Why Does It Seem Like My Hair Isn't Growing?

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Have you been trying and trying to grow your hair and still are not seeing the results you want? Well, you are not alone. There are many women, with relaxed hair and natural hair, who try and try to grow their hair out and it seems like for whatever reason that it just isn't happening. For others, it seems like their hair will grow to a certain length and then stop. Today I'm going to help you push past that point so you can grow your hair longer.

Make sure you wrap your hair to help protect your ends

Believe it or not, our hair is constantly growing, despite the fact that it seems like it is not. As a matter of fact, your hair is growing right now as you read this. It does, however, grow at a very slow rate of only half of an inch per month on average. This means that it would take the average person an entire year to grow only six inches of hair. And, on top of that, you more than likely will not see all six of those inches if you get your trims regularly. I would say that on average, you can expect to see a maximum of four of those six inches. But don't let that discourage you! As long as you have a hair routine that consists of healthy hair habits, you will definitely see more length.

                           

The issue is not that your hair is not growing. The actual issue is that many women are not able to retain their length. Think of it like this, if someone is giving you $500 every month but you spend $499 of it each month, the problem is not that you are not getting any money. The problem is that you are spending it every single time you get it. The same concept applies when it comes to your hair. You are growing it, but for whatever reason you are having to trim more hair than you actually grew, so you are not seeing any length. Don't get me wrong, trims are very important. But if you take care of your ends, you will not have to get them as often and when you do, you won't have to trim very much.

As your hair grows it is imperative that you take care of it in order to retain all of the length you get. Anytime the hair gets damaged or the ends become split, that requires you to cut your hair. Simple things like wrapping your hair every night and getting trims on a regular basis will help you keep all the length you waited so long for. As you get into the habit of wrapping your hair every night and moisturizing and sealing your ends, they will not become split as often because you are protecting them. 

Here are some things you can do to protect your ends:

• Deep condition- Deep condition your hair at least 1-2 times per month and be sure that your ends get plenty of the deep conditioner on them. Many people focus on the roots of the hair when deep conditioning, but your ends need it the most. This will keep them moisturized and stop excessive breakage and shedding. Recommended Deep Conditioner: by L. Jones Intense Moisturizing Treatment
• Use leave-in conditioner- Leave-in conditioners are another way to add an extra layer of moisture to the hair, especially the ends. The by L. Jones Original Collection Leave-In Conditioner is a liquid leave-in instead of a cream, so you can use as much as needed and it will not weigh the hair down. 
• Moisturize- Throughout the week it is recommended to add just a little bit of moisturizer to your ends, especially if you tend to use heat and manipulate your hair often. The by L. Jones Satin Moisture Cream is hair lotion that instantly adds moisture to dry hair. It can be used right before wrapping and/or rolling the hair at night or you can use it in the mornings by just putting a small amount on your ends and styling as usual.
• Wrap- Wrapping your hair nightly is an excellent way to protect your ends. Rolling the hair at night is acceptable also. Be sure to use a satin bonnet, wrap cap, and/or scarf. You can also sleep on a satin pillowcase.
• Use heat correctly- Using heat correctly means using the right temperature and not using heat more than once per week. Having the temp up too high can dry the hair out and cause breakage and the ends will be the first to break since they are the oldest part of the hair and the most fragile. Use the by L. Jones Silky Serum for your heat protectant before using heat to protect the hair from any heat damage.
• Incorporate protective styles- Protective styles are a great way to prolong the ends from splitting. The trick is to get a fresh trim right before getting your protective style. That way, once you remove your protective style, your ends will still be healthy. Doing this will also help you retain more length.
• Leave your hair alone!- Constantly doing things like playing in your hair, and always manipulating it can cause breakage. Leave your hair alone and let it do it's thing, which is grow and be healthy!

                       

And never skip getting your trims, get them consistently. I recommend getting your trims every ten to twelve weeks. This means you would be getting a trim every two and a half to three months. If hair grows half an inch per month, most people would have about one to one and a half inches of new growth at that point. If you trim your ends right as they begin to split, you may only have to cut 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch meaning you would still have .75 to 1.25 inches of new growth. This equates to you still getting about 4-5 inches of new growth per year.  If you are not getting at least 3-4 inches of new growth every year, here are a few causes for this problem:

• Not wrapping every night- As I said before, wrapping is one of the most important things you can do to help your ends not split as often.  When you don't wrap your hair your ends begin to split faster due to the friction of your hair rubbing against the pillow night after night. Even if you are not necessarily sleeping but just lounging around make sure you wrap your hair to protect your ends (if you need a satin scarf, get one here). If for whatever reason wrapping your hair is not an option for you at least get a satin pillowcase (like these) and it will protect your hair more than a cotton pillowcase would. 
• Getting relaxers too soon- Getting your relaxer too soon (less than 16 weeks) does not help when you are trying to grow your hair. Stretching them out allows you to get and retain more length because you are maximizing the amount of new growth which helps to ensure that no overlapping will occur. Overlapping of relaxer causes your hair to grow slower than it normally would and can often cause damage that leads to you having to cut more of your hair than you prefer.
• Too much heat- Putting too much heat on your hair causes your hair to break, especially towards the ends.  I would suggest only putting heat on it once per week or less.

Having a consistent schedule of healthy hair habits will help you be able to retain more length and see your hair get longer.

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