1) Cleanse Your Scalp, as well as your hair, well

Scalp cleanliness is essential to growing your hair. It allows your scalp to breathe by removing product buildup and flakes. These two factors can block your hair from growing. Nobody knows your hair as well as you do, so access your hair in between wash days to see the health of your scalp and what it needs. Reach for the Head and Shoulders Royal Oils Collection to treat your scalp and hair; Head and Shoulders is great for treating dandruff and dry scalp, but it’s also good for anyone looking to hydrate their scalp. This line is formulated by Head and Shoulders to promote scalp and hair health for relaxed and natural hair; the collection includes a shampoo, conditioner, masque and daily scalp cream, but the best products in this line are the Seal and Prep Moisture Milk and the Instant Soothe Scalp Elixir. Both products are perfect for protective styles. The Moisture Milk will seal in moisture on the scalp and length of the hair and the Scalp Elixir is ideal for soothing a dry or irritated scalp while your hair is braided or twisted.

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2) Detangle Your Hair Thoroughly 

Skipping this step could be dire to your strands. Detangling before installing your style prevents further breakage. If you were to create a protective style on tangled hair, your hair would eventually knot and be harder to deal with when you take the hairstyle out. Be sure to take the time to detangle your hair thoroughly beforehand. Feel free to use a detangler brush, or you can finger detangle, with a conditioner with great slip.

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3) Deep Condition 

A great way to ensure that your hair stays moisturized in a protective style is to deep condition right before installing. Choose your favorite deep conditioner and for optimum results, wear a plastic cap and sit under a hooded dryer. The heat allows the properties in the deep conditioner to penetrate and seep into your hair strands. You can also use a deep conditioning cap if you do not have the time to sit under a dryer. The cap is self-warming by drawing in your natural body heat to keep the deep conditioner warm on your head.  

4) Moisturize Your Hair and Scalp

Many people use protective styles to grow their hair. This tactic is less effective if you do not take the time to moisturize your hair first. You can make the most out of your moisturization routine by utilizing the L.O.C. or L.C.O method. L stands for Liquid, O stands for oil, and C stands for cream, these different steps ensure that you lock in and seal the moisture into your hair. The L.O.C. method has a strong reputation among all naturalistas, but L.C.O is known to work best with low porosity hair, which is a type of hair strand that requires more oil to allow moisture in. Applying the oil after the cream seals the hair and keeps it moisturized longer.  

Another tip, pay special attention to your ends with the use of an oil or an oil-based product. Your ends are the oldest part of your hair, so taking extra care of them could benefit your length retention. 

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5) Stretch Your Hair for an Easier Install 

There are several ways that you can stretch your hair. You can do a traditional blow out with a hairdryer, a twist out, braid out, African threading, banding, or curl formers. It seems like a lot of added effort, but this step is critical to have a seamless installation of style. You also don’t have to work as hard to detangle your hair. With stretched hair, it is easier to see the knots and tangles in the hair. 

5 Things to Keep for Optimum Hair Growth This Fall 

1) Protective Style, Protective Styles, Protective Styles

Protective styling is known as the key to hair growth and length retention. Why? The name says it all. These kinds of hairstyles are protecting your hair from any external forces that could cause breakage or split ends, which in the long run can damage your hair and hinder its growth. This can be any hairstyle where your ends are tucked away (braids, twists, locs, sew-ins, wigs, quick weaves, ponytails, buns, etc…) and keeps your hands out of your hair for an extended amount of time. 

2) Deep Condition Often

This step can help you cut out a lot of extra work in your hair care routine. You will not have to moisturize your hair as often outside of your wash day routine. The added moisture can prevent further breakage and damage to your hair shaft as well as improve the overall health of your hair. To optimize your results with deep conditioning, use a cap to allow the deep conditioner to penetrate your hair. Every two weeks is ideal.    

3) Trim Dead Ends as Needed

Split ends and single strand knots are every naturalistas worse nightmare. To keep these issues at bay, trim or dust your hair as needed and regularly; dusting or dust trimming your hair is when your hair is sectioned in twist or braids and you clip the very ends of the braid or twist. Snags and knots in your hair can lead to more damage to your hair shaft.  

4) Moisturize your scalp and hair often

This tip may seem like a no-brainer, but effectively moisturizing your hair and scalp may seem difficult to most. Kinky and coily hair tends to be drier, so many folks do not know how to effectively moisturize their hair. The main goal is to work smarter and not harder. This means using the L.O.C. or L.C.O. method to cut down on you moisturizing your hair so often. It will ultimately lead to your hair holding onto the moisture longer.  

5) Have a weekly hair routine 

Establishing a routine with your hair can help your hair growth. The only way you will see results is by consistently caring for your hair. Learn what your hair likes and what works best for you and your lifestyle. Once you have customized a hair routine for yourself, stick to it, and you WILL see results.

5 Beneficial Hair Oils for Natural Hair 

With the fall season fast approaching, that means colder weather which means us naturalistas need to take extra care with our hair when it comes to moisturizing. This article will highlight some useful and emollient oils to use in your coily and curly hair. You can also play around with the ratios in these oils and make a hair serum for your personal hair needs.

1. Argan Oil- Argan oil is wonderful for pretty much every hair type but especially curly and coily hair. It has a high amount of antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamin E. All these components strengthen your hair as well as providing long-lasting shine and moisturization. Argan oil is ideal for those you struggle with brittle or damaged hair. 
2. Jojoba Oil- This oil is exceptional for scalp health. It is packed with vitamins C, B, and E, which all nourish the hair very well. There’s also a high amount of copper and zinc. 
3. These minerals promote hair growth and can work to combat hair loss. Jojoba oil works great for those you suffer from dandruff. You can apply this oil directly to your scalp with a dropper and massage it in for the best results.
4. Sweet Almond Oil- You don’t hear about this oil all that much in conversations about healthy hair which is such a shame. There is basically nothing that this oil cannot do. Almonds are a natural antioxidant and with high amounts of vitamin E means that it is great for hair growth. This oil can also make it less likely for you to develop split ends.
5.  Jamaican Black Castor Oil- Who doesn’t know about Jamaican Black Castor Oil, right? This oil is awesome for those who have thin or brittle hair as well. The productivity of this oil is due to the high amounts of fatty acids that it possesses. The acids also help promote hair growth.
6. Avocado Oil- Avocado oil is very emollient while still staying light. It is rich with oleic acids and monounsaturated fats, which means it can easily penetrate your hair shaft instead of sitting on top of the hair strands. That means that this oil is great for moisturization and strengthening your hair.