These 4 Tweaks Help Retain The Length Of Your Natural Hair
How our hair deteriorates
Our hair naturally degrades and deteriorates over time due to a combination of biological processes and daily hair care practices. This is something we all experience and is entirely normal.
Our hair is a material, and much like with any other material, over time, as we touch, wash, and interact with it, the quality of it will gradually break down and become weaker. As such, we must do everything possible to mitigate any further degradation of our Afros, to be able to hold on to as much of its length and keep it as strong and resilient as we can.
How To Love Your Afro by Paige Lewin
What is your length limit?
Everybody has a genetic limit of length that their natural hair can reach. And while everybody’s length limit is different, the main issue is that most of us will never actually be able to reach it to see how long our hair can really be.
As mentioned, our hair grows roughly half an inch per month during the anagen phase, which can last anywhere from two to seven years if not disrupted. Your length limit is how long your hair will be at the end of the anagen phase, having retained as much of that length as possible.
Gentle detangling
Detangle your hair only when wet, always starting with your fingers and then moving onto a good quality detangling brush to ensure all snags and tangles are removed. Start from the ends and work your way up gently to avoid pulling and breakage.
Low manipulation
Use low-manipulation styling practices, such as infrequent brushing and combing, which will degrade the integrity of your hair over time. This will help minimise your chances of breakage and excess shedding.
Avoid frequent use of curl sponges and bristle brushes
Both curl sponges and bristle brushes are made of the kind of rough material that can create a lot of friction along the hair strands. Over time, this friction can snag and break the delicate coils of our hair.
Curl sponges, especially when used vigorously, can create a rough manipulation of the hair, which can cause the hair strands to break or split, leading to shorter hair and more difficulty retaining length.
Bristle brushes, when pulled and dragged along the hair strand, can create fracture points in the hair that will lead to more shedding, split ends, and moisture being lost. If you choose to use this styling tool, use it infrequently and gently.
Get regular haircuts
Split ends have the potential to further weaken the hair strand due to snagging and tugging as we manipulate, style and detangle our hair. This weakens our curls and can make them more prone to breakage.
Regular haircuts and trims with a curl professional can reduce breakage and split ends from further weakening the hair strand. Haircut frequency will vary from person to person, but a general rule of thumb is to aim to see your stylists once every quarter. Once you get into your flow and partner up with a pro, they will tell you whether this timeframe needs to be adjusted.
How to Love Your Afro by Paige Lewin is out now