How To Protect Your Hair While Growing It Out

How To Protect Your Hair While Growing It Out

by Sheila
(NC)

My Favourite Wig

How To Protect Your Hair While Growing It Out

Question:

I am happily getting married in 1 1/2 years and would love to have nice flowing hair. My hair, however, is about shoulder length and constantly breaking.

Right now I am wearing medium sized boxed braids to the middle of my back (which is where I'd love my real hair to be) but want to do whats best for letting my hair grow. I also have balding sides from poor hair care.

One person says, keep wearing the braids but I tend to loose a few and my hair too plus my awful balding sides show. One person says get a sew in and that will give my hair time to grow and grow back and lastly, my mom says just go to the salon once week or so and let a stylist take care of it and just wear your own hair.

Which idea will give my over relaxed, over colored, dry/brittle, breaking/splitting, receding hairline and poor hair a break so that I will look gorgeous on my wedding day?

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How To Protect Your Hair While Growing It Out

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Congrats...and a surprising answer!
by: Camille

Camille's Answer:

Hi Shelia!

First off let me say congrats to you and your fiancee on your upcoming wedding!

Second, girl you know you look good, quit talking about getting gorgeous "for the wedding", you're gorgeous right now!

With that said let's get down to the options.
Guess what...everybody you spoke to was right!

There are tons of great ways to protect your hair when you're growing out.

- Wearing braids
- Wearing sew in weave
- Doing protective updo styles
- Using no comb styles to do your hair.

They all work. But one thing everybody left out in their advice. Your actual hair!

All the protective styling in the world will do nothing if your hair isn't healthy at the foundation of it all.

Also, if your edges are thinning braids with extensions might not be the best thing for you.
My diagnosis based on what you told me is this.

I'll break it down...

Your Problems/ The Solutions

Over Relaxed

Stretching your relaxers and not over processing when you do get one.

Over Coloring

Stop doing this right now! Never color relaxed hair (unless it's a rinse).

Dryness/Brittleness

Start using a moisturizing deep conditioner with a plastic cap and bonnet dryer every time you wash.

Breaking/Splitting

This means your hair is weak and needs to be built back up with protein conditioners that you'll use once every 4-6 weeks. You have to use the moisturizing deep conditioners along with these to balance it out and not leave your hair brittle.

Receding hairline

Stop stressing your hairline with tight braids, chemicals and other harsh things and start massaging daily with warm organic Castor oil. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make it smell nice.

You look fantastic in that wig and one thing that might work very well for you is to do your hair care regimen, cornrow your hair and wear the wig over it until your hair starts to thicken up.

Remember to sign up for my free e-zine Black Beauty Buzz! so you can get detailed explanations, ideas, regimens, treatments and products you can use to get your hair healthy and growing.

Please take this advice...
by: Anonymous

Please take this advice before its too late!

If you can wear your hair natural take advantage of it. I used to have beautiful long curly hair until I got a weave,my hair got tangled and it had to get cut.

Ever since that day (3 years ago) I thought it would be a good idea to to get a sew in weave while my hair grows...well I was wrong!

I learned the hard way and it made my hair fall out even more now its half a thick as it used to be.

Weaves and braids cause damage and breakage to your own hair simply because it is too much stress on your hair also tugging.

Even wigs with clips are damaging you will start to notice breakage and thinning where the wig comb/clip is applied. These styles are not for long term use they are only for special occasions so please be careful.

Deep condition your hair, get trims, and make sure you do some research on what hair product ingredients are bad for hair also make sure you are getting the right nutrition/take vitamins and your hair will grow beautifully I promise.

Camille's Comments:

Thank you very much for your comments. I agree that natural hair is the best option because it's healthy, beautiful and there are tons of options for getting the straight look without subjecting your own hair to harsh chemicals.

That said I have to disagree about braids and weaves damaging hair. Braids and weaves put in, worn, or taken care of incorrectly causes hair damage.

I know many women including myself who have used, braids, weaves and wigs to grow long and healthy hair with no breakage thinning or any type of issues.

Of course some peoples hair can't handle extensions at all no matter how well they take care of them, but for someone who can these no comb hairstyles when properly put in, maintained and removed can be time, money and hairs savers!

I'll be posting some articles and videos soon talking more about this subject because there's A LOT that needs clearing up.

One last thing is that there are a lot of women who have no interest in going natural. The tips in this thread are mostly for them.

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