Dose of Prose
Some women are very particular about getting their nails done, others care more about their hair. I am the latter. There’s nothing like walking out of a salon with a fresh, new hairdo. If you’re reading this post during COVID-19, I’m sure you’re experiencing the same sadness (as I am) that salons are closed…but one part of quarantine that I’ve been enjoying is being my own stylist and playing around with different hairstyles and hair products. Although I am someone who is very specific in the way that I wear and style my hair, it’s nice to switch it up sometimes.
Fun fact: I used to be a product tester for Gabrielle Union’s haircare line! So it’s safe to say that this is not my first rodeo when it comes to the world of hair care. If you haven’t seen it already, check out my review for her line, Flawless, here.
I may not be a beauty guru nor hair connoisseur, but I have always had what most people consider to be long and healthy hair. I’m a big believer in the sharing is caring mindset, so, I decided to dedicate today’s post to some of the methods and mindsets that I feel give me healthy, long and strong hair. Although some of these tips and tricks may seem obvious, think of this post as a friendly reminder and reference for you to keep in your back pocket the next time you do your hair.
Disclaimer: This blog post is part of a brand collaboration with Edge Naturale. The product mentioned in this post was gifted to me. All opinions are my own.
How to Grow your Hair
1. Utilize growth enhancing products.
I’m sure you’ve seen your favorite celebrities and influencers advocate for certain hair growth gummies/vitamins on their social channels. I haven’t tried those products so unfortunately I can’t speak to how reputable they are. However, I have found that in general, when I use hair products (shampoo, conditioner, hair masks, oils, etc.) that are specifically formulated to promote moisture or repair damage, they work. Simply stated, if you want longer hair, use products meant for hair growth! Easier said than done, since there are a ton of gimmicks out there, but with patience and perseverance on your side, I’m sure you’ll soon find what works for you.
I’m not going to leave you hanging high and dry though. Today, I want to let you in on a new product that you should put on your radar if you’re trying to grow some length. Introducing, Edge Naturale, a follicle enhancer for healthier, natural edges. Sounds cool, right? I thought so too, which is why I was so excited when this brand reached out to me to collaborate. Here’s my review of the product:
- Product used: Follicle Enhancer
- Size: 2 oz / 59 ml (1 month supply)
- Price: original $32.99 / sale $29.95
- Perks: healthy ingredients such as natural oils, peppermint and coconut milk
- full list of ingredients — Water, Carbomer, Stearic Acid, Petrolatum Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Mineral Oil, Peppermint Oil, Argan Oil, Avocado Oil, Niacin, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Milk Extract, Phenoxyethanol, and Ethylhexylglycerin
- Purpose: “Edge Naturale products were created to enhance follicle growth in difficult to grow areas of hair and to promote overall hair growth from the scalp. Our unique blend is formulated to revive thinning edges, bald spots, beards and even eyebrows. For best results, we recommend that you use our products consistently, two times daily. Most of our customers see significant re-growth in as little as two weeks.”
Although I personally do not have an underlying issue with thinning edges, just like wearing makeup, there’s nothing wrong with a little enhancement. I used this product for about two weeks and so did my mom, and overall, we both had a pleasant experience with it. First, I will say that this product smells amazing – immediately as you open the jar, your senses are hit with an invigorating and refreshing peppermint aroma. In addition to the smell, this product is super simple to use. All you do is clean the area of application with warm water, dispense a small amount of the product onto your hand and apply to your scalp or thinning area.
Okay, I’m sure you’re wondering, Kaamilah, did you notice a significant difference in your edges after 2 weeks? Honestly, no. I think it’s too soon to tell. Everybody’s hair is different and my results may not be the same as yours. But I did feel that the product made my hair more moisturized and the peppermint was definitely soothing to my scalp (which tends to be dry and itchy most of the time).
With my background in Finance, I would be remiss if I didn’t do a small cost-benefit analysis. It is without a doubt that this product is definitely a bang for your buck. When using this product, I noticed that a little goes a long way! You could definitely get more than one month use out of this product.
Just because I was gifted this product, doesn’t mean that I won’t be honest. I always keep it real on Style Prose and will continue to do so. With that being said, I also love supporting small businesses. Therefore, I encourage you to at least check out Edge Naturale and see for yourself the amazing results and positive reviews that others have said about this product. I’ve linked the website a couple times already, but if you’re sold and want to make a purchase, click here to buy it.
2. Protect your protective style.
I definitely consider myself to be a ‘lazy natural.’ Meaning, that I don’t have the time nor the patience to deal with my hair on my own. I prefer going to the salon and having a stylist do my hair and I absolutely love my sew-in extensions. Again, my hair is already thick and long, but for me, putting my hair up in a protective style and wearing extensions just fits in with my busy lifestyle. I’m very much ‘on-the-go’ and I like protective styles because they are manageable and overall they just make my life easier. If you want to know more about my hair journey and how I protect and maintain my hair during workouts, check out that blog post here.
Whether you’re wearing weave, wigs, braids, locs, twists, or something in between, you have to make sure you are protecting your protective style. I mentioned that I was a lazy natural, but that doesn’t mean that I’m lazy when it comes to taking care of my hair, whether it grew out of my head or not. What I’m trying to say is, you have to treat your protective styles with as much care as you would your hair in its natural state. Make sure you are actively keeping your hair clean and moisturized. This is why I’m able to have longevity in my protective styles (I usually wear my hair in a sew-in for 3 months) without any breakage or damage on my natural hair. I mean that is the whole point of protective styles right? To protect your actual hair? Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is, yes, wearing your hair in protective styles can help your hair to grow. However, if you don’t protect your protective style, you’re shooting your own self in the foot. You have to protect your protective style, in order to effectively yield hair growth.
3. Time your use of heat tools wisely.
I’m sure you’ve heard multiple times that putting heat on your hair is bad. Why? The answer is obvious. If your hair grows out of your head curly, and you put something hot on it continuously to alter/change the natural texture, then of course that’s not good for your natural hair. You’re trying to force one thing to do something else that it does not naturally do. But I think it would be unrealistic and downright hypocritical if I advised you in this blog post to stop using heat on your hair completely to grow your hair out, because that’s not something that I genuinely practice.
natural hair – heat styled with curls
The fact of the matter is, I do put heat on my hair. Not a lot, but I do. I’ve gotten my hair blown out, I’ve gotten silk presses…basically I straightened my hair with a heat tool from time to time. Again, just like the sew-in, I’m able to have longevity in my straight hair styles (I can make my straight hair last a month), because I limit and wisely time my usage of heat tools. For example, when I get a sew-in (which lasts me 3 months), I only put heat on my hair once a month (when I go to get the extensions washed/refreshed). I’m not constantly putting heat on my hair every time I go out somewhere. I use heatless hair styling methods. If I go get a blowout or my hair flat ironed (which lasts a month), I don’t use heat tools on it at all, other than maybe using a blow dryer to clean up any funny looking strands. I make sure that I’m only using ‘one pass,’ aka only passing the straightener/blowdryer along sections of my hair one time. Oh, and this might go without saying, but I always use heat protectant.
In the summertime, I give my hair a break completely and wear it in its natural state, no heat, no protective styles….just young, wild and free, haha. Anyway, I’m rambling, but I hope you all understand my point here. Use heat, or don’t use it, that’s your decision. But if you do use heat, use it wisely. Make your heat treated styles last, so that your hair can still grow, even if it’s not in its natural state.
4. Minimal manipulation – less is more.
I am definitely heavy handed when it comes to using products, whether it be in the shower when I’m washing my hair or out of the shower when styling it. However, I noticed that when I use to many different products at once, my hair gets overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do. As a result, it doesn’t do anything at all. I was stunting my own hair growth and didn’t even know it! So folks, don’t be like me. Less is more when it comes to your hair. If you’re always putting a variety of products on your hair, weighing it down, or constantly twisting/braiding your hair and not letting it grow and thrive naturally on its own, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Think of a plant. In order to see the fruit, you have to nurture the seed with just the right amount of water – not too much or too little. I’m not sure if this analogy is helping or making things more confusing, but in laymens terms, stop doing the most when it comes to your hair. [Siri, play Don’t Touch My Hair by Solange please.] Once you find the right products/routine, stick to that and leave everything else alone. I found this method to help my hair grow and I hope that it works for you, too.
5. Seek a professional.
I’m always learning something new when it comes to my hair and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. There’s tons of resources out there to help you on your hair journey, you just have to look in the right places. For the longest time, I had no idea why my scalp felt so dry. No matter how many oils, serums, conditioners and treatments I would put on my hair, I still had a flaky, itchy scalp. I spoke to a hair professional and she talked to me about the impact of high stress levels and hormone/PH imbalances on the hair and how they correlate to dry scalp. Your body speaks to you, my friends, all you have to do is listen. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gone to some bad hair stylists in my lifetime, but fortunately, the great hairstylists I’ve encountered have outweighed the sh*tty ones. If you have tried everything under the sun and your hair is still not growing, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Drop your holier-than-thou attitude and seek a professional. Trust me, your hair will thank you.
6. Lose it to keep it.
I had a hair highlight horror story in the past that unfortunately damaged my hair. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that I ended up cutting a few inches off my hair (not a big chop, but still a lot of hair in my eyes) a few years ago, which is something that I’ve never done before. I was someone who barely even wanted to get my hair trimmed because I was afraid of a stylist getting too scissor happy and me walking out the room with practically bald. Anyway, I had the mindset of health over length, so I cut my hair to get rid of the damage from my horribly-done highlights, started wearing sew-ins, got a periodic trim and when I did a length check, I realized that the hair I had cut off grew back in rapid fire speed.
A lot of people say, it’s just hair, it’ll grow back…but if you’re someone who is specifically trying to grow your hair, that statement can be a hard pill to swallow. But sometimes, you have to lose something to keep it. Especially if your hair is damaged. I’ve said this in previous blog posts, and I’ll say it in this one: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s imperative to get your ends trimmed to prevent split ends and keep your hair growing long and strong. It’s essential to cut off those dead ends if you have heat or color damage. Remember when I said less is more earlier? Same theory applies here. Cut a little to grow a lot. It makes all the difference!
At the end of the day, when it comes to hair, just like anything in this rollercoaster we call life, you have to be comfortable with trial and error. When you know better, you do better! Give yourself grace and find what feels good for you and your hair type/texture.
I hope these hair hacks were helpful! What are your current #hairgoals? Let’s discuss. Thinking of changing your hair color? Adding some extensions? Chopping it all off? Leave a comment and let me know!
Also, if you like these type of hair-related posts, show your support by sharing it with your family and friends. As I stated in the beginning of this post, I’ve been playing around with different products, which means that there are lots more hair care rants and reviews coming your way. Stay tuned.
-Kaamilah
