking through your hair, always combing it every single day you’re going to break your hair off you’re not gonna keep the length on your head. I really don’t manipulate my hair much after I put my hair in the style. So even when I’m wearing an “out” style like a twist out or a braid out I just don’t.