Black Girl Issues: Hair Growth

Hi guys :)

Let me just start off by saying that in no way am I an expert in hair growth BUT I do have things that work for me and might work for you too. Also I'm really hoping that everyone leaves comments underneath including some of their tips. Lets make this the biggest post yet! :)

So where do I begin. I may as well tell you my hair journey. 

I had natural hair up until the age of 19. Partly because my mum wouldn't allow me to relax my hair and partly because I used to link straightening hair to 'selling out'. That's a debate for another day though lol

This was me all happy and innocent and natural.

I think Uni was the turning point for me. I was venturing out of the house more and just saw a lot more weave and relaxed hair and to be honest I thought I would look better if I did it too. Still not sure if I made the right decision to be honest. 

The thing is, I think I would have kept my natural hair if it was growing. If I had a thick luscious afro. But I didn't. It was just kind of there and I couldn't do anything with it. I'm sure it was growing...just at a snails pace.

So I made the decision to relax me hair. I went to the hairdressers and it cost me around £90 and I'm sure I shed a few tears about the cost but I was naive and excited. However from that moment I was hooked. What I loved the most is that is that when hair is relaxed its easier to see when its being damaged, so you spend more money and effort making sure that your hair stays happy and healthy. When my hair was natural I neglected it. Now I was going for treatments every three weeks and my hair was growing FAST.

But then...student brokeness hit me and I stopped going to the hairdresser and therefore my hair started breaking. So basically I chopped it short (around chin length) and started again. I knew that since I couldn't afford the salon I'd have to do it myself so it was time to fix up.

So here are a couple of the products I use which keep my hair healthy and growing. Now when its down its past my shoulders and I'm going to keep going like the persistent bitch that I am lol. 

The first product I rely on is Mizani Renew Strength Fortifying Shampoo and its £13.85.

It strengthens damaged hair which mine definitely was and now I just use it as a preventative measure. It contains some oils and proteins, it smells nice and its so thick you can literally feel it seeping into your hair. Afterwards your hair will feel more elastic and it also restores some shine to it. You may be able to find something cheaper but I just really like this. Also the bottle looks really nice in the bathroom LOL

The second product I love is: Motions CPR Protein reconstructor. 

It's really cheap at £2.99 and its a well known brand. After you wash out your shampoo dump a handful of this on your hair and smooth it through. Then put a plastic cap over your head and heat with a blowdryer for around five mins. You can then leave it in from anywhere from 20 mins to an hour. I always go for around 40 minutes and after you wash it out you just know that if your hair had lips it'd be kissing you for this treatment. It makes your hair so much stronger when  applying heat, therefore making it less likely to break and more likely to grow :)

The next product is Via Semi Permanent Hair Colour.

I used this for a few reasons. First of all, using relaxer has caused my hair to become really brown so dying it back to black is a must. Secondly I'm allergic to permanent hair dye so I have to use ones that state they can be used after relaxing. Thirdly, this means that its not as harsh on your hair and this one even includes moisturising elements. Its great because after I wash it out my hair feels better than when I put it in.

After I've done all this and i'm about to blow dry I use Dark & Lovely: Moisture Plus Olive Oil Rich Moisture.

Its another known brand and this is great for protecting your hair before you add heat. The best thing about it is that the first ingredient is water. If the first ingredient was oil then my hair would literally fry and break as I heated it. And although the water turning into steam is sometimes quite painful its better then having strands of hair breaking off in your hands lol

Last up is the product I swear by Doo Gro: Mega Thick Growth Oil.

Usually I'm really wary about products which claim to boost hair growth BUT this is just the shiz bang. The oil is really thick so you just know its doing its job. But because its so thick do not apply it in the morning or during that day unless you want to leave grease spots everywhere. So apply it to your scalp, roots and ends and night, wrap your hair with a silk scarf knowing that you're going to wake up with super soft hair! :)

But you know what? If all else fails the ultimate way of ensuring hair growth is to leave it alone, away from the elements and roving hands. So the ultimate solution to the ultimate problem? Put in a weave and leave it for a couple of months. You're guaranteed a lot of new growth because it finally got to rest.

I do love a good weave lol

Lots of love 

Jadeybaby 

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