6 Factors that Could be Stunting Your Hair Growth

One of the many reasons why African women have stunted hair growth could be due to a number of reasons that could range from focusing on the wrong aspect of hair care to just doing it wrong.

There are a lot of hair problems and different solutions to them, but in all the major thing you need to understand is hair growth takes time.

But while we wait, check these things off your list to see if they’re what’s keeping you from waist length hair.

You’re applying too much heat to the hair when styling: 
Blow drying, curling, straightening…all the heat applied to hair can cause damage to hair growth. The presence of chemicals mixed with heat in your hair dries out the water and removes moisture from the hair strands. This makes it break easily.

To avoid this, reduce the frequency of heat application to your hair. In addition always get regular protein deep treatment conditioners to help fight damage after applying heat.

You’re over processing your hair or over handling:
With the large number of hair care products that exist, each promising something better than the last I know it’s very easy to go product crazy. The thing is when you burden your hair with treatment after treatment it will eventually start to show because each product has its process of working. These could also have different chemicals that damage your hair when reacting with others, like Parabens i.e Propyl, Methyl, Butyl, or Ethyl. When you give your hair too much attention it could loose its health leading to hair loss.

A quick solution is to always research your hair type and confirm chemicals that are good for your hair. Keep in mind that you could have a mixture of different types of hair (curly & wavy etc). Also schedule your hair appointments so you can give your hair time to rest up and grow naturally.

You’re doing the wrong hairstyles: 
If you haven’t been paying attention, now is the time to do so! Not all hairstyles are good for your hair. For example if you regularly make hairstyles that require a lot of bonding glue and you remove them without caution you are damaging the roots of the hair. The best option for removal of such is always to apply hair oil to the glued area to soften it up. This allows for easy removal. Not doing this could lead to permanent hair loss (traction alopecia) around the temple and the ears.

Take caution to make hairstyles that do not put too much stress on the hair follicles. Weaves and extensions offer hairstyle options, but remove them every six to eight weeks to give your hair a break.

You might be using a quack hairstylist:
Not everyone is a trained hair care specialist. Just because they own a salon and have the equipment does not make them the right professionals to handle your hair. Be sure to search for a specialist that that knows what he or she is doing and can do it well. Also keep to one or at most two hair stylists. This ensures that the person is accustomed to your hair and all its needs.

Your hair  is being pulled too tight:
Pulling your hair too tight could result in permanent hair loss. It could also end with acne or sores to the scalp. On average, women loose about 100 strands of hair a day. Let’s not increase those figures okay?

Instead of getting on the ‘bald eagle’ train, tell your hair stylist not to pull too hard while weaving or sewing. The loosening feeling you get later is not relief but your hair strands getting uprooted from your scalp from being wound too tight. Take this initiative and protect your hair from follicle damage so your hair could have the opportunity to grow to its full potential.

You have dirty hair:
The scalp is the base and beginning of hair growth, if you do not have that under control then you do not have a good foundation for hair growth. Imagine if you went 2 weeks without washing your face? You get the picture?
Wash your hair regularly and treat it to a good cleansing when you can; at least once every 7-10 days.

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