Too often African American hair is subjected to chemicals and extreme heat in an attempt to make it seem longer and smoother. But what this does is weaken and slow hair growth.
To grow your hair faster and longer the solutions are actually quite simple. A big part of growing black hair faster is knowing what products to use. Heres a full guide on how to grow African American hair faster.
Getting Started
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9 Steps To Grow African American Hair Faster.
Before you go off trying complicated tricks and methods to get your hair to grow quickly, try a few simple maintenance routines. Often, its the simple things you do everyday that make the biggest difference in the health and length of your hair. To grow African american hair faster follow these steps.
1. Use a pre-shampoo.
A pre-shampoo is a type of conditioning treatment that is applied on hair before using the actual shampoo. Its thick which allows it to form a coat over hair strands. The importance of this is protecting the hair from getting too dry and breaking.
It also forms a protective layer from the harsh ingredients of the shampoo. After scrubbing your hair with a shampoo, it will still feel soft and smooth.
You can make your own pre-shampoo at home using a protein-based conditioner and organic oil. However, it is much easier to buy a ready made treatment.
Make sure you closely follow the instructions on the label. Many women dont use a pre-shampoo but I think it’s something everyone should be doing.
Recommended Pre-Shampoos.
- TRESemme Expert Selection Pre-Shampoo. This comes with a great 16.5 oz pre-wash conditioner and a big 25 oz shampoo.
- Burt’s Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo. This pre-shampoo replenishes your hair’s nutrients. Both of these products are absolutely amazing.
2. Use the right shampoo.
Generally, African American hair is brittle and damages easily. Most shampoos on the market are brutal due to their harsh ingredients which is no good for any kind of hair, especially African American hair. You therefore need to be extra careful about which shampoo you are using.
A rule of thumb is to stick to sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfates are known to make your hair frizzy and dry out. This is especially bad for African American hair which is already brittle enough. The extra harshness is something you should avoid at all cost.
Additionally, look for shampoos with organic oils. These oils are great at protecting hair from dryness and leave your strands feeling supple and soft. Some of the best oils to look for in shampoos include jojoba oil and argan oil. Make sure they are organic oils.
Recommended Shampoos.
- Shea Moisture Black Castor Oil Combination Pack. This pack comes with a shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner which strengthens, grows, and restores your hair. Highly recommended.
- Pura d’or Premium Organic Argan Oil Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo. Premium shampoo for hair thinning & breakage.
- Organic Argan Oil Hair Loss Shampoo. Reduces thinning and hair loss. Adds body, thickness, and volume.
- Argan Oil Therapeutic Shampoo. Restores damaged hair, increases shine, and deeply nourishes.
You will notice that these shampoos have organic argan oil as a major ingredient. These oils nourish the hair as well as give it more shine. Like with pre-shampoos, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the best results.
3. Use a conditioner after every wash.
As much as you try to prevent it, washing your hair will still wash away some of its natural oils. Leaving it like that risks breakage and split ends. The best way to get it back in shape is using a conditioner.
It helps restore oils and moisture to your hair as well as nourish it. After using a conditioner, your hair should feel softer. When you are shopping for a conditioner buy one designed specifically for dry or African American hair.
Recommended Conditioners.
- Organic Argan Oil Daily Hair Conditioner – Sulfate free, best conditioner for damaged or dry hair.
- Silk18 Conditioner Sulfate-Free Natural Conditioner – This conditioner contains 18 amino acids, two organic oils (jojoba and argan) and keratin. Helps with frizziness, dry hair, curly hair, static reduction, and gently conditions to result in soft, shiny, and easy-to-manage hair.
- Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative conditioner – extra-moisturizing conditioner that de-tangles and repairs dry, damaged, or over-processed hair.
4. Use a deep conditioner once every week.
There are regular conditioners and deep conditioners. A regular conditioner is lighter and designed for use after washing your hair. It mostly touches the surface of the hair. A deep conditioner sinks deep into the hair, helping to nourish it from the bottom up.
Thus, its heavier and sticks more to the hair and scalp. You should do a deep conditioning treatment once every week though not on the same day you are doing your weekly hair wash.
Recommended Deep Conditioners.
- Art Naturals Argan Oil Hair Mask. Contains argan oil, green tea, aloe leaf, jojoba oil and keratin to hydrate and repair hair.
- Arvazallia Argan Oil Hair Mask. Makes hair softer, silkier, shiner, and healthier looking.
5. Moisturize your hair.
One of the best things you can do to your hair is keep it moisturized. Having adequate moisture encourages fast growth and protects hair from breakage and split ends.
Additionally it keeps the hair looking bright and feeling soft. Before you can even start considering store-bought moisturizes make sure that you are already moisturizing the natural way; drinking enough water.
When it comes to moisturizing from the outside, try to do it every day. This ensures that your hair is always adequately hydrated. Some of the best ingredients for black hair moisturizers include olive oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, and pure shea butter.
Recommended Moisturizers.
- Hawaiian Silky Miracle Worker 14 in 1 – Special moisturizing and activating ingredients to help solve all hair problems. Best moisturizing leave in spray.
- Loma Moisturizing Treatment. This is a conditioner made specifically for dry hair.
6. Use a hair oil.
While your hair already has its own natural oils, its important to use other oils to promote growth and protect the hair. These oils are especially good at encouraging African American hair to grow faster. When applying hair oil, make sure to massage deeply to ensure that it gets deep inside the hair follicles as well as on the surface of the hair.
Recommended Hair Oil.
- PURA D’OR Argan Oil Treatment. It’s pure, natural, organic argan oil. Cold pressed and unrefined with no chemicals added. This is as good as it gets.
7. Protect your hair ends.
Every three to four months you should trim your hair. This gets rid of any split ends allowing your hair to continue growing properly without further damage. When trimming, you only need to cut about a 1/2 inch maybe a bit more depending on your hair.
To keep your ends in great condition, use protective hairstyles such as bans and not-so-tight braids. Letting hair fall freely exposes the ends to damage. At night wrap the hair in a silk scarf or sleep on a satin pillow. These little changes help a lot.
Recommended Scarfs.
8. Be sparse with your hair washes.
Sometimes we tend to get too generous with scrubbing out our hair. Washing the hair too frequently strips it of its natural oils, leaving it dry and vulnerable to breakage. If you are washing your hair daily or even every other day, that is too frequent.
Switch to washing it at most twice a week. If you notice your hair breaking easily after washing (especially if you have kinky hair) try washing it once every two weeks.
9. Air Dry your hair.
After washing your hair, the best way to dry it is by rubbing it gently with a towel or letting it air-dry. Try to avoid using a blow dryer as the excess heat will weaken and damage your hair. If for any reason you have to use your blow dryer, use the coolest setting. You can also wrap the hair in a silk scarf and leave it to dry through the night.
Recommended Blow Dryers.
- BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Dryer. I really love this blow dryer, get this if your looking for a great blow dryer.
- Conair Soft Touch Tourmaline Ceramic Dryer. If the first one cost a little too much pick up this one, you wont regret it.
- Remington Ceramic Hair Dryer. This is a good budget blow dryer that gets the job done.
Boosting Growth of Black/African American Hair.
In the first section we have discussed a lot of ways you can keep your hair growing through proper maintenance routines. Now we will talk about how to speed up black hair growth.
1. Coconut Oil Supplements
Coconut oil supplements promote healthier, thicker, and more beautiful hair. This fully organic and certified supplement is one of the best ways to maintain healthy and beautiful hair. Click here for a full review of the supplement.
If you are interested you can purchase Coconut Oil supplements directly from the official website.
2. Protein Treatments.
Protein treatments help in speeding up hair growth by nourishing it and making it stronger. Various types of protein treatments are made for different hair types. Protein packs are for regular use with people showing slight hair damage.
Light treatments are ideal for hair with a bit more damage. They often come in form of a deep conditioner. Deep penetrating treatments are best for fairly damaged hair. Reconstructors are used to encourage quick growth in severely damaged hair.
Our Recommended Protein Treatment.
- Arvazallia Fortifying Protein Hair Mask and Deep Conditioner. It comes loaded with macadamia and argan oils.
3. Vitamin supplements.
Vitamin supplements supply hair with multiple nutrients to keep it healthy, strong, and growing. Hair products do a good job keeping your hair looking good but the body is the source and creator of your hair. If you supply your body with that it needs it will start to grow strong healthy hair.
Recommended Vitamin Supplements.
- Folexin – The #1 hair growth supplement.
- Hairfinity Healthy Hair Vitamins promotes hair growth and is without a doubt the best vitamin supplement avaliable . Each of the 60 pills contains minerals, nutrients, biotin and bioactive vitamins which are key for the body to grow long healthy hair. This is something I highly recommend.
- Biotin Hair, Skin, and Nails Vitamins. Another great vitamin, this not only helps your hair grow but also benefits your skin and nails.
4. Fish Oil Supplements.
Fish oil supplements, which are often in form of capsules, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are highly beneficial to hair growth. These supplements are especially good at tackling hair dryness and dullness. Your hair will become shinier, softer, and stronger. They can also help in preventing dandruff.
Recommended Fish Oil.
- Dr. Tobias Omega 3 Fish Oil is what we recommend. It’s packed with Omega-3 and for the price it gets no better.
5. A Healthy Diet.
One of the best ways to keep your hair in good form and to encourage growth is by eating well. If your diet is not so healthy you should take a multivitamin. Multivitamins give your body the fuel it needs to do everyday task and increases your overall health.
All of the below vitamins will: Boost your energy, balance your hormones, and lower stress. Help your hair, skin, and nails grow healthier, faster, and stronger.
- Nature’s Way Alive Max Potency Multi-Vitamin. This bad boy has EVERYTHING your body needs, hands down the best multivitamin on the market. Be aware you have to take 3 a day.
- Rainbow Light, Women’s Multivitamin. This is another great option and you only have to take 1 a day.
What To Avoid To Grow Black Hair Faster.
Below are the things you should avoid doing to maximize your hair growth.
1. Heat treatments.
Any treatment that uses heat to style hair is bad for you. Things like blow dryers and flat irons literally cook your hair, making it extremely weak and easy to break. You hair can still look good without having to use heat on it.
2. Harsh chemicals.
Make sure the hair products you buy are not full of harsh chemicals. These days you can get natural and organic hair products that, though may be a bit more expensive, provide a much better alternative to chemical-ridden products. These chemical products may make your hair look and feel good but over time it destroys your hair.
Be especially careful about hair dyes, chemical relaxers, sulfates-containing products and alcohol-containing products. The extra investment you make on natural products with organic oils is well worth it.
3. Extensions and tight styles.
Styles that rely on tightly wrapping your hair is not good, especially for your hair ends. When stretched or wrapped too tight, hair tends to get weak and can break easily. Also it prevents hair from continuing with its normal growth.
On the other hand, braids and other protective styles actually encourage hair to grow faster by protecting your ends from splitting which means less hair has to be trimmed.
4. Too much stress.
Too much stress has been scientifically proven to be behind hair loss problems such as Telogen effluvium where hair essentially stops growing and begins to fall out and Alopecia areata where hair follicles are attacked by the body’s immune system.
Other Information.
Determine your hair type.
To achieve the best results it is important to know your hair type. This will help you in choosing the right products and giving the best care to your hair. There are three general types of African American hair.
- Kinky hair – this is the hardest hair type to maintain. The reason for this is that it is weak due to fewer cuticle layers available to protect the hair. Being very fragile, it requires careful handling to prevent breakage or any other kind of damage. Kinky hair tends to have very tight curls and exhibits a lot of shrinkage after a wash.
- Curly hair – the curls are looser than in kinky hair and tend to be springy. It is soft and fine making it one of the easiest hair types to style.
- Wavy hair – has large curls in waveforms. It tends to be a bit heavy, staying close to the head unlike kinky and curly hair. It falls between kinky and curly hair when it comes to difficulty in styling. Generally easy to maintain.
Note that this is a general classification. Under each type there are several sub types indicating the wide variations that occur in African American hair.
If you read everything laid out in this guide you’ll have learned how to grow black hair faster and how to grow African American hair faster. You’ll surely see a boost in your African american hair growth and black hair growth but you must be dedicated and consistently stay on top of your hair care to have the best hair possible.
Read our articles on best hair growth products, best heat protectant for natural hair, best oils for natural hair growth, how to straighten natural hair, best clarifying shampoo for natural hair, and best shampoo for natural hair
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43 comments
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
It’s always interesting to read through articles from other authors and practice something from their websites.
Thanks, im glad you learned something new. 🙂
I would like advice for my biracial daughter, her hair doesnt grown and its about shoulder length. Loved this article!!
Thanks !!
Try some of the things listed above and her hair will be growing in no time.
My hair is short and thick in the front , and my hair has dropped out in the back . I wash my hair with Doo-Gro products and I use ARGAN Moroccan hair oil once a week (usually after I wash my hair) I also take 2 gummi chewables daily which contain biotin and my hair is still falling out it balls up and I have to cut it. What other product can I use to grow my hair . I also have the pills Hair infinity but I have not used it. I massage my scalp daily with my hands . Please Help
Thank You
Lucretia
You might want to pay a visit to your doctor to rule out either Iron Deficiency anemia or any thyroid issues. Both can cause hair loss
Can you create a simple PDF file for these studies cause i really need to grow my hair a bit longer.
I would like to get these products because it look like it’s really healthy for your hair an It will take it to the next step.
Go ahead and pick up a few products, everything listed here will help you hair grow.
Where did you get all of your products from?
I get all my products from Amazon.com
I WILL. THX 4 ADVICE.
Try using Argon Oil products. After washing your hair, add the Argon oil conditioner, the use the coconut oil for all types of uses. The coconut oil is making my hair grow so much. You don’t need a lot, just apply at lease twice per week. Also, I use to take the Biotin pills, which is truly great for your hair and nails. You will not see instant results, so do it and look for results 6 months down the road.
Thank you so much I am getting some of these products now! I have been trying to grow my hair but it’s still on the same length a year later…
This is a great article I have been doing these steps for a few months prior to reading this article I can see healthier stronger hair and shiny the pure poo really helps I also use egg as a pre poo let sit in hot water for a few mins before putting in hair as it will be cold from fridge put in hair along with coconut oil massage all over scalp sit for 30 mins then shampoo out I also use baking soda and vinegar to naturally shampoo my hair and follow the above hair regimens good luck with beautiful hair growth
Are these products also found in tanzania?
Im not sure, check Amazons hair care section.
thx 4 info. I could use those methods to grow my hair into a DON CORNELIUS AFRO.
I’m a 16 year old girl, and I’ve recently decided to get serious about managing my 3c hair type. My over-all goal is to be able to grow it out more and to reverse the damage of my ends from me just pulling it back all the time for years. This article is so very helpful. Thank you for not only the wonderful advice, but for also linking the products so I’m able to check them out.
Thanks, I enjoyed all the information… always good when learning something knew.
Hi Star
Thanks so much. This is one of the best comprehensive Guide on how to grow Natural Hair.
Ladies don’t forget to drink plenty of water, drink milk make sure your vitamin d level is up. No sodas, no junk foods, eat fruits, vegetables like tuna fish, sardines, salmon, chicken breast, cheese sticks, boiled eggs, cabbage, collard greens, spinach, Use coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, keep your hair moisturized. Take multi vitamin make sure your iron is not low. Taking biotin also helps, wear a hair bonet at night, use a good brush not one that’s going to snag your hair, stay away from things that’s going to stress you, exercise daily, don’t use rubber bands it’s snag the hair, massage your scalp with your fingers, stay away from heat,
Good Luck to everyone!
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily
basis. It’s always useful to read through content from other authors and use a little something from other web sites.
My hair is painful, hard to maintain, and may or may not be growing. My hair is an important beauty in my life and is really hard to trust certain products and hair practices. My family have a completely different approach which always ends up in a headache. We don’t wash our hair that often, use a hot metal wide tooth comb to flat iron our hair instead of irons, and use the African threading system to stretch my kinky hair. Sometimes I’m tired of seeing the same expected outcome.How should I start introducing good hair habits into my life so it may grow healthily.
How often to moisterize/oil your hair? And what’s the process for doing so?
So how do you do the deep condition if you’re not doing it right after a hair wash? I have fine 4c hair so I have to wash twice a week due to build-up. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Itlaborious to find educated folks on this subject, however you sound like you understand what you’re speaking about! Thanks
I keep everything that you gave me so learning something new thank you
Really enjoy your post. Any recommendations for those of use that workout daily? I’m torn between the struggle of wanting to workout but not cause additional damage to my hair by washing daily.
I am in serious need of help to getting my daughter hair to grow… it barely sits on her shoulders and is very frail and thin… I’ve tried hundreds of dollars worth of products and still nothing.. it doesn’t matter how much I moisturize it stays dry and brittle.. and i just cant get it to grow… can someone help me….downsmom23@gmail.com !!!! tia
Thank you for this very informative post. I learned useful information about African American hair management and growth tips. I look forward to using these tips on my 6 yr old daughter!
God Bless
Since we usually braid our hair and need to wash it once a week what kind of hairstyles would be best? My hair is really short so I can’t easily style it.
Hey there,
Thanks for your great post. Thoroughly I have enjoyed it. You have blessed with gravy writing and it holds me to the end. By the way, it seems like all the products here for curl hair only? I have silky long hair and do you mind to suggest me something good for my hair fall problem too? Good luck for your next article and loved the blog!
Thanks So Much I Found Your Tips To Be Very Helpful.
The best hair advice ever.,Much love..
Hi star I recently just started watching you your amazing, but I’m 21 and I just started getting my hair to grow I would get sew-ins braids everything and my hair was doing amazingly well but now it’s starting to fall out real bad only in the middle of my head how can I get it to stop falling out without having to cut all my hair an starting over for the 1000 time
Folexin has worked for me and others. See if it works for you.
This is a great article. I am coming up on 26 weeks since my last relaxer. My hair is graying and most of the relaxer has grown out. My roots are thick but now I want to re-learn my hair and how to retain the length when it grows. I have decided to stop coloring it, stop getting relaxers, and no more weaves and embrace my gray hair at 51. I cannot use products with Keratin….my hair breaks off every time. I cannot use a lot of sulfate free shampoos and conditioners because — again — my hair will break off. I spent a lot of money on products trying to find what combinations worked and after months of trying and struggling, I finally found the right combination.
What has worked is Dove’s Intensive Repair shampoo and conditioner mixed with Shimmer Light shampoo and conditioner for gray/silver and blonde hair. In the conditioner I also add in some Jamaican Castor Oil — but not much — and the Shea Moisture repair conditioner. So far the part that has broken off has grown back to be more the half the length it was and in about a month and a half. I use Redken Mega Soft Hydramelt for my daily hair care. I used Cantu’s leave in conditioner when I am wearing a ponytail. I’ve added collagen to my daily supplements and I eat a lot of natural vegetables.
Do you have any other advice that would be helpful to the growth of my hair?
I’m a Jamaican girl trying to grow back my hair for several years and no result….god blessed me with a little length but it’s not shoulder length tho…only way to style my hair is by blow drying it cause if its air dried i’m screwed…my problem is that you said no blow dryers and ion like having my hair loose or corn rowed so imma take my risk use your products while blow drying my hair on the coolest level and wait for results
I did agree. It’s depends on a person hair type. If a woman is 4c natural hair can look full ,’and be fine at the same time . And some time really Soft to the touch and dry looking at the same time . Now this person can put shampoo on her hair at all . It’s dont work . And you have some who have the same type off 4c natural hair . But it’s dry to touch look hydrated but it’s not . And I know what happens when you used Shampoo on that type of hair . So I just disagree a lot and some of it’s okay .
can this work for males too
Yes it can!
The front & sides of my hair is chin to shoulder length but the back is at my neck it’s a small part in back middle that’s really short. I cornrow & braid my hair to not manipulate it also I use raw African shea butter to oil my hair