Many Black women have challenges with growing their hair. In fact, one study found that nearly 50% of women of African descent experience hair loss. So, if your hair is struggling to grow, please know that you’re not alone. In fact, I can relate. I have had my challenges with growing my hair and hair loss over the years. But there is good news. There are some things that you can do to help your hair grow. In today’s article, I am going to share with you 3 simple reasons why your hair may not be growing. As I discuss these reasons, I will also talk about what you can do to promote hair growth.
#1) Scalp Build Up that Clogs Your Follicles
One of the reasons why your hair may not be growing is because you could have a lot of build up in your scalp. You could have build up from products, dirt, sebum, sweat, dead skin cells, and a host of other things. When this happens it can cause itchiness, oiliness, and redness in your scalp. However, a simple way that you can treat this is by washing your hair with a clarifying shampoo.
Clarifying shampoos are very important to a healthy hair care regimen because they help deep cleanse and detoxify your hair. They can also help to remove build up from other products that may have accumulated in your hair. A great clarifying shampoo to use is the VoiceOfHair Quench & Cleanse Shampoo because it is made with beneficial ingredients like B-vitamins, black seed oil, silk proteins, all which help to moisturize, cleanse, and strengthen your hair.
#2) Nutrient Deficiency that Limits Hair Growth
Consuming the proper amount of nutrients is essential to having healthy hair. This includes having the proper minerals and vitamins. For your hair to grow, it is critical that you get the recommended amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Biotin, and others. These are just some of the micronutrients that you hair needs to be healthy so it can grow. This means that diet plays a very important role to your in helping you grow healthy and strong hair.
To get proper nutrients, there are certain superfoods that you should eat to help with hair growth. If you’re not able to get the needed amount of nutrients through your diet, you can also find them in supplements. These supplements may include high-quality hair vitamins or vitamin shots. In addition, getting the proper amount of sleep and water is essential to hair growth.
#3) Hair Breakage that Stunts Hair Growth
Another reason that you may not be experiencing hair growth is because of breakage. If your hair is breaking at the same or a faster rate than your hair grows, then you won’t see the additional length. In other words, if you’re experiencing breakage then your hair won’t be able to retain any of it’s growth. The reality is that our hair typically grows 1/2″ per month but you won’t see that if your hair is breaking at the same or a faster rate then it is growing. One reason for breakage could be due to hard water deposits that are left on your hair, which dry it out and making it brittle and eventually break off.
Also, breakage could be the result of over-processing such as too much coloring, relaxing, and heat styling, to name a few. A way to combat this is to keep up with regular hair trims. Typically, you should get a trim every 6 to 8 weeks, or quarterly, depending on your hair. Another way to avoid or limit chemical processing or be sure to have these done by experienced, licensed professionals. In addition, if you are chemically processing your hair, you may need to add more protein treatments to your hair to keep it strong. Finally, when washing and conditioning your hair be sure to apply a proven strengthening hair oil to the ends of your hair. This will help to seal in moisture and prevent spilt ends.
The Key Takeaways
Just in case you did not have time to read the above information, no worries, I get it, life can be busy. That is why I have included the key takeaways for you to read below at a quick glance. Here is what you need to know about 3 simple reasons why your hair may not be growing, and what you can do about it.
Scalp buildup that can clog your follicles. To combat this, use a clarifying shampoo to remove build up that’s on your scalp. Lacking enough nutrients. To combat this, you could eat superfoods that hare high in nutrients, get proper sleep, take high-quality hair vitamins. Hair breakage. To address this is to limit chemical processing, get regular trims, apply protein treatments and after washing and conditioning your hair use a hair oil to seal in moisture.
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Brandelyn Green is the Founder of VoiceOfHair, a platform to help women of color find the best hair care products, regimens and hairstyles! Since starting VoiceOfHair in 2014 she has grown the social media platform to over 1MM+ on Instagram and Facebook. As a natural who is also a salon goer, she wanted to create a platform where people could find the best products, hairstylists, advice and trends.
