Black women since the beginning of time have had to deal with dry hair and hair that they think does not grow. An important step in being able to grow long and healthy black hair is to deal effectively with the dryness of our curly, kinky tresses. Dry hair robs black women of length and it is important to look at what hair practices you have in place currently if you want to know how to grow long hair but have failed.
Why Is My Hair As Dry As the Sahara or the Kalahari Desert?
All hair is comprised of keratin which is a type of protein. It grows out of a follicle and the follicle is surrounded by sebaceous (oil) glands. In order to be healthy and grow, the hair needs to be moisturized and the sebum (oil) released by the sebaceous glands does this job. For people with straight tresses, the sebum travels from the root to the ends of the strand very easily which keeps it moisturized.
For black people with curly, kinky tresses, sebum has its work cut out for it because of the bends in the hair. In most cases the sebum cannot travel from the hair root to the ends of the hair to keep the hair moisturized. This leads to dry, brittle hair that snaps easily. The hair ends are the oldest and driest part of hair and chronic dryness causes the ends to snap off.
Hair is always growing but when the ends snap off, it may seem that hair does not grow which is a common complaint for black women trying to grow their hair long and healthy. Well moisturized hair is supple and does not break easily which makes it easier to grow and most important, keep the ends from snapping off.
The natural tendency for black hair to be dry and brittle is further worsened by the many habits and products that are ill suited for this hair type. Applying heat with flat irons, hot combs or blow dryers makes dryness worse.
Curly hair is the most fragile but you wouldn't know it by the way most black women treat their hair with he very drying hair tools or harsh chemicals applied to the hair. Black women can grow their hair long and healthy but only if they learn to be gentle with the hair and use methods and products that keep the hair moisturized and the first area to do this is the cleansing process.
To Shampoo or To Conditioner Wash
Shampoos usually contain harsh detergents in them that are used to lift the dirt and oil off hair. These harsh detergents will strip your hair making it very dry and brittle. Detergents found in shampoo are commonly sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS which is the harshest), ammonium laureth sulfate (ALS) and sodium laureth sulfate which are also harsh.
If you want to keep your hair moisturized which will help it grow long and healthy and if you have to use a shampoo to cleanse your curly hair, make sure that you read the ingredient list to ensure that none of them contain sulfates as they will dry out your hair and make it brittle and then it will snap off. This is an important fact if you want to know how to grow long hair and are battling dry hair
It is important to also note that some conditioners may also contain sulfates especially SLS so make sure that you avoid conditioners with this ingredient.
The "no-poo" method may take some getting used to but it will effectively cleanse your tresses while still keeping it moisturized. This involves using a conditioner to cleanse your hair and eliminating the need for a shampoo. Try to use a conditioner that does not contain sulfates as well as one that contains no silicones. This is any ingredient that ends with a "cone" when you peruse the product ingredient list.
Silicones are used in the manufacturing industry to repel water. For curly haired women, water is crucial to keep the hair moisturized. This will help to keep the hair healthy and will help it to grow long. Eliminating products with silicone will help your hair retain and attract moisture which is an essential step on how to grow long hair.
Silicone will provide a barrier around the hair cuticle keeping out water which is not something a curly haired woman wants. It will also weigh hair down changing the natural curl pattern of your hair.
When you use shampoo, you will have to reduce the amount of times you wash your tresses because excessive washing will further dry out your tresses. With a conditioner wash, you will be able to wash your tresses a lot more frequently while still keeping the hair moisturized.
Once a month or so, a clarifying shampoo will be used to get rid of product build up. This will still dry out your tresses since a clarifying shampoo is even stronger than regular shampoo as its job is to really strip hair of product buildup or hard water build up. If you want to remove the product build up without excessively drying out your hair, using an apple cider vinegar solution (apple cider vinegar mixed with water) is a better option.
These are only a few tips if you seek to grow long hair that is also healthy. The needs of curly hair will require you to discover what works on your hair and what doesn't to keep it moisturized. For more tips on how to grow long hair by following proper conditioning and deep treatment methods as well as other healthy hair practices, visit http://www.squidoo.com/grow-black-hair-long. You can grow your kinky curly hair. Learn how to starting today.
0 Comments for "Growing Long Healthy Natural Hair By Effectively Controlling Dry Hair"