Hair Growth: Not just a "mixed" girl thing! - April 2, 2013

I'm warning you readers in advance that I go on a total rampage here! Thanks for reading :)

Everyone's been commenting on how fast my hair has grown since I cut it in January so I'll give u my "secret". I HAVE NO SECRET!!! Was that a waste of your time?! Honestly, I love breaking stereotypes especially ones that make no logical sense.
Everyone's hair grows unless you're experiencing hair loss from age, damage or a severe breakage condition. Everyone's hair grows anywhere between half an inch and one and a half inches every month. The amount it grows varies depending on YOUR individual hair, your genes and how you take care of it!

The reason why people assume that all black girls' hair doesn't grow is because a lot of black girls have really short or really damaged hair and wear weaves and extensions to cover it but it's not because it's not physically growing, it's just not getting the chance to grow HEALTHY. Hair, no matter the texture, won't grow healthy if it's constantly styled with heat, roughly combed, braided too tight, not washed properly, not moisturized...the list goes on. And I guarantee that these girls are doing some or all of these things to their hair that is stunting the growth. This is not to say that a girl from another race wouldn't experience the same damage and stunt in hair growth because she would! What do you think split ends are from? Damage! Constant heat! Not trimming! Also, how/why do you black MALES are able to grow huge Afros, have long braids or why their fresh haircuts never last long? Because their hair grows because they take care of it!

I also want to bring light to a stereotype that so-called "mixed" girls always have nice, curly, frizz-free, LONG hair just because they have white, Asian, Indian or all three in them. This is not accurate. I've seen many "mixed" girls (white and black, Asian and black, black and Indian, black and Spanish, etc) with either very short, visibly damaged hair or both. Proof that the HEALTH of your hair has nothing to do with your race. It is true, however, that your race and ancestry can impact the texture (straight, wavy, curly, kinky or a mixture of these) of your hair. For example, my family has Portuguese and Native Indian in us. We can definitely say that my grandmother, my mother and my little cousins' hair have more of a silkier, Indian texture than a kinky-curly texture and that my hair, though it can look kinky-curly at times, is actually described as "coolie" or Indian textured hair because my curls are very defined. But again, we're describing the impact race has on my TEXTURE not the health of my hair.

Back to the average growth rate per month, this depends on GENES not RACE. Some people naturally have hair that grows faster than others because of their genes. Not everyone's hair grows FAST but everyone's hair grows!!! I now know that my hair grows about 1 inch every month, so since I cut it in January, my hair has grown 3 inches (I started off with about 1 inch). This is simply the growth rate of MY hair and shouldn't be compared to anyone else's hair or used to categorize me as "mixed" or stereotype other "mixed" girls, seeing as scientifically, everyone is "mixed" with something.

Long story short, your hair will grow if you take care of it and the best way to do so is to embrace its natural texture or at least properly prepare it for when you're going to alter the texture (like applying a heat guard creme before you straighten or curl it with an iron, etc). The main and most important reasons as to why my hair is growing is because I have taken the utmost pride and joy in treating my hair with respect by embracing its natural texture (kinky-curly). It didn't happen overnight and it wasn't easy but I've settled into a flexible yet stable routine that works for ME and only ME. After 7 months of transitioning (aka leaving the flat iron and chemicals behind), I found the right products (super rich moisturizing shampoos, conditioners and cremes because my thick hair likes/needs that), the right routine (washing or co-washing my hair once a week) and listening to my hair (knowing when to let it do its thing). I go for a trim every 3-4 months (if you don't damage your ends, you won't need to trim as often). I apply a rich creme or oil all over my hair and massage my head every few days. I also always sleep with a silk hair wrap every night to avoid breakage and dryness.

But if you look at the skeleton of my hair care regime, you'll find that I simply:
•use the right products
•wash and condition my hair often
•trim when necessary
•give it moisture and protein (from washing, conditioning and appropriate styling products)
•protect it from harsh elements

These HAVE to be the most basic steps in taking care for your hair and everyone should be following these steps anyway!!! In that, I can compare our hair to a plant or even a human! Just like plants and humans, our hair needs water, protein (from products), limited heat (deep conditioning/hot oil treatments), protection, love, care and patience!!! Wow, we just found the solution to the most puzzling puzzle of all eh?!

So, in closing, no my hair doesn't grow/grow fast simply because I'm assumed to be so-called "mixed" with white, asian or Indian and no it doesn't grow simply because I'm "light skin". It grows because my hair has a 1 inch per month growth rate, I've embraced my natural hair texture and I follow a simple regime that provides my hair with what it needs to be simply healthy.