Black Beauty and Long Hair

30 Steps to Growing Afro Hair Longer Even if you hair is type 4c!

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All the Dos and Don’ts including What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product! Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product! 30 easy steps to get the hair you’ve always wanted even if you hair is type 4c!

Do you feel your hair is stuck and never seems to grow past a certain length? What would you do with the money you save on weaves, braids and the constant trips to the hairdresser? Do you want your hair to stop being dry and brittle? Do you want to stop being a product junkie? Do you want to learn how to take better care of your hair? Would you like to go from SL to APL in 6 months? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have your own hair down your back? Is it even possible?

Yes it is, I’ve done it and so can you. Yes, that’s right my hair is a mixture of 4b and 4c my heritage is in West Africa, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and my hair is natural, soft and BSL (My hair reaches my bra- strap).

Don’t worry if you don’t know all the terminology, it is all explained in detail in the book .

If you are like me, you want very long hair since you were a child.

I had my hair relaxed from the age of 12 and although when I was a child my hair was quite long, after the relaxer my hair hardly grew past SL (Shoulder Length).

That was until I discover the black hair community in 2007. I was so excited by all the things I was reading, the techniques, the testimonials, the recipes and more, I started dreaming again the dream I had when I was a little girl and I pretended the towel on my head was my hair.

So one day, I decided to start following all the sound advice I had now collected for over 6 months.

I started in July 2007 and by July 2008 my hair reached just below APL. Having reached this goal and celebrated in style, I started having other ideas as I kept reading all that was available online at the time. I decided

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product! to go all natural, It was a hard decision as I didn’t know how to go about it, should I cut all my hair off? Well, no way! I’ve always had long hair all my life and was not prepared to change that, I couldn’t imagine going to work bald!!!

My last relaxer was in November 2008 and I’ve never looked back, I used a lot of growth help some with more success than others and a lot of techniques and I made it. We are now in 2014 and my kinks are BSL, beautiful, soft and shiny.

I have 6 years of experience dealing with my own hair and helping others with theirs, I’ve been blogging on various subjects ranging from ‘How to look after mixed race children’s hair’ to ‘Is it Better to Transition or Big Chop?’. I’m so happy to have contributed to so many success stories. Now, I’m ready for your success story. Are you ready?

This manual is for anyone who has type 3 to 4 hair natural or relaxed and wishes to grow it longer.

My easy to follow step-by-step guide shares with you the tips and tricks I have learned over my six year hair growth journey with lots of links to more resources, pictures and videos to show you how to care for your hair. It is aimed at anyone who has type 3 to 4 hair, natural or relaxed. You will find free and simple methods on:

- How to know what is your hair type - What product should never touch your hair or scalp - Getting the right hairdresser - How to avoid hair breakage - Nutrition Secrets to have long and healthy hair - How to develop an easy hair regimen - Everything you need to know about natural oil

Yes, growing coily, kinky and afro-textured hair can be a challenge but believe me once you have done it you will be so proud and happy. Luck is not involved in growing hair, it's all about giving it what it needs and that extra bit of TLC. Love it and it will grow.

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product!

Table of Contents

Welcome! ...... 4

II- Things to do to avoid breakage ...... 7

III- How to Care for Relaxed Hair ...... 11

IV- How To Maintain And Have Healthy Hair ...... 12

V- Recap a simple summary easy to follow list of what this guide is about...... 18

How to Use This Guide

This guide has links that need to be clicked on to get you to the information. Please click on all the underlined words.

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product! Steps to Growing Afro Hair Longer

We lcome!

This book is a guide to black women to grow their hair. First step is to open your bathroom cabinet and get rid of all those products or promises, there are only few products worth having and we will talk about them but as a general rule most things that come in a jar or a bottle will hardly grow your hair, if it did all black women would have very, very long hair by now, right?

How many of you are products junkies, and try everything and anything just to see no results on your hair? All we seem to achieve is making product manufacturers richer everyday, in fact we have made a lot of people truly rich spending our hard earned cash over the years.

Most black women think that their hair doesn’t grow, however, if it was the case how could we explain all those beautiful women wearing locks all the way down their back? Yes, it is their own hair and it has grown to that length. If your hair didn’t grow, how would you explain the fact that you have to retouch your relaxer or your colour?

Whether we are black, white, Asians, our hair grows and keeps on growing when we are healthy. If your hair really doesn’t grow your problem is beyond the scope of this guide and you should consult a doctor or dermatologist. It is correct that compared to other types of hair, the Afro type of hair takes a little more time to grow, but believe me it grows!

Why do you feel that your hair is not growing? The reason is that despite the fact that our hair grows normally we cannot see any progress in length. The main reason is that our hair is very fragile and tends to break at a quicker rate than it grows. Do you remember how long your hair was when you were a child and your mother was giving it all the care and attention it deserved? You now need to have your own regimen, here’s an example ‘My Regimen’

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This guide provides a lot of resources and articles to help you know more about your hair. So all the word in different colour and underlined will lead you to either an article or a recipe, as such if you read all the links this book is over 200 pages.

This guide is for black ladies or gents of African or other heritage with nappy hair who wants to grow their hair long. Whether your hair is relaxed or natural, the information is the same.

We have all asked ourselves why we have the hair we have? This is not a constructive question, the fact is our hair is the way it is and we should be grateful to have it. For those who want an answer though, like our skin our hair was design to help us withstand the weather condition in the lower latitudes. It would protect our scalp from being burned by the sun and would leave our neck expose, as necessary air conditioning.

Our hair doesn’t need all the so-called miracle products on the market, save your money, caring for African hair is not hard work, it is smart work. And yes, it requires patience.

If you are reading this it is that you are determined to care for your hair and see the rewards that come from it.

First thing first, take a before picture, and from then on take a picture every 3 months (or more often if you wish) of the same area. Use this manual and try it for six months, following each step.

I am not a doctor, a dermatologist or a hairdresser, this manual is not addressed to people suffering from hair loss due to medical conditions, heredity, stress and use of drugs (legal or illegal).

For the most part, the reason we think our hair doesn’t grow is because of how we treat it. I repeat it again, our hair grows every day, and almost as fast as the hair of any other ethnic group. For more info read this article ‘Help My Hair Won’t Grow!’

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product!

I- Things to Avoid:

1. Too much grease

For years we have been told that we need to put grease in our hair on a regular basis because it is very dry. So for years we have put the worst possible products in our hair. Products such as petroleum and mineral oil based creams and lotions. Not only did we waste are money but we also damaged our hair along with our scalps, clogging pores and developing scalp sensitivities and issues such as dandruffs and others. Remember your bathroom cabinet I was talking about earlier? Have a look in it and take one of your pomade, look at the label if the first five ingredients are petroleum and/or mineral oils, do not look back put this product where it belongs: in the RUBBISH bin. Do not hesitate, really THROW IT AWAY. Petroleum is in every sense of the word the cheapest ingredient you could ever find and that is the only reason it is present in so many products. Petroleum is a derivative of the black stuff you put in your car, it is heavy, smells bad and is not good for us.

THIS APPLIES WHETHER YOUR HAIR IS RELAXED OR NATURAL, DO NOT USE PETROLEUM OR MINERAL OIL.

Most products have petroleum and mineral oil in them, make sure when you buy a product that these ingredients are not in the first 5 ingredients on the list on the label. ALWAYS read the ingredient list before you buy any product.

2. Avoid heath

Try to avoid blow drying or using a hairdryer, instead let your hair dry naturally. If you use a hair dryer, stop about 5 minutes before

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your hair is completely dry. You can however, use a hair dryer on cool setting. Heat is not good and this applies to straightening your hair too. Avoid using curlers and straighteners especially the hot ones. Do not use foam curlers, they suck the moisture right out our hair. They attack our hair, removing all the natural moisture and making it unmanageable.

3. Do not go to just any hairdresser

We all have the experience of going to a hairdresser with a head full of hair and coming out with virtually nothing left on our scalp, it’s frustrating, annoying, and so disappointing. If we cannot trust our hairdresser, who can we trust? I do not even have to describe their behaviour, it is appalling. A good indicator is to actually check the hair of your hairdresser! I would never go to a hairdresser who has no hair on her head (unless it is medical condition), who’s hair looks a mess or a bird’s nest, who has no hair on her temples…etc.

II- Thi ngs to do to avoid breakage

Whether your hair breaks a lot or not depends on its texture. Coarse hair tends to resist breakage more than other textures, but the very quality that makes coarse hair stronger also makes it harder to manage compared to other hair textures.

1- Prefer conditioners to shampoo

Wash your hair every two to five days, unlike caucasian people, black people do not have to wash their hair everyday because our scalp hardly produces as much sebum/oil. White people wash their hair everyday because the excess oil, flattens their hair and makes

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it look oily and dirty. This is not the case for black people, which is why it is not necessary to use a shampoo regularly.

The most important is to use an effective moisturizing conditioner and to use it at least twice a week. WATER IS OUR FRIEND.

Find the right shampoo for you.

Avoid shampoo with sulphate in them, petroleum and mineral oil. I personally do not use much shampoo, I use a clarifying shampoo once a month to get rid of all the surplus products (oil and leave-in conditioner) in my hair. Otherwise, I wash my hair with a conditioner (co-wash) every couple of days, shampoo is very drying and not too good for my scalp. Using conditioner instead of shampoo works for me leaving my hair soft and moisturised as well as my scalp. I also use apple vinegar cider to clarify my hair when I don’t want to use shampoo.

Some people need to feel the foam in their hair regardless of whether it creates more damage or not. If you are one of them, use a shampoo without sulphate.

Find a good conditioner, expensive does not mean good. If you find a conditioner which leaves your hair soft and manageable and allows you to comb your hair without ripping your hair out even when it’s dry (although natural hair should not be combed when dry), you’ve found the right conditioner for you.

THIS APPLIES TO RELAXED AND NATURAL HAIR, IF YOU HAVE TO USE SHAMPOO USE A SULFATE FREE ONE. USE A CONDITIONER!!!

If you use a shampoo put some natural oil on your scalp first before washing your hair. Only comb your hair when under the shower stream, use a wide tooth comb especially if you are natural.

2- Drying your hair

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Once out of the shower use a leave-in conditioner. If your hair is relaxed use a tiny amount, if your hair is natural you can use a bit more product at this point you can also add a couple of drops of olive or coconut oil. Smooth into your hair and start combing starting at the nape of your neck. When you comb your hair ALWAYS start from the ends to the roots (unlike what you see in shampoo or hair ads on TV, black hair should be comb from ends to roots).

3- Wet set rather than blow dry hair Moisture, Moisture, Moisture!!!

Keep your ends moisturised daily.

Moisture is the secret for healthy hair, our hair needs a lot of moisture. A lot of oils are very beneficial for our hair, these oils are natural oils and not mineral ones (avoid mineral oil). Natural oils are vegetal and made from plants and vegetables, there are many oils to choose from such as avocado, coconut, olive, carrot and others and the majority have moisturising effect and are non porous.

Castor oil is excellent and so is shea butter.

In order to keep your hair moisturised, put some mineral water and glycerine in a spray, after spraying your hair with this concoction, pour a small amount of natural oil in your hand and rub it in your hair focusing on the ends.

You can also, mix some conditioner with water and dab the ends of your hair and finish by rubbing a small amount of natural oil as before.

These methods should be used couple of times a day, morning and evening to keep the right level of moisture in our hair.

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4- Baggy

Another technique to keep your hair moisturised is called ‘baggy’. Baggy is when you put a shower cap on your head or just on the end of your hair like if it is in a ponytail and let the heat of your head moisturise the hair. Before putting the shower cap on your head, spray your whole head with water and glycerine and finish with a few drops of natural oil of your choice.

Leave the baggy for a minimum of 20 minutes, beware your hair can become very damp if you leave it too long, especially if you sleep with it.

If your hair is relaxed it is advised to baggy your ends at least once a day, you can put the baggy on your hair and hide it in a bun. One of my reader even confessed that she was ‘baggying’ under her wig.

Another one ‘baggies’ at night because she is wearing braids, so her hair is always moisturised despite her using synthetic hair for braids.

5- Avoid using heat for daily styling if you have to blow dry or use a hair straightener use a protective oil before.

Afro hair does not benefit from heat unless it is for deep conditioning. It is best to air dry your hair rather than use a hairdryer.

If your hair is natural, part your hair in 4-6 sections, braid them and let it air dry.

If your hair is relaxed, you can braid your hair as well or let it air dry without braiding it.

6- Never brush your hair, brushing is beneficial to people with naturally oily scalps, to pull the oil from the scalp all the way through the end of the hair strand and hence create shine. As

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mentioned before we do not have that need. If you really want to brush use this one.

Unlike Caucasian people, black people’s scalps don’t produce oil, this is why you do not need to brush afro hair. People with type 1-2 hair, brush their hair to spread the oil from their scalp to their hair.

All you need for your hair is a wide tooth comb but if you really want a brush this one is the best.

III- How to Care for Relaxed Hair

1- RELAXER

Relaxing your hair means altering its nature with chemicals, this process if not always painful (burning scalp) can be harmful to your health.

It is not recommended to relax your own hair but it is often easier to find incompetent hairdressers than good ones, it is most of the time very hard to do a worse job than they do.

If you don’t know how to relax your hair you will set yourself back a good couple of years in your hair growth journey.

Find a good hairdresser, yes they do exist!

To avoid breakage and heartache it is best not to use a relaxer if you have just removed a weave or braids or have just coloured your hair.

It is very important that when you retouch your relaxer you only apply the relaxer to new growths as applying it to strands that are already relaxed will only result in weakening the hair and inevitably lead to breakage.

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It is extremely important to always use a neutralising shampoo after you have rinsed the relaxer from your hair.

Avoid relaxing the short hair at the nape of your neck, if you really wish to relax this area only apply the relaxer at the nape of your neck and at the hair line LAST, in fact couple of minutes before you shampoo. These areas of our head are the most fragile ones, and when the hair is gone it is very difficult to grow it back. You would agree that seeing a lady without hair on her temples is not a good look, it shows poor haircare.

Don't over-process (relax) your hair, always read the instructions and follow the advised time. Try to wait as long as you can before retouching your hair, twice a year is a good target.

If you are having your hair relaxed at the hairdresser, this is your hair do not be afraid to tell them what to do.

For natural ladies, here’s a recipe for a natural relaxer with coconut and lime.

If you wish to know more about how to care for your relaxed hair, read this article ‘10 Steps to Healthier Longer Relaxed Hair’ or this other one ‘Rules for Relaxed Hair’

IV- How To Maintain And Have Healthy Hair

1- Massage your scalp and baggy daily.

Deep condition at least twice a month, use hot oils or deep conditioners put a shower cap on and seat under a hairdryer. If you do not have a standing hairdryer at home, here are some alternatives, click here.

Trim your ends every 10-12 weeks. Hair trimming is not hair cutting, take about a quarter of an inch no more each time.

If you are transitioning, here are some advice on how to make it. ‘Transitioning easily’

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2- Take Vitamins

Take a multi-vitamins with minerals daily. Hair is composed of keratin which is a form of protein and grows on average at a rate of half an inch a month (about 1.25cm), so six inches (15cm) a year. Taking vitamins will improve the quality of your hair which is coming out, not the hair you already have on your head, it will make it stronger and healthier.

Some of the best known vitamins for hair are:

- Biotin

- MSM

- Spirulina

- Chlorella

To read more about the great virtues of MSM also known as MethylSulfonylMethane click here.

Spirulina to save your life is another great article explaining everything there is to know about Spirulina.

3- At Night

To avoid breaking your hair during the night, wrap your hair with a satin scarf and/or sleep on a satin pillow case. Cotton pillowcases are very harsh and can absorb your hair moisture and leave your hair very dry and breakable.

If you do not use a satin scarf or sleep or a satin pillowcase at night, you run the risk to have shorter hair each morning as you leave hair on the pillow.

4- Look after your end

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Your ends are the most important and the most fragile part of your hair, whether your hair is relaxed or not. It is the driest, the oldest and the most abused part of your hair. Moisturise your ends everyday

5- Exercise regularly

Exercise 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. Healthy hair comes from healthy bodies. Exercise and eat nutritious food. Be careful with your diet.

If you are a swimmer or go to the gym and use the showers or spa facilities, put conditioner on your hair before you go swimming. Always protect your hair when you go swimming, put some conditioner and tie your hair back, use a swimming cap if you can.

Always rinse and condition your hair after swimming, it could also be a good opportunity to deep condition overnight if you can.

6- Watch your diet

Eat ten raw almonds a day or any other source of proteins and vitamins.

Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water is the key, you can never drink enough water…although, yes you can so don’t drink more than 10 glasses a day.

Eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables daily, that will give you vitamins and water.

7- Be careful what you use in your hair

Never use rubber bands on your hair. My trick is I use an old pantyhose, I wash it, cut it in many pieces and use them as bands to hold my hair. There is no metal part to pull your hair out and nylon is kind to our hair.

8- Protective Styles

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Wear protective styles as much as you can but keep looking after your hair. A protective style is a style where your hair is protected and is not manipulated too much thus avoiding breakage.

Don't keep your weaves or braids on for more than two months at a time. It is a good idea to just let your hair be after a protective style. Don't allow braids or twists to be pulled too tightly if you’re planning to get them.

Many of us cause our own dramatic hair breakage simply by not following the right techniques when styling and caring for our hair. There are some very important common practices to avoid doing, because they can make our hair fall out, break or become severely damaged faster than anything else, effectively ruining a healthy head of hair in just a few short minutes.

9- Avoid bleach, hair dyes with metallic salts

Once you start dying your hair using products that contain metallic salts, you’ve put yourself into a situation that may take some time getting out of.

Even hair dyes that claim to be natural can contain metallic salts. Some mistakenly think they’re safe if they use henna, but the lightening or darkening of the original shade of brown henna is often done using metallic salts. The problem with using these products is that the salts continue to build up in the hair with each subsequent use, making the hair hard, and they’re hard to remove.

10- Don't relax your hair right after taking out braids

Some women who wear braids all the time are worse offenders of this rule. They take the braids down, relax the hair, and then braid their hair back up again. It’s simply not a healthy way to care for your hair and this approach is not going to bring them the healthy head of hair they long for and are trying to achieve. Braids put a lot of tension on the hair shaft. It’s important to give hair a break after taking braids down.

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11- Don't relax and dye your hair on the same day

Relaxing hair and then dying it is a big mistake that has caused many women to suddenly start sporting the bald head look, even though they didn’t want to. That’s just too many chemicals to put in your hair all in the same day. These chemicals can interact with and basically burn the hair right off your head.

12- Don't leave in hair weaves for more than two months

Maybe you’re so good at taking care of that weave that it still looks fresh after two months of being in, but you should still give your hair break and take the weave out. Your hair that’s been growing underneath the weave all that time needs some attention and care so that it can be healthy. It’s even a good idea to give your hair a break before putting the hair weave back in just like you would do with braids. Take some time to pamper your hair with deep conditioning treatments.

13- Always use a protective oil before blow drying or pressing

Blow drying is known to cause a lot of damage. In fact pressing, using hot irons, and so on has been the culprit behind many hair disasters. So try to skip out on the heat at all cost in order to have healthy hair. If you really cannot leave without heat, use a protective oil to stave off the damage while still allowing you to achieve your desired look.

There are some women who attribute their short, damaged, hair to genetics, not realising that it’s what they’re doing, or not doing to their hair that’s the problem. The fact is that you all can have gorgeously healthy hair if only you would learn the right techniques. It’s not always about how much you spend on your hair care products that matters.

14- Wet set rather than blow dry hair

Sure, there are some products out there that make blow drying less damaging to hair, but if you really want to grow a head full of

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great hair, then skip the heat and try a wet set. Many who switch to the wet set found that their hair became healthier and longer than ever before. Not liking the curly-all-over style is no excuse, as the wet set can just be the way you allow the hair to dry. You can brush it out and create a new style later.

15- Only use wide-tooth combs

Many prefer using small tooth combs because they find it easier to get their hair smoother, but what they probably don’t realise is the damage they’re doing. Fine tooth combs can break hair, causing severe damage. Some need to learn that wide-tooth combs are not just for detangling; they can and should be used for styling too. Sticking to a wide tooth comb is especially important for those whose hair is thick and/or coarse. It would be better to tie on a scarf and comb your hair later when a wide-tooth comb is not around than to comb through your hair that once using a small- tooth comb and create damage that will take many months to repair.

16- Don't allow braids to be pulled too tightly

Some hairdressers can create the most stunning, appealing looking braid styles, but the way they pull the hair so tight makes their services a bad thing for your hair. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to find someone else to do your braids. You can just ask them not to pull so tightly, and hopefully they’ll listen. Having braids that are too tight can cause damage to the hair follicle as well as stress out the hair. If the braids are painful and give you a headache, there’s a good chance they’re too tight.

17- Relax your hair line last

Your hair line is the most delicate part. While some consider baby hair sexy, over-processing your hair line can cause a lot of problems. Some women struggle with balding and breakage in this

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area and the fact that they apply the relaxer to their hair line first is often the reason why. The relaxer might not even cause problems for your hair in other areas, but the time it takes to apply the relaxer to the rest of your head is too much time for the product to sit on your hairline.

18- Braid, Twist or let your hair just be sometimes

If you like your hair to fly loosely, blowing in the wind, it’s tempting to make styling with heat a habit. Sometimes you have to give the hair a break. Styling can be stressful and damaging to the hair. If you put the hair up in braids or twists you can let it be for a few days, even a few months, giving it some much needed rest.

V- Recap a simple summary easy to follow list of what this guide is about. So to recap the main points of this guide, here are the dos and don’ts to gain healthy long hair:

- Use a moisturizing conditioner instead of shampoo. - Keep your ends moisturized daily. - Avoid using heat for daily styling. - Never brush your hair. - Don't over-relax your hair. - Massage your scalp daily. - Deep condition at least once a month. - Trim your ends every 6-8 weeks. - Take a multi-vitamin with minerals daily. - Wrap your hair with a satin scarf or sleep on a satin pillow case. - Always wear a hat in the sun. - Put conditioner on your hair before you go swimming.

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product!

- Rinse and condition your hair after swimming. - Exercise 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. - Put your legs up and your head down for 10 minutes a day. - Eat ten raw almonds a day. - Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. - Eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables daily. - Never use rubber bands on your hair. - Wear your hair up whenever possible. - Avoid bleach, hair dyes with metalic salts. - Don't relax your hair right after taking out braids. - Don't relax and dye your hair on the same day. - Don't leave in hair weaves for more than two months. - Always use a protective oil before blow drying or pressing. - Wet set rather than blow dry hair. - Only use wide-tooth combs. - Don't allow braids to be pulled too tightly. - Relax your hair line last. - Braid, Twist or let your hair just be sometimes.

I hope you have enjoyed ready this guide and will take the right steps to implement it. These are simple advice but you will only gain healthy long hair if you start following them.

HAVE A GREAT JOURNEY and LOVE YOUR HAIR!

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Growing Afro Hair Longer: All the Dos and Don’ts includes What Products to Use and More… For Less than The Price of a Pot of (Bad) Hair Product!

Glossary:

Hair Length:

APL= arm pit length BSL= bsl WL= waist length TBL= tail bone length Classic= the bottom of your bum!

30 Steps to Growing Afro Hair Longer

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