Hello Beautiful Goddess!
When I first went natural years ago (and a few times since then), I grew my hair with the help of an awesome healthy hair challenge.
I learned great tips, discovered some amazing natural YouTubers, and made some naturalista friends that helped me stick with my lengthy goals.
Now that those challenges are over and Lavish is longer, my entire regime has changed.
Retaining length is a bigger priority, and taking care of my ends seems to be a constant activity (they can dry out fast).
I’m always conscious of keeping my hair luscious at the crown, which means no rushing during detangling, daily moisturizing (even if it’s a spritz), and locking my scissors in the drawer.
my favorite leave in
With all of my wonderful hair growth gains, are still days when I run out of time and energy to care for Ms. Lavish.
I’ve learned the hard way that not taking care of my hair is the quickest way to hair drama and breakage!
In a few of the emails I received last week (thanks for the eggocado love:), quite a few ladies expressed similar concerns (and a shared love for Idris Alba).
Hair growth goals are the #1 topic discussed in mostly all of the emails I receive.
Last week they centered on growing out the edges, crown, and nape areas.
So…
As I got ready to hit publish on a post about apple cider vinegar (I LOVE this stuff), the draft for this challenge kept calling me…and I answered!
The 90-Day Hair Growth Challenge runs once a year. This year’s Live Challenge will open enrollment December 2016.
In the meantime, join me for the automated version that’s delivered right to your email!
To Join The Challenge:
- Register for the 30-Day Healthy Hair Challenge by entering your email below:
Now that you’re in, invite a curlfriend!
[Tweet “Let’s grow our hair together during LN’s 30-Day Hair Growth Challenge http://bit.ly/1vWlL60”]
Hi! I would love to join your 90 day hair challenge! My hair is currently at armpit length (APL) and is naturally wavy/curly with a oily scalp and some split ends . My ultimate goal is to reach waist length, but I’m hoping by the end of this challenge I will be close to mid back length. Right now I shampoo every 1 to 2 days with shea moisture’s shampoo for dry and damaged hair. The days I don’t shampoo I cowash with shea moisture’s reconstructive conditioner. I also massage my scalp when I shampoo or condition and use their finishing elixr after my shower every day. I also try to do a deep conditioning treatment at least 1 to 2 times a month (which changes) and just started using apple cider vinegar to clarify, which I will probably do about once a month. I used to straighten my hair every day, but now I do it about once a month. I will usually wear my hair in a loose bun or pony tail. I am also taking 5,000 mcg of biotin, MSM, vitamin b complex, and fish oil every day, eat fairly healthy, and drink a good amount of water. In order to reach my length goal I am going to try to use shampoo less, drink more water, exercise more, massage my scalp twice a day instead of once, and stop stressing so much!
Hi Corina! You’re not far from MBL at all. We’re taking some of the same vitamins. 5,000 mcg of Biotin really helped speed my hair growth, along with scalp massage. I’ve got to get back to doing that with this challenge. Welcome and thanks for uploading a photo!
Hi Erica! I’m sorry if I start talking to much on this. This whole thing is new to me! I’m just really glad to be able to connect with other women who are trying to do the same thing as me and also learn more about my hair, which I have been wanting to do for a while. I got a big chop in August and have been trying to maximize my growth each month, but don’t know exaxtly whats working (it’s grown about 4 to 5 inches since). How long have you been trying to grow out your hair? What’s your goal length?
Corina you can’t talk to much - I’m OBSESSED with hair and I’m even happier that you’re here! 4 to 5 inches since August is great! I had the same thing happen with trying to figure out exactly what was growing my hair and what wasn’t right after my big chop. I did my last one in 2011 after damaging my hair with too much heat. 2 years before that I did my first big chop and my hair grew really fast but I couldn’t remember everything I did. I decided to start teasing out all of the ingredients that were in my favorite natural products and use them one by one. During that time I learned that I was moisturizing with the wrong products for my hair length and texture. What worked when my hair was brow length wasn’t working for my chin length hair/shoulder length, etc. Creamy shea-based products were great for my ends, not close to my scalp. Coconut oil was great for my scalp, but not jojoba oil that worked well on my ends. Now, every time it grows out to a new length, I have to learn new hair habits to retain the length I have while keeping the growing going. My current length is APL in the back, sides and front, but not the crown. I’m focusing in on this area and my edges during the challenge. My ultimate goal is to grow my hair all the way to my lower back or even butt length! It grows really fast in some areas (the back, nape, front) and a little slower in others. Plus, I can get a little scissor happy when trimming. Hey…I just realized I haven’t posted my own current hair bio here - must get that up! Thanks for asking!
Hey! Thank you for sharing a bit of your hair history with me! I think its interesting how you had to change your hair products for different lengths of your hair through your hair journey. What are you currently using? Also how often do you trim? After I cut my hair short I still continued to straighten my hair every day and so the ends are a bit damaged. Not a whole lot of split ends but I definitely have the white dots on the end. I dont know if I should cut them or not. I hardly ever straighten my hair now, but I want my ends healthy when I grow out my hair. Also, do you cowash? I used to have to shampoo my hair every day, but now I only do it about 1-3 times a week. If I do this how often do you think I should use an apple cider vinegar rinse? Any suggestions help since I’m new to this. Look forward to talking to you again :)
Hi Corina!
You’re welcome! How’s your hair growth going? Do you use any oil when you do your scalp massages? I haven’t been this go ’round but I think I’m going back to coconut oil for the massage. My hair has been really itchy which usually means hair growth for me. I plan to take my twists out in a week or two. It’s such a relief to have a little hair break!
Thank you for your participation in this challenge. It looks like it’s the two of us (and a few lurkers by email) but we are holding it down with Bodacious Beauty!!!
OMG, my hair started resisting all creamy products once it got about chin length. Conditioners, styling products, it was weird. I can use homemade shea butter (mixed with other ingredients) for twists and styling, but not the products I used to love (Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner & their Island Naturals Conditioner). I turned to castor oil, burnt sugar pomade (my ultimate favorite) and coconut oil for shine and these worked well. I used a lot of products with protein (panthenol specifically - like jane carter’s replenishing conditioner, and afroveda’s kissi seed conditioner, which I think they stopped making).
I think it was just a shift in what my hair needed because moisture has become an even bigger priority the longer my hair gets. I used to think it was the climate I lived in (desert) so I’ll see if it changes now that there is more moisture in the air here (island living:)
Now I’m using a homemade honey conditioner for a pre-poo at least once a month (raw honey and water…let it sit for 15 minutes, apply to hair for about 20 minutes and rinse - this also highlights your hair!).
I use As i Am’s Cleansing Pudding or a homemade bentonite clay wash for cleansing (and deep conditioning with the clay wash), an apple cider vinegar rinse (sometimes a catnip rinse) for a conditioner, coconut oil to seal in the moisture, and Oyin Handmade’s Hair Dew for moisture and detangling.
For styling it’s a mix between homemade coconut shea butter and Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade. If I’m wearing twists or a style where my hair will be up for a while, I use Oyin’s Greg Juice and Jane Carter’s Replenishing Conditioner for moisture and strengthening.
I deep condition about once a month but I’m on the lookout for a new one that will absorb well into my hair (and still deeply moisturize and condition). Right now I make mine but I like to have a natural store bought version in case I need it in a hurry!
Hair Trim & Dusting
I get REALLY scissor happy so I usually trim only when my hair needs it - probably once every 6 months or longer. I dust my ends (just the very tips) anytime they start to look thin, feel dry, or get extremely frizzy (averages out to be once every 3 to 4 months). The better I am with my regime the less dusting I need to do. When I cut my hair in anyway it always grows faster but I prefer not to touch it.
A lot of naturalistas with longer hair say that they rarely trim or cut their hair. This blew my mind when I first heard it! Chicoro comes to mind. In her book Grow It! she says to take better care of your ends since they’ve been on your head the longest. That it’s best to learn how to retain length (she gives tips) as it literally adds inches to your hair. I’ve always focused more on scalp health so this was a shift for me. Her book is short but really detailed and helpful. She teaches the “Grow It Method”. I did a short review on it a while back:
http://lavishlynatural.com/growing-hair-great-lengths/
If you don’t have a lot of split ends and they’re not dry or breaking, I would leave them alone - especially if your hair is growing. I’m not a hair stylist (you may want to consult a professional first) but if you do trim or dust your ends, use hair cutting shears. Dull scissors can cause even more problems and breakage.
Heat Usage
I have the same practice, little to no heat. Actually, I don’t use heat on my hair at all - haven’t in about 2 years. At first it was because I was scared by all the damage I caused with a flat iron, then it was by choice - to be heat free. Now I’ve gotten in the flow of heatless styles. When I had a craving for a straight style, I used to pull out a fabulous wig!
I would like to see how long my hair is when straightened but I’d like to find styling products for applying heat to natural hair. I’ve heard it’s some good ones now.
Have you tried curlformers? I really want to try some and I’m pretty sure they will be one of our giveaways! I love the pretty spiral and barrel curls they give…and they’re heatless!
Co-Washing
Great question about the co-wash! I co-washed for years and loved it! Always left my hair softer, cleansed, and moisturized at the same time. I went through stages with co-washing. When I first big chopped it seems like I was co-washing every day or every other day. Then it went to whenever my scalp would itch or once a week. As my hair grew it went to every two weeks and now its about every 2 to 3 weeks.
To much washing can dry out my ends. I don’t co-wash anymore, I do clay washes mostly and use the cleansing pudding if I’m in a hurry. Every naturalista doesn’t like ‘the clays’ (just like my hair went on a revolt against henna) but it really has helped with my scalp funkiness, natural shine, detangling (it cut my routine down to about 15-20 minutes), curl definition, hair growth, deep cleansing and conditioning. Terressentials is a great brand if you want to try it without making a mess of your bathroom or kitchen. They also have sample sizes.
http://www.terressentials.com/haircare.html
With the acv rinse, it depends on how much product you’re using on your hair. For example, if you use a gel, styling products, oils, hair sprays and spritzes, butters, a weekly acv rinse is excellent. However…even though it conditions, the vinegar is also very acidic. Too much can leave my hair a little dry - even with the essential oils (it also could just be my hair). You can always decrease the amount you use - 1 tbsp as opposed to 3. I think the acv rinse is good once a week or once every two weeks. Let your hair tell you what’s best!
Green tea, flaxseed conditioner, coconut milk, and grapefruit juice, are also good apple cider vinegar alternatives. You can use 1 to 2 green tea bags, seeped in water and cooled, and add this to about 2 cups of water. Add a teaspoon of lemon and a tbsp of honey (a natural humectant) and try not to drink it as you apply after washing!
A flaxseed conditioner is good (2 tbsp flaxseed in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until the water becomes “slick”). This rinse by itself is very conditioning and won’t leave any product buildup on your hair. Flaxseeds are also really inexpensive and easy to find (whole foods, even most supermarkets carry them now). For the grapefruit juice rinse I add about 3 tbsps to water (just like the acv rinse). I know some ladies use it straight but I haven’t tried this yet!
You can also use coconut milk right out of the can. If you have fresh coconuts around, you can make coconut milk at home:
http://ericakking.com/coconutmilk/
I have a hair smoothie recipe you can make with canned milk too:
http://lavishlynatural.com/hairsmoothie/
White Dots…
I had white dots on my hair, and I can’t remember if I cut them or not. You got me thinking so I Googled “white dots on hair” and found these resources:
White dots at ends of hair, Help! http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=67074
White dots on the ends of hair? Splits or… http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=626877
This goddess has included photos of white dots on her ends…
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=30538
I needed this and found Wiki How has a great graphic of how to detect split ends. One of them has a drawing of a white dot on the hair:
http://www.wikihow.com/Detect-Split-Ends
If your inner mixtress wants to make some of the homemade goodies I mentioned, try these:
Lightening Your Hair With Raw Organic Honey
http://lavishlynatural.com/lightening-your-hair-with-raw-honey/
Basic Clay Wash
http://lavishlynatural.com/claywash/
Coconut Shea Butter
http://lavishlynatural.com/coconut-shea-butter/
I order my catnip from mountain rose herbs but I’m pretty sure you can buy it as a tea (it comes in tea bags). I use 1 to 2 tbsps for 2 cups of water
Catnip Rinse
http://lavishlynatural.com/slipperymarshmallow/
Let me know what you decide to do with your ends!
Erica
Hey Erica! Oh my gosh, thank you for all of the sites/resources! I’ve been looking through them, and definitely thinking about trying some new things. I know I haven’t been on here for a while (been busy with school and then just got over being sick), so I’m gonna try to respond to your post the best I can (and see if I can remember what I have/haven’t told you already) Haha :)
Hair growth
As of right now, I don’t really know how my hair growth is doing. Sometimes it feels as if it is getting longer and then I’ll measure it (using my tattoo, haha) and it is still the same length. I always do this right after the shower though. Don’t know if this makes a difference of if I should be measuring it like that? But I will be posting another picture soon! How is yours going? Did you take your twists out?
Scalp massages
I used to do scalp massages with oil (EVOO), but after a while my hair just felt dry and “stringy.” I don’t know if this is because I was doing it too much, using too much oil, or using it on dry hair.. but I switched to using no oil (on a daily basis). Also, when I used to use the oil (every night) I would wake up and shampoo my hair because I didn’t like the way it felt/looked at all (which I didn’t want to be doing). What I am currently doing is massaging with just my fingers, especially in the morning when I cowash, and then a little bit before bed.
Trimming
I have decided not to trim my hair (just yet). For the most part, my hair has been growing and I think it’s better just to leave it alone right now. Although I do have white dots and some split ends, I feel like I take care of my hair well enough to not have to cut off the ends all of the time. I do think I will trim it up a bit (maybe after this challenge when it has been close to a year of me getting my big chop). I do want my hair to grow out healthy, and think this is important. I should get that book that you recommended! Seems interesting to read about. When was the last time you trimmed your hair? Btw, I just purchased my first pair of hair cutting shears.. finally!
Heat
That’s so awesome that you can go for so long without using any kind of heat! I’ll use my straightener only on special occassions, which is a lot better than what I used to do, but wish I could stop it altogether. I think once my hair gets a little longer it will be easier. But how to do find different styles to wear your hair naturally? I feel like when I don’t straighten/curl my hair it just looks boring. I would love to try those curlformers your mentioned though! I used something like it (spiral tubes?) when I had longer hair, but I didn’t like them too much.
Cowashing
Currently I am cowashing every day. I don’t remember the last time I used shampoo (I think it was about 3 weeks ago). My hair seems to like it a lot, but I don’t want to damage it (from “washing” it every day). I just find it really hard getting in the shower and not washing my hair! Haha. I’m sure this is better than using shampoo and conditioner everyday, which is what I used to do, but don’t know if just wetting it or doing something else would be better.. How often do you do the clay washes? Are they moisturizing?
ACV rinse/clarifying
My hair seems to like the ACV rinse when I use it, which is about once a month, but I know what you mean by it being drying to the hair. I would love to try the coconut milk or flaxseed conditioner that you mentioned if it will do what the ACV does without drying my hair. I feel like because I cowash every day that I need a really good rinse for my hair at least once a month to help clean the build up (even though my conditioner is natural, no silicones, etc.).
New products
Just wanted to mention that I purchased some of Shea Moisture’s extra moisture detangler and added it to my regime (I absolutely love it and their products!). I put it on right after my shower and it makes it so much easier for me to get through my hair, which leads to less breakage. Also, don’t know if I mentioned this before but I am also using their finishing elixr (mostly on my ends). This stuff makes my hair super soft and shiny, but horribly greasy if I use too much (part of the reason why I use a cleansing rinse every month). In addition, I just got myself a silk pillow case to take care of my hair when I sleep at night :)
Other issues/questions
1. One hair mask that I love to use contains coconut oil, honey, and an egg yolk. I heard you should use a protein and deep conditioning mask for your hair. Which would this be.. both? How often should these masks be done? Should I cowash or shampoo/condition after?
2. Is brushing your hair when its wet really bad for your hair while using a detangler and making sure to brush slowly? It’s hard for me to use a wide-tooth comb/my fingers..
Pheww! That was a lot to write! Haha. Hope I didn’t miss anything. Anyways, I always look forward to hearing from you. Happy growing!
Corina
Congratulations Corina - You’re Our Very First Giveaway Winner — YAY!!!
Send me your email address to erica@lavishlynatural.com
I’d also like to feature you and your gorgeous hair for my Giveaway post. I’ll put the deets in the email:)
Erica
Erica! Here is monthly hair update! Looks like I’ve grown about half an inch from my last post (it’s kind of hard to tell with my wet hair). Although I am happy with any kind of growth, I am trying to maximize it to 1 inch a month! Also, this picture is after a tiny bit of dusting. Now I’m going to experiment with a natural strengthening tea! How’s your growth coming along?!
Corina
Hey Erica my 4a/b hair is about 4 inches throughout my entire head. I am thinking about starting dreads in a fee days, having been natural fora year and a half now.
I am from the Caribben, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad to be exact. While I do know that some of the products may not be available to me I do have access to alternatives.
I only recently became aware of this challange and I would like to be a part of it.
Can you please advise?
Regards
Hi my name is Nathifa. I would like to join the 90 day winter hair challenge. My hair is always in twists or I’ll put my hair in a high ponytail. The type of hair I have is 4a. I use Cantu shea butter leave in, olive oil, tea oil , coconut oil, Cantu curl cream and dr miracle nape and temple. My hair goal is the grow out my nape area more. I take regular vitamins as well as biotin 10,000 mcg and proboitics.
Hi, I’m Markisha. I big chopped a couple weeks ago so I’m still trying to find products that work with my hair type (4c). Currently I wash my hair, deep condition with a heated cap for an hour, spritz my hair with aloe vera juice, then follow up with a leave in, oil, and cream before styling on a weekly basis. My hair is about 4.5inches all the way around. My goal is for it to grow at least 2inches by the end of this challenge as well as become fuller and easier to manage.
Hi my name is Thanda from South Africa.I am a 4C I did a big chop back in December 2013 my goal is to grow a couple of inches more at the end of the challenge especially at the back because it is slightly sorter then the rest of may hair.My hair is 6.5 Inches all round besides the back center which is 5 Inches.
I pre poo ,wash with moisturizing shampoo, condition and finish off with a leave in conditioner ,Every third week I deep condition. Mostly during week days my hair is twisted with DIY ShearLoe mix. For daily moisturizer i use coconut oil water mix/Olive oil water mix.
Hey, my name is Aisha. I recently shaved the sides and nape of my hair (Oct. 3, 2015) because I decided to do a semi big chop. I plan to transition the the rest of my hair due to chemical damage. The top of my hair ranges from 9-12inches and my shaved side is around 1inch. It isn’t my natural texture because it was damaged by an attempted relaxer. My strands are now extremely thin & fragile. The thing I hope to gain the most from this challenge besides growth is to stronger/thicker hair strands.
Never really tried to grow out my hair, want to see if it will get waist length in 12 months, ehehe:) Got to think big huh:) Its Armpit now I think so, but I never trim!!! I think its problem in not see faster growth… so its one thing I will change this year, also wash twice weekly and doing the reverse wash , more mask, not sure about avocado look great but messy:( I’ll just eat more:) , well am in:) Need to do pic of length check before:) working on it:)
Hey yall…just joining the challenge. I am at 10 inches and i want to reach 15 inches by August. Btw i only wear my hair in protective styling…like mini plaits. I am from Jamaica which is very hot