Recently, an Instagram follower of mine shared that she had decided to go natural (congrats!) and she wanted to know just how to do so in a way where she could gradually grow her hair out rather than doing the “big chop”, which is just another way of saying that she doesn’t want to cut off all her relaxed hair in one swoop. And because this is a very, very common question I receive from women, I thought this would be a great question to answer on my blog so that everyone can have the opportunity to read the advice I have to share!
Here’s the original question that was dropped on my IG page:
Hey Dr. Phoenyx! I’ve have relaxed hair almost my whole life and I’ve been going back and forth for a while and I’ve finally decided that I want to go natural! Only problem is I don’t want to cut all my hair off and I’d rather gradually grow my hair out of my relaxed hair. Any advice on how to grow my hair out as fast as possible so I can get rid of my relaxed hair sooner? Also, I love your page, AND YOUR HAIR! Thanks so much for any advice you can offer!
Now before I get to answering the question on how to grow hair out faster, I wanted to start things off proper– because going natural is definitely going to require a little something that you – the reader – as well as my Instagram follower may not realize at this moment in time because you’re just oh so very excited and caught up in the fever of going natural! And what’s this “little something” I want you to keep in mind? Simple. It’s a little word called: Patience.
And the reason why I’m emphasizing the word patience is because for many women, going natural represents a time when you will literally “meet” your textured hair for the first time. Which means you’ll have a lot of learning and re-learning to do when it comes to your hair and how you take care of it. Case in point: Take a look at the featured image I chose for this blog post, which clearly shows the drastic difference between relaxed vs. natural hair, while also beautifully stating how incredibly awesome it is to go natural and literally fall in love with your hair!
This is all to say that your hair will inevitably grow as you transition to natural hair, so don’t stress too much about that point, and be sure to also enjoy the ride! And while it may sound cliché, the very reason why I titled my haircare book, If You Love It, It Will Grow is because I found that when I personally made the decision to go natural and embrace my hair, and literally fall in love with my hair – and I mean Every. Single. Kink. And. Curl. Of. My. Hair – that is precisely when I was able to do what it took to take care of my hair and grow it to healthier, and longer lengths. It really was as simple as that, and countless women tell me the same. So now that that point has been sufficiently made, feel free to start lovin’ up on your hair, and I’ll also leave you with these 4 simple tips to help grow your hair out faster:
1. Avoid heat styling
One of the biggest mistakes women make when gradually transitioning to natural hair is falling victim to the temptation to resort to heat styling because it’s seen as an effective way to “blend” the two drastically different hair types you’ll be dealing with as you transition. All I can say to this is: Don’t do it! Heat styling can damage and thin your hair, especially your natural new growth. Serious no bueno.
2. Protectively style your hair as often as possible
Instead of heat styling, I highly recommend protectively styling your hair while you transition. Protective styling basically means you’ll be styling your hair in such a way where the relaxed ends of your hair will be “tucked away” so that you don’t end up fussing with it, thus giving your hair the time it needs to grow out. A few common protective styles include things like buns, braids, wigs/weaves, and my personal fave, twists!
3. Invest in quality haircare products
Every head of hair is different, so you will need to do a little experimentation to find out what haircare products work best for you. That said, as a general rule always take the time to read product labels, and I would highly recommend investing in quality haircare products – especially when it comes to your conditioner and daily moisturizer. Trust me, your hair will love you for it!
4. Get your diet on point and take a hair growth supplement.
Last but not least, you’ll want to get your diet on point in order to grow your hair out faster because hair is made of over 90% protein, which means your diet can make or break your hair growth potential. Supplements can also help speed things along too, so feel free to check out my nutritional supplements Beauty&Beauty Protein and Natural Beauty for Hair, Skin & Nails.
Bottom line, the whole journey to healthy, natural hair – whether short, medium or long length – requires that you first fall in love with your hair, just like I did. Embrace your hair, practice basic, healthy haircare, and everything else will fall right into place. I promise you!
And that’s all for today ladies – Thanks for droppin’ in, and if you have any additional tips for transitioning and/or hair growth, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Til next time – Peace, Love & Healthy Living,
Doc
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