Eleven tips for maintaining length with Natural hair

We've heard it before from one person to another- "my hair just won't grow!" The fact is that no matter what race or texture of your hair, our hair all grows at the same rate. The main focus in retaining length on natural hair are moisture retention and controlling breakage. These go hand in hand.

1. The first step that you need to take is to cease the chemical straightening if you are doing so. This process can damage your hair when applied incorrectly. Also recent studies have shown that chemical relaxers can harm your health as well.
2. Use Shampoos that are free of sulfates. Sulfates strip the hair of its natural oils that can result in over drying, leaving you with dry brittle hair.
3. Pre-poo (pre-shampoo) your hair with a natural oil such as coconut or olive oil. This limits the amount of water that your hair will absorb, resulting in less swelling and breakage. This also protects hair from being stripped of its natural oils.
4. Deep condition your hair with a moisturizing deep conditioner after every wash. Try to use a gentle heat source like wrapping a towel around your head and generating body heat of your own or using a microwave cap. If you don't have time to deep condition, make sure that you at least use a leave-in conditioner that is kept cold in the refrigerator. Using the cold leave-in will help to seal in your hair's cuticles after washing.
5. Air dry or use an old t-shirt for drying your hair. The fiber on towels can act like Velcro to our natural hair, resulting in hair being ripped out.
6. Do a henna treatment for your hair once a month. This will improve your hair's health along with amazing strength and shine.
7. Make sure that you are clarifying monthly. You can use a clarifying shampoo or for a more natural approach you can add one tablespoon of baking soda or apple cider vinegar to your shampoo.
8. Clip your nails before detangling your hair. Your hands are your best tools when it comes to caring for your hair but not if hangnails are tearing away at your tress!
9. Trim your hair as needed to get rid of split ends. Make sure that you are not just trimming your hair for the sake of it. If you trim your hair without the intention of getting rid of split ends, you'll just be chopping off perfectly healthy hair. This will make length retention extremely difficult for you in the long run.
10. Make sure that you are tying your hair up every night. Sleeping in a satin scarf or on a satin pillowcase prevents your hair from being robbed of its moisture. It can also prevent unnecessary tangling.
11. Last but not least, make sure that you have a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. These foods are good for you while keeping both hair and skin pliable!