Long luscious tresses are one of the main goals of most people within the natural hair community. However, with all the myths, confusing advice on social media, and downright wrong information surrounding textured hair, it can sometimes seem impossible to achieve this goal.
But fear not curl friends, we’re here to save you all the hassle and confusion. In this article, we'll be discussing the best hair routine for growing your natural hair. Whether you're a lazy natural or an elaborate hair care girlie, this routine will suit all your needs and ensure your hair flourishes.
How Long Will It Take To Grow Long Natural Hair?
Trust us, you and everyone who has ever wanted to grow long hair would love a simple answer to this question. However, it is hard to determine exactly how long it will take to reach your length goals as several factors like genetics, lifestyle, hair care habits, and your desired length can affect the timeline. However, here's a little trick to help you estimate how long it may take. Healthy natural hair that is not affected by damage or constant breakage grows about ¼ -½ to half of an inch every month. So being optimistic and going with the higher growth range, you can expect to grow six inches of hair in a year. This means in about 2-3 years, you'll have back-length or waist-length hair.
The key point here is your hair will definitely grow as long as you maintain a healthy lifestyle and habits but, it will not happen overnight. It requires patience and dedication.
Trust us, you and everyone who has ever wanted to grow long hair would love a simple answer to this question. However, it is hard to determine exactly how long it will take to reach your length goals as several factors like genetics, lifestyle, hair care habits, and your desired length can affect the timeline. However, here's a little trick to help you estimate how long it may take. Healthy natural hair that is not affected by damage or constant breakage grows about ¼ -½ to half of an inch every month. So being optimistic and going with the higher growth range, you can expect to grow six inches of hair in a year. This means in about 2-3 years, you'll have back-length or waist-length hair.
The key point here is your hair will definitely grow as long as you maintain a healthy lifestyle and habits but, it will not happen overnight. It requires patience and dedication.
Know Your Hair: Porosity
Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb moisture. It is determined by the structure of your cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair)—tightly packed cuticles mean your hair is low porosity and spacious or “lifted” cuticles mean your hair is high porosity. What does all this mean? Well, highly porous hair creates room for moisture to easily penetrate the hair shaft, so your hair will absorb products faster but all the moisture from those products can also escape out of the hair quickly since the cuticles are lifted.
Low porosity hair on the other hand means your tightly packed cuticles make it difficult for moisture to get into your hair. As a result, your hair will take a while to properly absorb moisture but the good thing is, once it does it does not lose it as quickly as high porosity hair.
As you can see, both hair types will require slightly different hair care tweaks in their hair routine to address their unique needs. But we’re sure the question on your mind right now is how to figure out which porosity you are. To test your hair's porosity, grab a cup of water and place one strand of hair inside the cup. Wait for 10-15 minutes and check the position of the hair strand. If it sinks, your hair is likely high porosity. However, if the hair strand does not go very deep inside the water or simply floats on top, then it is low porosity.
Alright, full disclaimer, this test may not always be accurate. So, in addition to doing the strand test, pay attention to your hair and check for some of the symptoms we described for each porosity. Does it take time to get wet and absorb product or does it soak up moisture easily?
The Best Hair Routine For Growing Natural Hair :
Use A Pre-Poo:
To make your wash days less of a struggle especially when it comes to detangling, start with a pre-poo. This pre-shampoo treatment will help lubricate your strands and make it easy to comb through any knots and tangles. You can use our Hair & Scalp Oil or the Moisture-rich Conditioner as your pre-poo. Simply divide the hair into four sections and apply your desired pre-poo from the ends to the roots. Then, gently detangle your hair with your fingers before following up with a comb.
Cleanse Weekly Or Bi-Monthly:
After shampooing your hair, always follow up with a conditioner to help replenish your hair with moisture and smoothen your strands. You can use a conditioner like our Moisture-rich Conditioner or opt for our Manuka Honey Deep Conditioning Mask if you want a more intensive treatment. However, try to use the deep conditioner at least once a month. Apply Sofnfree's Moisture-rich Conditioner evenly all over the hair, making sure to focus on the ends.
If you have low porosity hair, stay under a hair steamer or wear a heat cap and leave the deep conditioner on for about 30 minutes to allow proper penetration. High porosity curlies do not have to do much for the conditioner to penetrate their hair. Simply leave it on for 5-10 minutes before rinsing it out.
Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise:
Anyone with natural is likely no stranger to its affinity for dryness. If you want to grow long hair, you have to tackle this dryness as it can cause your hair to break off if left unchecked, making it impossible to retain length. In fact, constant breakage caused by dryness is one of the main reasons why it seems like nature does not grow when the truth is that your hair is growing, you're just failing to retain the length.
Moisturise your hair with our Leave-in Conditioner twice times a week. Then seal in the moisture with our Hair & Scalp Oil. If you have high porosity, your hair may need to be moisturised more frequently so feel free to moisturise more than twice a week. You can also apply some of our Coconut Oil & Jamaican Black castorOil Curling Creme before styling your hair to add another layer of moisture that would provide long-lasting hydrating while also defining your curls.
Style And Protect:
Once your hair is properly moisturised, the next step in your routine is styling. While we would generally recommend sticking with protective or low manipulation styles like twists, cornrows, braids, and buns if you are trying to retain length, you can try any hairstyle you want. You can even use our Curl Elongating Gel or Flaxseed Oil Curling Mousse to create popping wash’n go's and twist-outs. Whichever hairstyle you choose, just make sure it does not require too much manipulation to maintain.
Additionally, you will need to always cover your hair with a silk or satin bonnet before going to bed every day to protect it from damaging friction and help your hairstyles last longer.
Massage The Scalp:
Giving your scalp a little love with scalp massages is an amazing way to increase blood flow to the follicles and boost hair growth. To get the most benefit out of your scalp massage and further increase your hair growth potential, apply a few drops of Sofnfree's Strengthening Oil on the scalp and then massage the whole head for about ten minutes. Be sure to do this relaxing massage 2-3 times a week for optimal results.
Things To Avoid When Growing Natural Hair:
- Tight Hairstyles: It is very important to avoid tight hairstyles during your hair growth journey. They put a lot of tension on your scalp and can weaken the hair, leading to breakage over time. This means limiting tight ponytails or super tight braids.
- Fine Tooth Combs And Brushes: Properly detangled natural hair is one of the most important parts of any hair care routine and making sure you use the right detangling tool is even more important. When you have natural hair with its coils and curls, the last thing you ever want to do is use fine tooth combs and fine brushes to detangle. These tools were not designed with natural hair in mind and will only pull out your hair and cause a ton of breakage. Instead, use wide tooth combs or even your fingers
- Lack Of Consistency: As with anything in life, consistency is key to achieving your length goals. Do not start a healthy hair routine and abandon it in less than six months because you did not notice instant growth.
- Over Washing: While cleansing your hair is important for maintaining a healthy scalp, you also do not want to overdo it. Excess shampooing can dry out your natural hair, leaving it brittle and prone to breakage which makes it impossible to retain length. Wash your hair no more than once a week at most.
- Too Much Heat Styling: While on your hair growth journey, it will be very tempting to constantly straighten your hair to see how much length you have gained and show it off. However, this can put your hair at risk of heat damage. Try to limit your heat styling to only once every few months to keep your hair healthy and make sure you always use a heat protectant first.
So, there you have it, the ideal hair routine to help you achieve the long natural hair of your dreams. Remember, everyone's hair is unique and may require slightly different things so feel free to tweak and adapt the steps we highlighted in this article to suit your hair's needs. Most importantly, don't forget to celebrate and embrace your hair at every stage, beyond growing hair, we hope acceptance and appreciation for your hair's unique traits also become a key part of your journey.