Growing Black Hair

Think about this....if you have a relaxer or you get your hair done in braids or locks, don't you have to go to the salon for a touch up, re-braid or re-tighten every so often? Yes!...you do!

What that means is that your hair does grow. If it didn't, the hair care industry would have a meltdown because they'd never sell another tub of relaxer or a service again!

Growing black hair is just like it is with the hair growth of any other group. But what makes black hair different is the way it grows. We have kinky, coily, curly or wavy hair that grows out of the hair follicles in a spiral shape. The tighter the spiral...the tighter the curl pattern.

You hair grows anywhere between 1/8th to 1 inch a month. Depending on your genetics and also how healthy you are it also has a maximum length it can grow to that's different for everybody.

The healthier you are, the faster you hair grows. If you have ever been pregnant you might have noticed a growth spurt in your hair. This is mainly because you were wating better and taking prenatal vitamins which helped make your hair grow faster than normal.

Your hair also grows faster in the hot months than the cold months and the rate will slow down as you age.

Growing Black Hair - The Issues

There are many things that might make you feel like growing black hair is hard and that yours isn't growing.

Shrinkage - Since black hair has a curl pattern, the length isn't always easy to see because the hair "shrinks" up sometimes as much as 80%! Unless you straighten your hair or find ways to allow it to remain 'stretched' you might think that your hair isn't very long when it is.

Breakage - Breakage can be caused by rough handling, over processing, the wrong products and many other bad hair practices. Bottom line...if your hair is breaking as fast as it's growing, you will never see length accumulating!

Slow Hair Growth - A poor diet and lack of essential vitamins and minerals can slow your hair's growth. Take a good vitamin and eat well for health and your fastest hair growth.

Scalp Issues - Psoriasis, alopecia and many other scalp related problems can have the effect of stunting your hair's growth.

BWBC Tip: If you have scalp issues that can't be solved with Head n' Shoulders it's time to visit a good dermatologist. Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp!

Once you understand the basics of growing black hair, take control of your hair's health and keep any possible breakage in check, it can and will grow to great lengths. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!

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