How to Grow Long African American Hair

January 13th, 2011 - By Veronica Wells

Earlier this month in my Biggest Myths about African American Hair piece I mentioned that African American hair has the ability to grow as long as other races or ethnicities. Several disagreed, some rather rudely. (Never underestimate the fervor, passion or vigor black women have about their hair!) Either way I still stand by the statement.  You don’t have to be of multiracial origin to achieve the hair so many of us covet.  Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find many African Americans who don’t have a little or a lotta bit of “something else” in their blood.

But that’s beside the point, African American hair can grow if properly maintained and that’s the key. The natural, coily texture of our hair is fragile and frankly many of us are very ignorant about what it takes for it to thrive. (Hence the YouTube tutorials.) So if you’re interested in tresses that graze the top of your booty, here are some tips to grow long, luscious African American hair.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/mgaby Margaret Gaby

    Only thing I wish that this article showed actually “natural” hair. The one on here are flowy and mixed looking. The people who continuously straighten their hair are the ones that need to learn how to take care of themselves the most. By not showing their pictures they will not be encouraged to start to take care of their hair because they are hoping that it looks like the women in these pictures.

  • CosmoProf

    I’m annoyed with the black people who look down on other women for relaxing their hair. People need to do what works for them & if you are relaxing your hair PROPERLY, basing & not directly applying it to your scalp & waiting some MonthS in between your hair will not fall out. Remember to follow proper processing times.. The point of Relaxer is not to straighten but RELAX curl.

    Natural hair is also beautiful but is also prone to horrible breakage if not properly cared for.

    Damn let people live & keep your ignorant a** opinions to yourselves.

  • D Rich26o7

    & Also I’m thinking of starting to co-wash, but that would mean more blowdrying for me unless anyone can recommend a way that I can style it while damp, let it dry in the style & then releasing it so my hair still looks nice & not like a bush !

  • D Rich26o7

    So I’m multi racial with thick curly, not so course ethnic hair. I am also a young licensed stylist. Knowing this I know your hair should be trimmed regularly ( quarter of an inch every 4-6 weeks if your maintaining length & every 6-8 if your trying to grow it) give or take the condition of your hair. Moisture is a must for those with dry hair or curly hair. Relaxing shouldn’t be done as frequently as most people do.. ( I wait 4-6 months).

    I cut my hair short after highschool to see what it would be like, then cut it off to go natural. However, naturally, my hair is too thick and hard for me to maintain.. so I began relaxing again.

    When it comes to ethnic hair, or any hair as far as products.. I can gaurentee that any shampoo or conditioner that you can get in a drug store or Walmart, is packed full of alcohol or some equivalent preservative. Because those products have to sit out for so long they get packed with this crap to preserve their shelf life. In my opinion, professional & beauty store products as well as natural oils & products are some of the best ways to go & I personally love the pink oil moisturizer ;)

    MY QUESTION however is, when it comes to heat.. I’m at a battle, while I know too much of it is bad, I can’t see how air drying my hair (which will turn into a puff) will keep it pretty.. well pretty in appearance.

    I normally towel dry, put a moisturizer in & oil, then wrap it up in a towel for half an hour, then I come back and put a heat protectant on before blowdrying & straightening. This is the most heat I put on my hair between washes (one wash, about every week or week & a half), and I wrap it in between. My hair is still growing faithfully, just past my shoulders now.

  • ikissedjake

    first lemme say my mother is cuban n west african , my father is mexican an african american … my hair gets very curly , during the summer time my hair grows tremendously ( think i spelled it wrong ) … every 1-3 days i wud wash / co-wash my hair with a non scent moisturizing frizz conditioner , for shine i use a natural oil , it air drys during the day then i’d put a satin wrap on it at night . my hair is maybe 3-4 inches pass the shoulders [ every 3-4 months i get a relaxer ] … now that i’ve said that i wanted to ask yu wat do yu do to yur hair in the winter time ? because well for me i kno i cant do the same summer routine for winter . its too cold , ( some “black folks” say that if yu go outside during the winter time wit yur hair wet yu’ll get sick n i believe that lol ) , it breaks off harshly during the winter time because 1) i use too much heat 2) n maybe not enough moisture … if yur hair is as long as it is & its easy to keep growing wat is yur advice on the “winter season hair care / growing” ? wat do yu do ? Please answer , or anyone else

  • Mrsthli216

    I’ve grown my hair out twice in the last five years. My Big chop in the end of 06 went from very short we talking about mini afro ( not perfect ) afro as portrayed in hair pics to Twisties of about an inch which i kept in for more than a month, Of course my sister who has a gift for natural hair would take them down and retwist them. The i tried micros. They were beautiful but tedious to take down and mine were pencit width. But  my hair had grown ( they were in 3 months) then I went to brox braids for changing my style every three month or so. I washed my hair but probably not as often as most people here and no my hair did not smell. During that time we use a haircreme we made made of coco butter, shea butter, and pure essential oils. this cream kept the hair moisturized  from root to end so i  had very little split ends. By the time 09 rolled around  ( 3 1/2 years ) my hair was down to my shoulders. No lie you can see how long my hair was on facbook. Then i decided to perm my hair then dye it. Well needless to say. ALL of my beautiful hair broke off and i had to start all over again. I started by putting in braids an now i have transitioned to my own hair my bangs are passed my eyes and my back is to my mid neck. My hair is a 4c type. I have Zig Zags instead of curls which means certain hair styles don’t work for me natural or other wise. Now i braid my own hair with out additions and make sure i use product that is for dry damaged hair. My hair sis no longer damaged but it is dry and sucks up moisture crazily. So i keep it hyrdrated with deep conditioning twice per month. Washing every other week. Black women don’t realize that they strip their hair when they wash too often. White women wash more frequently because they have a tendancy to have oily hair. Our hair is not oily so we need less cleaning. as far as the scalp, i oil it with african pride and work that to the ends. I wash my hair with luke warm water ( we have hard water here in ohio ) so i have to make sure that I use a filter other wise hair gets stripped and damaged. I then take my conditioner and allow it to sit on my hair for at least 10-15 minutes while i shower. Once it has been on their long enough I rinse in cool ( not cold ) water. It does wonders for the softness of my hair. After i blot the excess water. I apply african Pride oil to my hair. the one for hair skin and nails. It selas that remaining moisture in and my hair is soft and manageable. To fight reversion i braid my own hair in single braids and leave them in for a couple of days then take them down and redo them. During that time i apply the oil to my scalp and the tips only. it actually keeps my hair shiny an hydrated. less splits. As far as a shampoo and conditioner right now i am using Alberto VO5, for most black women this may not work depending on their hair texture. This is just what works for me. I only use the one for damaged dry hair. both conditioner and shampoo. I cover my hair as much as i can. I wrap it with a black silk hair tie and then wear a hat when i go out. The key for me is my hair does best when i leave it alone and try not to manipulate it too much but give it what it needs which is moisturizer and deep conditioning so that it can retain its own oil and be soft not hard ,dry and brittle. Your hair is not a text book so learn it by doing and see what works for you.

  • Johari

    Thanks I starting going only once a month and trying to do it myself once a month.I got less splits but my hair is heat damaged and I wanted to have long natural hair that’s healthy and goes back to curly when I wash it.My hair is about collar bone length thanks to not wearing ponytails but more buns.

  • Jay Jay

    I cut my hair about a year ago to my shoulders. But I used to have long hair down almost to my waist. I’m mixed with black white. But my hair is more black. I miss my long and I don’t know how to grow it back? Its grown a little since then but I want it long.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1356626937 Coco Pieces

    ARE HOT OIL TREATMENTS GOOD OR BADD?

  • preea

    Ok I am 15 I am black and white my mom use to do my hair and it was almost to my butt, now that I have been doing it the length is at my shoulders in less than a year. I realize NO HEAT anymore, but what else? I have a very good diet no sweet fruits and veggies and drink a lot of water, but what else? Can someone please help me!? Very sad about the tramendious hair loss and really want it back!

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    • Dawn

      really? spam. major spam alert here!!!

  • Alicia

    I didn't see anything about protein but there was a lot of really good info here! Thanks!

  • OLIVIA

    LEISURE CURL " FAST SUPER GRO " IS THE ONLY PRODUCT THAT GROWS AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR. GOOGLE " LEISURE CURL" AND ORDER A BOTTLE OF THEIR " FAST SUPER GRO " YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AT HOW FAST IT GROWS AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR.

  • Guest

    Hi, I take Bioten 5,000 mcg three times a day with a meal and I've seen wonderful results with my hair and nails. I haven't permed in almost two years and my hair is past my shoulders and I'm in my early 50's.

  • besthairvitamins

    Great reading!

  • nikkislim

    What has worked for me is the following:
    I co-wash once a week, using coconut oil, saturating root to ends. I then put a good conditioner in my hair and massage thru out to loosen the debris from my scalp. I then wear a plastic cap for about an hour so the mixture can moisterize the hair and scalp.
    When I rinse, its with cool water. I then put hair into for large braids and let it air dry. When its dry, I use Motions hair cream and work it through my hair before I flat iron it.
    Then I use a mixture of coconut oil, and whatever essential oil I feel like using and oil my scalp, then wrap my hair using a wide tooth comb. Always wrap/tie hair down with a satin scarf.
    My hair looks and feels great. Its healthy and happy. At the nail shop today, another lady asked if I get my hair done at the shop and if so which one. When I told her I do my own hair, she was truly surprised!
    Stop wasting money on hair products sold in stores. They are a waste of your money. Check out Amazon’s essential oils. They are inexpensive and they will make your hair and scalp very healthy. Also remember to drink lots of water, and keep those ends moisterized. Moisterized ends mean no split ends

  • habeeba

    it took me years to find what would work for me. I had dreads for over 10 years and took them out. i lost a lot of hair from taking them out but maintained alot. after research and an awful summer of trying different products, i was instroduced to my stylist and mazanis product line. my hair is beautiful. its healthy, shoulder length, and i get a perm every 12 weeks.

    you have to do your research. all products are not the same. the basic formula for me is sulfate free conditioner, co washes, no grease, no heat, no bobby pins (use plastic clips to wrap hair), plenty of water and vitamins, roller sets, and dailys use of cocunut souffle by mizani on ends and roots. oh, and sating head wraps and pillow covers. nothing hard but just being aware of what my hair needs to keep growing. feel free to email me at habeebap@yahoo.com or habeeba pasha on facebook.

    • Dawn

      outta curiosity, what made you decide to not go with dreads anymore?

  • EVE

    THIS IS EXCELLENT ADVICE THANK YOU SO AT TIMES IT LIKE THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY LEFT US OUT OF THE TREATMENT OF OUR HAIR . THANK YOU ALL THE SISTER NEEDED TO HEAR THIS

  • chevey

    Why in the world women spend so much money and time on their hair is beyond me. If one could total up the money a woman spend on her hair in a life time i am sure you could buy a home with cash money.

    • Dawn

      i actually couldn't agree more. many women spend thousands of dollars on their hair a year. poor women too, by the way. this is why i don't use product other than shampoo and conditioner, no grease or oil except what my husband bought for himself…i don't have money but i think my hair is better off without all that extra anyway. that's the problem is women do too much to their hair instead of letting it be.

  • Veronica

    I am in the process of growing my hair out without relaxers and after reading this article, i was concerned. I live in an area where the Black race is minimal, as is the black haircare stores. I do not know the whole curl number of my hair texture thingy I've been reading. I've been relaxes since six. Should I cut off the relaxer and leave the new growth or should i keep braiding and doing sew-ins until it grows out?

    • Veronica

      I meant to say i've been getting relaxers since i was six.

      • Dawn

        i know this is late. several months late in fact. but when i was 12 or so i grew out a perm that i'd kept in my hair for all of about 6 months. maybe less. before i'd gotten the perm i had hair down to what would have been my bra strap if i'd been wearing bras at the time lol. after the perm my hair was so badly damaged and short (a little past my shoulders) that i hacked it off myself, little by little, until eventually my new growth reached my ears and i cut the rest of the perm off. in the meantime i'd gone back to wearing my hair in little girl styles, plaits, pig tails, twists, etc. so my experience has been that it's totally up to you. it depends on how manageable you find your hair with the two textures. a lot of people do the BC because it's hard for them to deal with their hair and its dualism. but if you are able to wear it just fine then by all means, keep the relaxed bits of your hair. i'd recommend doing braids (i have no experience with sew-in weave or weave of any kind except where braiding and senegalese twists are concerned), remembering to space them out a 3-4wks at a time b/t braids, and making sure the braids aren't done too tightly and that they last for no longer than 2 months. the weight on your hair as your new growth grows out can be stifling to your scalp, and your hair needs some breathing room after a while. it all has to do with your comfort level of wearing your hair short with just the new growth. keep in mind that the relaxed portion will be considerably more prone to breakage where it meets with the new growth, and that you must handle it with added care. good luck!

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