Maximizing Your Growth in Protective Styles

The biggest mistake people make when keeping their hair in protective styles like twists, braids,& sew-ins is thinking of it as a time for them to do absolutely nothing to their hair. Just because your hair is tucked away doesn't mean that it doesn't need the same things that it needs when its out! People get so much growth while their hair is protected, just for it to break from neglecting it and poor removal techniques. So here are five basic rules that will keep your hair in tip top shape while protected so that you can actually retain all that growth that you're getting under there!

1) If you don't read anything else, read and understand this: Your hair needs to stay moisturized while in these styles. And if you read my previous post on moisture, you know that that does not mean lathering your scalp with Beewax, Miracle Grow, Indian Hemp, or any other pore clogging, petrolatum filled product. It also doesn't mean spraying your hair every other day with oil sheen. What it does mean is getting a moisturizing braid spray and spraying where your hair is daily or every other day (you'll have to figure out what works better for your hair). If you're in braids or twists, that means down the length of the braid/twist; if you're in cornrows, that means spraying the cornrows, and if you're in a sew in, that means lifting up the weave to spray directly on the cornrows underneath. This will keep your hair moist. African Pride & African Royale both have good braid sprays that serve the purpose. You may also follow up the spray with a light oil( olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, etc) along the hair shaft every 3 days or so.

2) Do not leave your hair to accumulate all of that dirt. Ladies, it is not cute to have dirt accumulating at the root of your hair, nor is it cool to be afraid to touch your hair because of a fear of flakes flying everywhere. Wash your hair! Dry, dirty hair will lead to breakage. Try to wash your hair at least every other week with diluted shampoo, focusing on the roots, and diluted conditioner, focusing on the length of your hair. Leave the conditioner on for at least 5 minutes, and for the really good people, deep condition under a shower cap with heat as you normally would for 15 min or more or walk around the house for an hour if you don't use heat. And yes, you can do this while you have your weave. Lift the hair up and focus on your cornrows underneath. Use a pointy tip applicator bottle to direct the shampoo & conditioner. Same for cornrows. Make sure you rinse out your products thoroughly & allow your hair to dry (a hooded dryer is good for this, but a blow dryer will work also. If using a blow dryer, blow dry until its almost dry & allow it to airdry the rest of the way.

3)Let go of the "grease the scalp" obsession. Use a light oil every wash day, and maybe a few times a week, as needed. Your scalp makes its own natural oils & doesn't need excessive amounts of your additions. It only creates buildup on the scalp. And remember, no petroleum products....please?

4)Do not leave your styles in for excessive periods of time. Yes, I know that you paid a lot for that hair style but.....if your braids & cornrows are hanging onto your hair for dear life, then it is past time for you to take them out. This weakens the hair----> breakage. You can maximize the hair style (braids/twists) by having your edges redone every 2 or 3 weeks. It'll keep the hair looking fresh, and save your edges.

5) And finally, speak up if your hair is super tight, have the stylist take it out and redo them immediately. If you've already left, take out the edges and redo them. A quick conditioner wash might also help to loosen up the tightness. You do not want to suffer a hair growth set back just because you were afraid to speak up. Remember, you are paying these people. Ask for what you want.

Protective styles can be the ultimate hair growth maximizer if done and maintained properly. Try these tips and see what a difference it makes in your hair.

Happy Hair Growing!

-Bee

Protective Styling

Hair styles that reduce the ability to manipulate your hair or limit the exposure of your hair (particularly the ends) to the elements, are known as protective styles. This includes braids, cornrows, twists (with or without extensions), sew-in weaves, buns/updos,phony ponies, roller sets & wigs (w/hair cornrowed under). If done properly, protective styling will help you to retain more of your length since the hair isn't being bothered as much.

Think of all the things that we do when our hair is out. We comb and brush it over and over, our ends constantly rub against our clothes, the cold air leaves our hair dry and brittle during the winter time, pulling our hair into the tightest pony tail we can accomplish, or we're simply battling hand in hair syndrome (many naturals do this or relaxed heads with their new growth). All of these things weaken the hair, making it more susceptible to breakage. As a result, we have people saying "my hair never grows!", when the reality is that you aren't retaining the hair that you're growing because you keep breaking it off(More on the hair growth myth in a future post).

Try pinning up your hair more often during the week. Pull your hair into a bun or hide it under a phony pony (remember not extremely tight; don't want to be battling the loss of your edges too!). Allow your hair to remain curly after the roller set, or if you have to have the sleek wrap look, allow the ends to curl under (if you are above shoulder length) or pin it up after a few days if your hair is longer. Avoid tight braids, twists, and cornrows (under the weaves & wigs too). These styles can allow for the most length retention but are often done improperly. No matter what the stylist says, it is not necessary for it to be so tight that half of your scalp is in the braid.(More on taking care of your hair in these styles in the next post)

So ladies (and gents), consider increasing the amount of times your hair is in a protective style. I promise that if done properly, your hair will thank you.

Until next time,

Happy Hair Growing!

-Bee

Breakage vs Shed Hair

Ahhhh! Every time you comb, brush, or even touch your hair, you see hair coming out. When you wash you hair, there is hair in the bathtub. What's going on???

Well let's figure that out. The hair that you find lying around could be shed hair or broken hair. There is a very big and important difference between the two.

SHED HAIR is hair that is naturally released from the scalp as a result of being at the end of it's growth cycle. Each and every piece of hair on your head goes through a growth phase. The duration of this growth phase is what differs from person to person. However, the average can be anywhere between about 2-6 years (this is based on genetics). There are three stages of hair growth:

Anagen-the active phase of hair growth. Most of the hair on your head is in this phase at a given time.

Catagen: the shortest stage lasting about 2-3 weeks. This is the transitional time when the hair strand begins to stop growing. About 2-3% of your hair stands are at this stage.

Telogen: This is the resting stage of the hair follicle. At this stage, the hair has ceased all growth and is essentially, dead hair waiting to be pushed out by the new growing hair. This stage can last up to 3 months and about 10-15% of scalp hair may be in this stage. (Side fact: Eyebrow, eyelash, body hair, remain in this stage for much longer. That's why you don't have scalp hair length on your face and body :) )

So, shed hair is the hair that is in telogen phase and is pushed out naturally.Shed hair will have a white bulb at the end of it. We loose up to 50-100 hairs a day due to this cycle. That seems like a lot but keep in mind that we have around 100,000 hair follicles on our head and that this is a continuous cycle. The amount of hair we shed can be accelerated due to different things like stress, diet, exercise, season (summer tends to produce more growth), age (the cycle begins to slow down after 30), and a variety of other things. That's why you may note that you seem to be losing more hair on some weeks, and less during others. Therefore, keep in mind what normal shedding looks to you on an average day, so that you can be aware when things seem to be changing.

Now, BROKEN HAIR is what you want to minimize. Broken hair is hair that is just that...broken...due to external stressors. These stresors can be:

Chemical: color, perming, or any other chemical which may weaken the hair strand over time.

Mechanical: pulling, combing, brushing (especially when wet), use of high heat (ie: flat ironing, curling, etc)
Hair accessories: scrunchies, barrettes, etc that pull the hair too tight.

Health: changes in your health that result in weaker hair strands growing in.

When you have broken hair, you won't see the bulb at the end of the strand and the hair will usually be short. So, when you hear that "snap" noise coming from your head, you've probably just broken some hair.

Take a look at what you're losing. If it's mostly shed hair, then good job! If it's mostly broken hair, then start making changes in your daily practices. Reduce the manipulation of your hair, heat, or constant use of harsh chemicals. Strengthen the strands with a protein treatment once in awhile.

Until next time,
Happy Hair Growing!

Bee