Monday, June 3, 2013

Want to Re-Grow your Hair?



I often run into women who have experienced extreme breakage and damaged to their hair and scalp. The biggest culprit for these women is hair that has been ripped out due to tight weaves and braids. Others suffer from breakage due to hormonal issues, chemicals, side effects from medication,or horrible hair care practices.

Traction Alopeica


  Whatever the cause of hair loss it can catapult you into an overly anxious state!  

Result of tight braids

If you want to stop the breakage and balding cycle the first thing to do is to identify what could be causing your problem. And stop it! Yeah, I know if it were that easy to figure out you probably would not be reading this post. But I have found when we slow down and think about our hair care practices we can figure out what is causing the breakage or hair loss. You can identify the cause, reverse it, and get your healthy hair back! 

Healthy Growth



Below are some tips to re-grow damaged broken hair: 

First identify the cause of your breakage or stunted growth: Frequent heat styling, poor diet, chemicals,dry hair,rough detangling, tight weaves and braids can all be the culprit of your broken damaged hair.  If you want your hair to stop breaking and you are currently doing any of the above things you need to stop asap!  ( I don't know any other way to say it ) Hormones or medication can also be culprits and a lot trickier to adjust. If you are on medication please research all of the possible side effects of your medication to find out if it could be causing hair loss. Only you and your doctor can decide if its something that you can refrain from taking. If medication is the cause you could have a harder fight but its not impossible, you learn what you're dealing with, and adjusting your diet and hair care regimen can definitely help lesson those side effects! 

 If your hair is dry and breaking it will not retain length. If you are constantly wearing styles that pull at your hair follicles aka too tight styles, your already weak hair will continue to break.  I know many women run to braids and weaves when their hair is not "acting right"  and that is the last thing they should do. 

Do frequent strengthening and deep conditioning  treatments on your hair to increase the integrity of your strands. You can use several different treatments like Protein, Fenugreek seed powder, Henna, and deep moisturizing treatments to stop breakage and strengthen your hair. 

If you wear weaves and braids. Don't wear weaves or braids while you are trying to re-grow your hair. Hair that is already weak does not need anything pulling on it and adding additional tension. Get your hair in a healthy state first. The best protective style to wear while doing this are natural styles with your own hair, if its not too severely broken to do so, or wear wigs. These styles offer the least amount of tension. 

Get a consistent hair care regimen, It has been proven, our hair responds to consistency! This is probably the best advice that I can give you.  Please resist the urge to jump from product to product and switching up every time some new trend or miracle growth product  enters the market. Stick to a simple regimen of  cleansing, deep conditioning, moisturizing, and protecting. You will also want to add to your regimen a monthly strengthening session( for example Henna, Protein  treatments, and other Ayurvedic treatments)  You should also add frequent scalp massages with stimulating growth oils like Rosemary, lavender, Bhringrachj, or Vatkia oil. Keep your manipulation low,  be consistent!

Patience is a must, once we decide to change our regimen make all the right choices we want to see results like the same day! It reminds me of how quickly we like to see weight come off after a couple days of  healthy eating and exercise. It just doesn't happen that quickly! When trying to re-grow your hair you have to be patient. Keep this in mind, hair typically grows at a 1/4 inch to 1/2 an inch per month.  If you are doing everything right and your follicles are producing hair the way they should you're gonna have to wait atleast 1 to 2 months before you see ANY noticeable growth. So don't watch the pot boil. Just be consistent with your regimen and the growth will come. 


*This topic of hair loss and  regrowing hair is diverse. There are many scenarios that can be addressed. For the sake of time I've only addressed the most common causes of hair loss and possible solutions. If you feel your situation  is beyond what I've mention, for example Alopecia Areta or severe Traction Alopecia you will need to see a Dermatologist or a Tricologist.  These are doctors with specific medical training in this area. They should be able to cut to the chase, and let you know if your hair follicles will re produce hair. 


Well until next time, keep it happy and healthy!!



4 comments:

Cuddleskissesnchaos said...

Hi there! I'm not quite sure how I found you but I'm glad I did. You have some great tips on hair care and I love your hair story. It is very inspiring. I just did the big chop yesterday and posted my journey on my blog today. I've been researching styles and tips for after the big chop and beyond. You can see my results of the chop at www.cuddleskissesnchaos.blogspot.com

nappy headed black girl said...

I'm guilty of tight braids and cornrows. I have a circle very similar to that pic where I lost an extension braid from the root.

I also am working on incorporating more protein and strengthening products into my routine. I mistakenly thought that having dreads automatically shielded me from breakage. I know better now.

Accountable to God said...

Hello Miranda thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it! I will definitely check out your big chop at your blogspot!

Accountable to God said...

Hey there Nappy headed black girl! Yes that photo of the braid extension missing was a photo that a friend of mine sent to me of her hair. That was the first pic and the second pic she sent(not shown) was the entire braid snapped off along with her hair, in her hand! And it also happened on her edges.. Quite dramatic!

Yes I've noticed people with locs who experience breakage if they let their retwists or retightens go too long. I believe the distance between the new growth and the loc can't support the weight of the loc. It's sort of like letting braid extensions stay too long and you have this long braid hanging that should be touched up before it breaks! Good job with the protein it really does help! My favorite is the Hydratherma Naturals protein conditioner!