12 Months Natural Hair Growth Comparison Mini Braids Challenge

In today's video I talk about my natural hair journey. I talk about wearing mini braids for a whole year and the transformation and growth in my natural hair. I also talk you through some poor results of you all the problems that you've been having with your hair, giving you tips on how to grow your natural hair, long, healthy and strong like a year ago. I literally cannot believe that this is my hair. It looks thin, it looks dry, it looks uneven. It really doesn't look like my hair, even as I pulled the hair at the end there you can see knots, and so it was full of issues. When I look at this video, I'm so happy that I happen to film this video, although I wasn't feeling my hair at all, and so this video is a reminder that this is your natural hair Journey. There will be ups and there will be downs and I'm here to give you tips along the way as someone who's been growing, their hair out since 2007 and big chop 2009. I do have a lot of information that I've gained over that period of time, and let you know that even when you mess up even when you do something bad to your hair, that you're able to regrow and get it back to a place of Health. This is my hair. Today, I've recently taken down mini braids and I'm showing you my hair. It looks fuller, it looks healthier, my hair looks beautiful, looks natural, thick and gorgeous, and so by learning a lot of stuff over the last year. On my resume, a lot of things that I thought I was doing right, relearning my natural hair, I'm able to see a big difference, and so I've done a side by side there for you to see the difference in my hair. I have plenty of videos on my channel. In fact, I've got a playlist on my natural hair Journey, so do go ahead and check it out. So you can see how far my hair is progressing. It'S still growing and mini braids has played a big part in that, and you know learning tips and techniques, so I have to handle. My hair was also played into that and I'm growing my hair out now to Beautiful Lengths and I'm here to encourage you to do the same I'll, be here to help you give you tips on how to grow your natural hair. Long Chef is a community, and I love to hear from you. I recently put out this poll asking you: what issues are you currently facing with your natural hair? So I'm going to be talking through these with you one by one. Once again, as you watch my natural 4C hair Journey here, side by side, video evidence before and after do go ahead, hit the Subscribe button and also check out the playlist showing you week. One week, two up to week, 20 of my mini braids, I've reinstalled them. The main thing for me is length retention. Your hair will grow, but it's about the amount of hair that we can retain. So, according to the poll, I've just shown you the number one issue that a lot of you seem to be facing is dryness or moisture issues with your hair. My very first tip is that water is the main moisturizer that you will use on your hair. One of the great things about wearing mini braids for the last year is I'm able to wet my hair with water, not being worried about frizz or having to you, know re-stretch my hair, but you really do need to try to get water inside so internally. Try to drink a lot more water and externally try to use a lot more water on your hair, also water down your products, products and use a lot more water-based products on your hair. Your hair literally just needs water and the main form of water. Moisture is water, so do get plenty of water in your regimen. I'Ve been using things such as flaxseed in my regimen as well, and it's very moisturizing. It almost reminds me of Glycerin. Glycerin is also a good thing to use to get moisture in your hair. I use escal, as my main living I've, been saying this on this channel. I'Ve recommended it to friends and family. It'S a great moisturizer, but the main thing also about getting moisture in your hair is sealing the moisture in I seal my moisture in with castor oil with Vaseline. Anything that trap keeps that hair moisturized the most is trying to always Escape if we're outside and it's hot it's trying to get dry. So you want to have something: that's going to coat the hair and stop the moisture from escaping from your hair. I'Ve also used Kinky Curly, not today, and that was a really good moisturizer. So two moisturizers, I recommend um Esco and Kinky Curly. Not today, I will say your main moisturizer is water, though, and if you can use a Vader, try flax seed, make your own flaxseed gel and also seal that in with something such as Vaseline. The next issue that quite a lot of you was facing is scalp issues. Now I've got scalp issues at the moment. I'Ve got a video on how I deal with my psoriasis dermatitis, dandruff, Etc. So do check that out I'll try to link it in this video. It'S quite a detailed video, but if you do have underlying conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, it's a whole different board game about how you deal with the flare-ups ETC. If you have having dry scalp after never having dressed up before, you might want to investigate the reasons, why are you anemic? Do you need to do a blood test to run some blood to see if it's something internally, because sometimes our skin is trying to tell us something about our health? So the very first thing is to determine if it's a long-term condition such as eczema or psoriasis, which will need to be maintained and managed separately. Now I've been using Virgin Hair Fertilizer on my hair. It'S got sulfur in there and I also use sulfur rates. Those two products help to manage my long-term condition, which is dandruff and psoriasis, and so I'm able to cope with that because I know I've always had it if you've never had it and your hair is now dry. I would look into the reason. I'Ve also discovered recently that I'm anemic and so I'm seeing even much more flare-up, I've been having to wash my hair. The main thing is to wash that dandruff of your scalp try not to keep on coating coating things on there, but wash your hair first and then add the medication, because the sulfur 80 sulfurate um, grease hair grease is a medication. But you don't want to keep piling that on top of the dandruff, you want to wash your hair and then apply it on there. So briefly, back to the video and my natural hair Journey, you can see, even as I pull the length of hair at the front of my, my hair is really really growing. This hair, I'm sharing with you on simply Chef, really simple ways of growing your natural hair out, going back to mini twists and mini braids, getting away from extension and going back to simple natural hair care and you're able to get good results just follow along the Tips and tricks on this channel don't forget to subscribe and also hit. The notification Bell also give this video a like and comment down below. If you have any questions I'll be very pleased to do a video on it. The next one, that's scored quite highly on the list, was seeing hair growth um, and I like the way that's put because um seeing length on your hair is about length retention. Your hair is going to grow and most of us have at least half an inch of hair every month, so what's happening, you're, not really seeing the retention of that land that you are growing now, I'm wearing mini braids on my natural hair as a way of Retaining all of the length most of the length of hair that I'm growing, you will need to find a way of harvesting all of the hair that you're growing in order to see a difference in your length. If you are currently using any protective style in air quote that damages your hair after a while, you will find that the hair that you've grown out you will need to cut off, and in that way you are not retaining length. I will crochet braids for a whole year. I got so much growth and I had to cut it off. You saw me cutting my hair away in my mini twist watch my mini twist playlist. You will see in the very first video I had to just start cutting my hair. My hair was quite long, but it looked very, very stringy, a problem with using um a lot of synthetic hair to grow your hair. Your hair is often neglected underneath that synthetic hair and your scalp and all of that you're not really treating your hair you're, treating the synthetic hair, and I found that by doing that for myself I got a lot of growth and I had to get rid of The length so you want to find a natural protective style such as mini braids, such as mini twists. That will allow you to keep that good hair. Now my hair has been infused with the radar. It'S got henna in there, which is really making my hair a lot stronger and able to retain the length so there's plenty of things that you can Infuse into your own natural hair to keep it on for longer. Remember our hair is quite kinky and each point is just looking to braid. So anything you can do to really help the bones to bond together such as henna. That will help you with length retention. You want to make sure your hair is moisturized and seal, because if it's breaking, it's also not going to be retaining much length. Remember, hair growth is about length retention. Your hair is growing but try to find a way of keeping the length that you've grown on your head. For me, mini braids is number one. I can see the hair growing from my scalp, which is really motivating and by keeping my hearing for an extended period of time, long-term protective styling in my own natural hair, I'm able to see maximum limb look at the difference you can see in the video. My hair is literally transforming this was a year ago, and I do have a video on my Channel with it, which is where I got this footage from the next issue that scored quite highly on the list was about detangling. I'Ve got really Sensitive Scalp, and so the time you mind that your hair speaks very very close to my heart. One of the tips I can give you is to pre-pool your natural hair if you're taking it from long-term protective styling like this. It'S a whole process for me. I will not be putting anything in my hair unless my hair is Thoroughly pre-pooed and moisturized enough to be able to pull a comb through. I always say use your fingers so that you can feel any knots any resistance in your hair and then use the widest tooth comb possible and comb through your hair. Try not to detangle your hair when you're, not in the mood set aside enough time to be able to detangle your hair in order not to rip it out and try to use the right tools. Try to stay away from too much heat, but a little bit of heat is okay to be able to stretch your hair, also on detangling, your hair. What I tend to do, I wash my hair and then I apply it in about four. Then I pluck those again about two or three times until my hair is stretched out. You want to keep your hair as stretch as possible so that it's not coiling back on itself. Try to keep your hair in some sort of style as well. Don'T wash your hair and just leave it all by itself with no product or anything in you will find the tangling nightmare. That way, I do hope all of these tips are helping. You do go ahead and hit the Subscribe button and also give this video a like if you're, finding the information beneficial or really help me a lot. Thank you. One of the comments on one of my lovely subscribers was about taking down long-term protective style, also putting in long-term protective style. I do have the pros and cons of wearing mini braids mini braids is a wonderful protective style for growing your hair. It'S not very good for putting in and taking out it takes ages to put in and take out, but I will say: Styles such as chunky, twists, mini twists and all the other styles. They really grow your hair. Just the same. Even chunky braids I've chosen mini braids because of my styling options and I actually like the way it looks, but you're also able to style your hair in a way that's much quicker to put in and take out and it will grow just the same. So try styling methods, that's easier generally. The easier is to put in it's going to be. The easiest is to take up, and it's also the less friction and damage that it will cause on your hair, strap good alternatives to mini braids, chunky, braids chunky twists. Any twist any form of style flat twist as long as your ends are protected, your hair is moisturized and your scalp is looking well, it will grow. Another comment received was about the weakness from the friction of doing um, especially long-term protective style. Like I've been doing, I stated in the takedown video, which is the video on the right that before I took down my braids, I actually did a strengthening. Henna treatment do go ahead and check out my my DIY playlist. I cannot underestimate the value of learning Aveda for your hair. Henna has been life-changing for me, my hair was very weak and fragile and, as you can see, my hair is low to medium density. It is not thick, it is not. Full henna has been able to strengthen my hair and also thicken my hair. So I recommend that before you take down any protective style, you give yourself a henna rinse or an evader rinse. You could also use flaxseed, fenugreek and all of those lovely treatments, but for me, henna really does help me to strengthen my natural hair. So that is a recommendation that I give you there, if you're, finding that your hair feels really weak off to protective styling or before I used to use aphogee. You could still use aphogee and any really um strong protein, but do make sure that you put the moisture back after I do henna in my hair, it's always followed by hello hydration. That'S the conditioner that I always recommend on your hair. You could even leave a little bit dilute it down and use it as a leave-in always have castor oil in my hair as well, not on the scalp, but also on the length of my hair. If you are enjoying the side by side comparison videos, I do have a playlist on my channel. This is really what my hair looks like and I'm trying to show you being very transparent. Even when my hair was weak and broken, I was still taking videos and I'm so happy because I'm able to compare it and show you so in today's video I showed you my 4C natural hair Journey. I'Ve come a long way in a year after using mini braids and learning more information on growing my natural hair. My hair is so so beautiful long, thick and healthy. I'Ve got so much videos to show you especially stretching my hair. You will see the full length and that's coming out soon. I'Ve also been able to visit the pole that you filled in for me a few weeks ago and also giving you hints and tips and hope that you found that information useful. If you have found all of that information useful do go ahead and hit the Subscribe button, it would really mean a lot to me. I'Ve also got lots more content coming up on Mini braids and also just showing you how to grow your natural hair. Thank you. So much for watching - and I will see you in my next video - take care. Thank you.