Don’t get me wrong: work from home life has been great. Working in my pajamas or sweats, eating all day long, and best of all, no bra! Yes, I’ll throw one on for a Zoom meeting here or there along with a work-approved top, but the outfit isn’t the only thing that has to be camera-ready. Let’s be honest: if I’m not leaving the house, my bonnet usually doesn’t leave my head.
Sure, a lot of women just throw their hair up in a ponytail and keep it moving, but for Black women, it’s a whole process that requires proper planning. If my hair is natural, am I going to do a whole wash and go for a 30-minute meeting? Do I need to have my frontal baby hairs laid to the gods every day?
One of the most significant benefits of this quarantine is that my hair has grown so much due to the low-maintenance styles I’ve been rocking, and just because I have a Zoom meeting doesn’t mean I’m going to mess that up. Here’s how:
Let’s start with the obvious. The OG protective styles: braids, twists, faux locs, etc. The first few months of quarantine, I kept my hair in knotless box braids because with all the stress of dealing with a pandemic, the last thing I wanted to do was my hair. I loved the ease of being camera-ready in literal seconds with no daily styling needed.
Yes, wigs can be high maintenance, but hear me out. Make or buy a good quality human hair closure or frontal wig that will last. Style it and keep it on a wig head ready to go. Braid or flat twist your natural hair and rock that when bumming it on the couch. Zoom call in 5 minutes? No problem—grab that wig, slap it on, and boom, you’re ready to go.
Taking the time to do neat individual twists after washing your hair will pay off in the long run. Twists are no longer a style that is only meant to be taken out. From chunky twists to tiny twists, the style is super cute, protective, and lasts at least a week until wash day. Bonus: consider this a two-in-one style if you choose to wear it as a twist out near the end of the week.
Part down the middle for two twists pinned up or do a side part with a couple on each side. The options are endless when it comes to this easy hairstyle. I love that this style is easy and good for your hair while also looking somewhat elegant because it’s an updo. Pair with baby hairs, cute earrings, and Fenty Gloss Bomb lip gloss for the finishing touch.
I can’t make a list of easy hairstyles without including the classic go-to: The Puff. I usually like to do this style the day after a lazy wash day where all I did was let my curls air dry without any styling. If your curls are already defined, just grab a spray bottle along with your favorite gel and slick them up (or back, depending on your mood). Don’t forget to tie your edges with a scarf to really slay this look. *chef’s kiss*
StayUniquee. Merry Curly. Maryam Hampton. BeYoutifully Natural. Seun Okimi. Eugenia Kelcy. Natural Academia.Yinka Naturalista. Believe me, I could go on and on, but for the sake of time and space, those are 8 naturalists on YouTube who have some pretty long hair (most of ’em are Type 4 hair too). I thought that shouting them out would be a great way to intro this because, if one of your new year’s desires is to have the longest ponytail ever come Christmas time, those women can inspire you—right along with some tips that I’ve got down below.
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I won’t lie to y’all. Genetics play a valid role in how long our hair gets and how fast it gets there. Yet if you’re someone who thinks that you can’t get longer tresses than you’ve ever had because your hair simply doesn’t grow, that’s a bald-faced lie. It grows. Somewhere around a one-half inch and an inch a month, to be exact. You’ve just got to make sure that you do all that you can to retain your inches. That’s where these tips come in.
If your deepest desire is to keep as much new growth as possible, apply the following 10 suggestions and watch how close to your goal you get by around this time next year.
1. Take the “Less Is More” Approach
When I first began my length retention journey, I would spend hours a week on YouTube, listening to what different naturalists would put in their hair to get the inches that they had. I got so excited that I purchased 4-5 tubs of Blue Magic, right out the gate. Unfortunately, using it more than to seal my ends every once in a while ended up being way too heavy for my hair (although some folks have been thriving with it). Anyway, after spending more money than I ever thought I would on a bunch of other products that are still in both of my bathroom cabinets, the thought crossed my mind to simplify and see if that would be my best bet. It was. Hands down.
I’m not even going to get into the specific products that worked for me vs. the ones that didn’t because it doesn’t matter. All of us are unique, so it is different strokes for different folks. What I will say is clogging up your hair follicles and weighing down your strands with tons of stuff is gonna probably do more harm than good. So, get to know your hair type and texture, try a few things that are branded for those two things specifically and wait at least a month to see how it all turns out. In the long run, you’ll probably come to realize what I did—that less (product) is more when it comes to hair growth.
2. Boost Your Collagen Intake
If you want your hair to thrive, it needs protein. Something that a lot of people don’t realize is collagen is one of the most abundant forms of protein that there is. The reason why it’s so good for your tresses is that, for one thing, your hair is made up of mostly protein (keratin). Also, collagen provides your hair with the amino acids that are necessary to build protein. Also, collagen fights off free radicals at the root (your hair follicles) and, as a bonus, it can slow down hair thinning and greying as well. This is why it’s wise to eat foods that contain a good amount of collagen. Some of those include fish, chicken, berries, citrus fruits, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and bone broth. If you’d like, you can also take a collagen supplement.
3. Stay Hydrated
Our bodies are made up of more than 60 percent water, so of course, we need to consume a lot of it daily. Unfortunately, 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated which can lead to all sorts of health issues. If you’re wondering if you could be among that number, check out “10 Overlooked Signs That You’re Dehydrated“. As far as your hair goes, a sign that it could use some extra hydration from the inside out is if your strands feel dry and brittle, no matter what you do or if your scalp dry.
In the quest to have long hair, a lot of people overlook very simple steps. When it comes to making sure that your hair is moisturized, it’s not going to matter how many moisture-rich products you use if your system is begging for water on the inside. So, make sure that you get no less than eight glasses a day. Your hair will thank you with every sip.
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4. Take a Vitamin B12 Supplement
A vitamin deficiency that is pretty prevalent within the Black community isVitamin B12. What are some signs that you could be low in it? You’re irritable. You have low energy. Your vision is blurry. You have unexplainable shortness of breath. You’re constipated. You sense that your muscles are weak. Your tongue feels “slicker” than usual. There’s a random numbing or tingling feeling throughout your body. You’ve got memory loss. Your hair follicles are dormant.
Since Vitamin B12 is something that helps to keep your iron in good condition, when you don’t have enough of it in your system, it can weaken the blood supply to your hair follicles which can result in weak follicles, hair thinning and even hair loss. This is why it’s also a good idea to take a Vitamin B12 supplement and to also eat foods that are loaded with this particular nutrient. Some of those include fortified cereals, salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt and beef.
5. Wash Your Scalp More than Your Hair
A huge mistake that folks make when it comes to washing day is focusing a ton on their actual hair more than their scalp. The reason why this is a no-no is that your scalp is the foundation of your hair. If you don’t get all of the gunk and build-up off of it, ultimately, your hair isn’t going to thrive. Not only that but I once read an article that said, a part of the reason why it seems that white women have more success with length retention is they shampoo their hair more often which means their scalp gets massaged more in the process.
First up—white women’s hair doesn’t grow faster. Their hair is straighter (so it appears that way), it’s naturally oily (which makes it harder to break) and we experience more shrinkage (by a country mile). Second, I didn’t just say all of that so that you would up your wash day frequency (more than once a week can rob your hair of the little natural oil that it has). However, it is a good idea to detox your scalp once every 4-6 weeks. Massage your scalp at least once a week (all you need is to warm up a carrier oil like jojoba or avocado, put a few drops of lavender in it and then use your fingertips to rub your scalp for 5-10 minutes), and to put more emphasis on washing your scalp than your hair. The key is to get your scalp clean so that your follicles are healthy; your hair doesn’t need that “squeaky feeling”, tho. The cleanser that drips down from your scalp is more than enough.
6. Rinse Hair in Cool Water
It feels divine to let hot water run down your hair and scalp, but it’s not the best thing for your hair’s progress. It’s because hot (or even super warm) water can end up drying out your hair and causing frizz. So, how can you avoid all of this? By actually rinsing your hair in cool water after your deep condition it (because you do that every wash day so that it’s extra moisturized, right?). Cool water is what will help to seal your hair’s cuticles while closing the pores on your scalp too.
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7. Dust More than Trim
Is there anything more annoying thanuneven hair growth? When you want to get your hair down your back, probably not. The thing is, having one side of your hair that is thicker and grows faster is pretty normal, for two reasons. One reason is that the left vs. the right side of our bodies is not identical. This is why one of your feet or breasts may be bigger than the other. The other reason is that we tend to give one side of our hair more stress than the other when it comes to things like constantly sleeping on one side, parting our hair on one side—stuff like that.
While you would think that the remedy may be to constantly cut the “thriving side” so that it will catch up with the “weaker” one, that is actually gonna be more counterproductive than not. Your best bet would be to focus on dusting (lightly trimming) your ends (you can watch videos on how to do that here, here and here) and then keeping your hair in a protective style so that you don’t even have to think about it. Then, once the weaker side has made some real progress, you can get a trim to even things out. Make sense?
8. Remember That Protein Is Essential
Again, your hair is made up of protein, so it needs a lot of it to remain healthy and strong. Aside from what I already shared about getting more collagen into your system, something else that you should do is eat other foods that are high in protein. Meat is an automatic protein booster. If meat’s not your thing, check out “Vegetarian Or Vegan? Check Out These High Protein Foods.” for a list of other options.
Speaking of protein, it’s also really important that you give yourself a protein treatment, about every six weeks. It’s what will help to improve your hair’s elasticity so that it can endure more of the styling and manipulation that you do. A lot of people notice more breakage than they should because they miss this small-yet-impactful step. I hit on this specifically in “10 Things Your Natural Hair Needs In The Winter“.
9. Leave Permanent Dye Alone
There used to be a time when you couldn’t guess what color my hair was going to be on a pretty much weekly basis. Now that I know how detrimental hair dye and chemical relaxers are, especially to our health (“our” meaning Black women), I tend to use hair wax or a semi-permanent alternative (henna is a pretty good one too). Besides, if you are serious about gaining ½-1″ of growth each month, permanent hair color is gonna be your ultimate nemesis. The main reason why is because the ammonia in hair dye strips your tresses of their natural pigment (to deposit the color) which can make your hair brittle as all get out. And if your hair keeps breaking off, you’ll never reach your hair goals.
I know for some of you, it sucks to even think about going without dye. But sometimes we’ve gotta make sacrifices for the greater goal. Bottom line, color, or inches? In 2021, which one is it gonna be?
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10. Use Saw Palmetto Oil
If there’s a new oil that you’d like to try on your hair, my vote is sawed palmetto. It has a great reputation for preventing and even restoring hair loss because it blocks an androgen known as DHT from developing in our bodies. Why does that matter? Because DHT plays a direct role in hair loss. Saw palmetto also has a pretty good reputation for increasing hair density too. Not only that but it’s an oil that can decrease inflammation, treat urinary tract infections, and can regulate your man’s testosterone levels too. For internal health benefits, it’s probably best to consume it as a supplement (like maybe aliquid extract) or intea form. If you want it to be the main oil that you use for those scalp massages that we already talked about, a cool place to purchase some is righthere.
11. Apply Extreme TLC to Your Ends
One more time for those in the back. Again, a myth that you need to make sure to debunk for the rest of your life is your hair doesn’t grow. That is a damn lie. If you are living, your hair is growing. The reason why a lot of us don’t see proof of this is that our ends break off as fast as our roots grow. The way to prevent this from (further) happening to you is to treat the ends of your hair like you would a newborn baby in the sense that you choose to treat them oh so very gently. Seal them on wash day. Try and keep your hair in a protective style (even if that’s a wig) most days of the week. Wrap your hair up in a silk or satin scarf (or bonnet) at night (friction is your hair’s enemy too). Let straggly ends go. When your hair is out, keep your hands out of it. Simple things like this will keep your ends about as fresh as your roots.
12. Stick with What Works
Out of all of what I said, the main thing to remember when it comes to achieving hair growth is you’ve got to be as patient with the process as possible. The reality is, growing out your hair is a lot like baking some cookies—if you keep watching the oven or your roots, it’s going to seem like nothing is happening. However, if you cultivate a routine, stick with it and try and leave your hair alone as much as possible ( that doesn’t mean to stop moisturizing and washing your hair), by June you could have 4-6 inches, and by December…at least double that!
Alright. Let me get off of here and nurture these braids I’ve got so that I can walk the talk, chile. Let’s all check back in around the holidays to see how things have been going. Can’t wait to see you flipping your hair back. Whew, girl. #wink
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As a beauty editor, I spend a lot of time telling you about the stuff you need. You know, the game-changing lotions and potions that will smooth your skin, give you shiny hair, make your hands hella soft, and a whole host of other beauty wish list items. But today, I’m coming at you with a cold, hard fact you might not be ready to hear. Here’s the truth: Mediocrity abounds in the beauty industry. That’s right. So much of the stuff out there marketed as miracle workers don’t do much at all.
As you can imagine, I get an up-close, firsthand look at the ploys and truth-stretching that takes place, but as a consumer, I’m sure you’ve also had your suspicions. If I’m being totally honest, there are too many products that fall short of their trumped-up claims to even count. I suppose that’s not the most terrible thing—it offers choices and opportunities to indulge in the extras in the name of self-care—but if you’re anything like me, pointless products take up valuable vanity real estate I’d much rather reserve for products that will help me look and feel my best.
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Of course, it’s true that carrying out prolonged skin, hair, and makeup regimens can be super relaxing and, on the whole, can make us look and feel fab, even if only temporarily. I’m not disputing that at all. But when it comes down to it, there are some beauty products that, on their own, are just mediocre. I sure hope this is a safe space because I’m about to put it all on the line to share five beauty products you can absolutely skip and still be a Megan Thee Stallion-level hot girl. (Okay, maybe not Megan level—she’s in a league of her own.) Without further ado, scroll on for the five mediocre beauty products you can skip and five great ones to hold onto.
Let’s face it: Essence is extra. The charged liquids are heavily featured in K-beauty skincare lines and are said to hydrate and rebalance the skin and essentially prime it for moisturizer. But if your routine is already stacked with serums and moisturizers that leave your skin feeling adequately hydrated, this is a step you can skip without consequence. If you’re looking for a liquid to swipe over your face that will actually make a discernable difference, reach for a good chemical exfoliator to boost your glow by keeping dead skin cells at bay. Makeup artists swear by prepping the skin with gentle versions of these liquids for the most flawless application.
I’m all about saving time and shower space, but not at the expense of my hair. That’s why I’ve taken a pretty firm stance against products that combine shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle. I’ve been known to carry out the occasional conditioner-only rinse—known in the curly hair community as a co-wash—to keep my hair from drying out, but beyond that, shampooing and conditioning my hair happens in two very separate steps. I’m sure two-in-one hair cleansers can get the job done when you’re in a pinch, but the product buildup situation just isn’t worth it in my opinion. I even learned from a dermatologist recently that decoupling shampoo and conditioner is essential for combatting some inflammatory scalp issues. Hydrating shampoos like this famous Davines one help to infuse nutrients into the hair without weighing it down as certain shampoo and conditioner hybrids can.
My love of sheet masks is well documented, which is why it truly pains me to acknowledge their endless online scrutiny. (Skincare Twitter is a brutal place!) In all honesty, the thing I love most about these cloth or hydrogel face coverings is that you can’t really walk around while you wear them, so in essence, they force you to sit still and fully indulge in the act of boosting your skin’s hydration. While I’ve seen the plumping effect of these masks firsthand, I’m woman enough to admit that dropping them from my routine wouldn’t be detrimental to my skin in the slightest. Reaching for my favorite serums with hydrating, plumping, brightening, and tightening ingredients (the same stuff these masks are soaked in) is totally sufficient. And between us, I’m keeping my sheet masks on hand for those days I just need a little luxuriating.
Yes, feet have entered the chat. This topic isn’t at all glamorous, but footcare is important, too! The only thing worse than dry, cracked heels is investing in a special cream that doesn’t work any better than the thick body butter you already use on your other body parts. As with any skincare woe, smothering creams or oils over dead skin is pointless, so keeping the thick skin on our feet exfoliated is a good start for making sure any product is able to do more than just sit on the surface. Real ones know about the disgusting satisfaction of the Baby Foot Exfoliation Foot Peel ($25), but of course, if you’re experiencing foot dryness that’s severe or concerning, be sure to check in with a trusted healthcare professional.
Shaving cream does its job just fine, but it’s just not the only product that adequately softens and conditions hair ahead of shaving. Hair conditioner, a product most people already have readily available in their showers, also gets the job done. The day I learned conditioner was the perfect substitute for the thick, mousse-like cream I’d been beholden to since the day my mom armed me with my first razor, I stopped buying shaving cream and haven’t looked back. (This happened by accident, by the way.) I like to use Nair Hair Removal Aloe Lotion ($5), it is more gentle than using a razor which causes irritation to skin. But, if I’m ever out of that, I reach for conditioner without a second thought. This hack has come in especially handy for those conditioners I’ve purchased only to discover they don’t agree with my hair. Rather than tossing them in the trash, I instead repurpose them for shaving.
As Black women, we take our crowns seriously, no matter the style of the crown. Our natural hair is a means of showcasing the beauty of our roots. Whether you’re a 3A, 2B or 4C, your curls matter.
Being a naturalista is no easy feat. You have to be up to the minute on all of the latest natural hair products to ensure you’re giving your curls the love they deserve. Our curls comes in all different shapes, sizes and textures so we have to meet them where they are but not leave them there. With humidity comingfor all the hard work we put into maintaining the perfect curl and avoiding frizz, we gotta stay ready so we don’t have to get ready.
Keep reading for some natural hair products that will have your curls screaming, “Yasssss!”
*This list is specially curated by the BeautyLeeBar team and some links are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an affiliate link, BeautyLeeBar might earn a small commission.
Did you know that oat milk is great for soothing your scalp? Because it is rich in protein and lipids, it adds a smoothness and shine that your curls will thank you for. Depending on your scent preference, you may love or hate the fragrance but we guarantee you’ll love how your hair feels after a good shampoo. $7 Buy Now
Celebrated as the leave-in to believe in, this Oyin product will kick dryness in the ass. The castor oil and squalane provide hydration and moisture for your coils and kinks. $20 Buy Now
SheaMoisture is an illustrious collection of products perfect for repairing damaged hair. If you’ve been using heat and/or coloring your hair more than you should, this Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque will reduce shedding and allow your hair to grow free of harsh chemicals. $12 Buy Now
DevaCurl created a treatment ideal for defining your curls while also improving elasticity. Try using this product once a week to power-pack your curls with the strength it needs for any style. Word on the street is that this DevaCurl option is a great option for transitioning curls. $51.20 Buy Now
Your coils need a brush that is gentle and efficient. The Tangle Buster has your back from its flexible paddle to the easy glide bristles. Whether using it on wet or dry hair, you can flawlessly detangle your hair in one hour, giving you more time to style your hair. $10.96 BuyNow
With a name like Fluff-a-licious, how can you go wrong? A little goes a long way as you style your bantu knots or twist out. You can depend on this product to keep your hair supple for days on end. Not to mention, the wheat germ oil and blue malva herb gives thick curly strands maximum nourishment. $16 Buy Now
Sometimes our curls need a little help – think of this curl defining cream as the curl support system. It lacks grease, is full of fatty acids and reduces split ends. When lathering the cream, you are sure to notice an instant softness. $21Buy Now
Everyone hates frizz so, when we find a product that tames frizz, we are sold. Between the flaxseed and rice oil, you’ll want to treat this product like your favorite album that you can play and walk away. It will strengthen your hair from the follicle to the ends. $29Buy Now
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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR GO-TO NATURAL HAIR PRODUCT(S) THAT TREAT THE CURLS, GIRLS?
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