By Jc of The Natural Haven
It is well documented that hair grows approximately half an inch per month. This would translate to 1 inch every two months , 2 inches every four months and so on and so forth. However is it really realistic to expect 100% retention of this growth? Here are some factors to consider:
1. How long/old is your hair?
Generally the easiest growth and retention phase happens at the beginning. Gaining and retaining the first 4-6 inches is fairly easy with very little extra care necessary. However, after this point, the ease with which you retain length depends on how well you protect the older hair from weathering and damage. Naturally texture and individual strand thickness differences will influence retention ease but regardless of hair type, the fundamental ‘be gentle with your hair’ mantra really matters for hair that is over a year old.
2. Breakage and Split Ends
Some hair breaks easily while some hair doesn’t. Some people can comb their hair with little to no breakage while others will suffer some breakage regardless of how gentle they are to the hair. In general hair that is most affected by breakage and splits tends to be fine in thickness (individual strands) and kinky. It will not be possible to retain 100% length retention if your hair naturally breaks with gentle handling but it may be possible to get quite close to it (80- 90%) utilising breakage prevention techniques such as protective styling and low manipulation.
3. How do you prefer to style your hair?
The two previous subjects namely the age of your hair and whether you experience breakage and splits are intrinsic properties of your hair which you have limited control over. The choice of how you style your hair especially for natural hair has a huge influence on how much hair you will retain. Once more texture differences come into play but in general the longer the duration of time (consecutive days) that you spend in low or no manipulation styles, the more length you retain. This does not mean you cannot style your hair in an ‘out’ style as often as you like, it just means that there is a trade off (for example, you can choose to alternate 1 week of protection with 1 week of out styles which may give you 50-60% retention or you could choose 4 weeks of protection with 2 days of out styles which may give you 80-90% retention)
My advice is that in the first year a goal of 100% length retention is quite realistic but as the years go by, adjust this goal to suit your hair’s abilities and your lifestyle. If you are keen to grow your hair as long as possible and as quick as possible, then having a high retention rate as a goal is ideal. If you are keen to enjoy your hair as much as possible but still also gain length, reducing your expectation to a minimum of 50% retention is probably more ideal.
Ladies, hot much length do you retain?
I have been natural for over 8years and I can not manage to find a way to retain growth with my hair. It is very uneven, the front is about 7in, middle3-4 and back6-7. My hair is naturally very dry even when i do twist outs or braids outs. Would It be best for me to do a Big Chop or ??????
My hair is naturally curly and grows pretty fast. I have no problem growning hair–but I have trouble keeping it. For the past two summers I’ve gone through a cycle where I wear my hair out (which had grown out tremendously during the winter, thanks to primarily wearing it in updos), then as I wear it out it starts to break, because some manipulation is required if a curl looks fuzzy (detangle with my fingers, wet with water, then it goes back to perfect spiral and I can add product). When I say breakage–I mean “breakage!” I’ll watch 6, 8, and 10-inch strands come out in my hands. This spring went to the Deva salon in NY for a trim, and she recommended that I detangle my hair with my fingers when I shampoo–no comb. (I used to first detangle with a big-tooth comb, then a small one.) Detangling used to double the fear of God in me, and I thought fingers were answered prayers. Fat chance–once again I’ve still had horrible breakage. Too many “why?” factors I’ve taken into consideration to share here, but, as I’m already an extremely healthy eater, I think stress had a lot to do with it (been going through a really rough patch) and I also recently incorporated neem oil into my regimen. I’m also wearing my hair back in a (surprisingly still) thick bun, and plan to do so until next spring. The neem oil stinks to high heaven, but has penetrated my hair like no oil I know. I literally just started using it this week. Know it’s nasty, but when I really want my hair to grow, I’ll not wash it for two months, and just keep conditioning weekly, wetting and adding product, and pulling it up in a bun. People still view my hair as extremely thick, and even long–but I know better. All that said (sorry for the long post–just had to vent all this frustration out of my system–my hair looked so fly this summer. Aaargh!) I started subscribing to BlackGirlLong hair and this has beeen extremely helpful, and supportive as I regrow my hair. I have to admit I sometimes feel envious when I see women with uniformly thick, long hair because I know at many points that has been me, until (crack!) off it broke. LOL. Have to laugh to keep myself from crying. You ladies inspire me! This is really a great community. Along the way I’ll report on results. THANKS!!!
Hey ladies,
I’ve been natural almost 18 months. I’ve definitely benefited from protective styling…retaining 5.5 inches of growth the first year. I’ve done various “protective” styles. Some with extensions and some without.
Check out my Instagram for pictures throughout the various stages! @MsSherryBlossom (that’s also my twitter handle!)
You can learn more about my journey on my blog
http://Www.sherryblossombeauty.com
And even styling videos on my YouTube channel
http://Www.youtube.com/SherryBlossomBeauty
Facebook: Sherry Blossom
I’m always open to chatting and answering questions and I love following others journeys as well.
Protective styling doesn’t have to be a nuisance and trust me it definitely can be cute!
HELPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so i went natural for 2 years then when i thought my hair was long enough i went back to perm and all the excessive flat- ironing. during the 2 yr period my hair was never trimmed more than 5 times and my curls were amazing. now that i am natural again, my curls are dry and limp and i don’t know what happened. i tryed twist outs but it oesn’t work and i have no extra money for extenzive hair product. my hair length now is 3-4 inches