Genetics Might Control Your Growth Rate But It Does Not Control Retention

Let me be frank, I am not sold on the myth that black hair ‘can’t grow’. How many times have you heard that little non-fact and let it sink in when you are faced with your own hair struggles?

I am a living testament that black hair can and does grow but at different rates based on your genetic makeup. By now you must know that you cannot separate the science of hair from hair care especially when you have health and growth goals to meet, so let’s get into it!

Here is what science says:

The length of the hair is determined by the duration of the growth phase; for example, the growth phase for scalp hair can proceed for a number of years, while the growth phase for eyebrows last a few months.

After the growth phase, hair formation ceases, and the follicle recedes and enters a period of rest. After a period of rest, a new growth period starts, and the old hair is ejected and lost from the body.

The reason for this complex regulation of hair growth is not understood, but it has been suggested that it makes it possible to adjust hair growth to the season.

The growth phase is different for us individually so depending on your genes you might have a short growth phase and longer periods between each phase of growth or you might have a long growth phase with a short duration in between phases of growth.

What does this mean?

For one it means that your hair is always growing but if you happen to fall into the category where your hair grows slowly retaining your length is imperative.

The more length you retain the longer your hair will be as the years pass by. This is where hair care comes in and making sure you determine what the best approach for you will be when caring for your hair.

For the women that I know that have ‘slow growing hair’ they usually opt to do protective styles for 80-90% of the year.  You might hear them say that they wash their hair once a month to retain moisture and that they never use any sort of chemicals on their hair.

The factors that hinder retention

Kinky* vs loose curls

The curlier and the kinkier the hair strand is the easier it is for it to snag, snap, knot and break because of how fragile and thirsty the strand tends to be. (If you are a cotton-headed sistah like me then you know all about that life!)

It might seem as if women with straighter or looser curl patterns have faster hair growth* but the truth is, it is easier to retain length with those hair types than it is for women with very kinky hair.

The straighter the hair the easier it is for moisture to travel down the strand and keep it moisturized. Additionally straight hair/loose curls tangle less and detangles easier in comparison to kinky hair.

This isn’t a bad thing for us kinky* sisters with slow growth rates, it just means that if we want long hair we have to get to know how our hair works how to retain length despite these factors.

Stress

Your lifestyle impacts your hair retention! If you experience extreme periods of stress you will notice the impact of your hair fall. Stress can lead to increased hair loss some of which can be permanent and some of which might be temporary depending on your level of stress.

Pregnancy

Do not be surprised when your edges start thinning after you have your little bundle of joy. Postpartum hair loss is no joke and it can be considered a set back depending on how extreme your loss is. Even though postpartum hair loss lasts for a little while there is hope! After the shedding period is over just jump right back in on your regimen and your hair will start thickening up in no time.

Even though postpartum hair loss lasts for a little while there is hope! After the shedding period is over just jump right back in on your regimen and your hair will start thickening up in no time.

Age

As we get older things start to slow down for all of us, the hair might get thinner as our follicles get older, and we might experience some hair loss this is just part of the cycle of life.

With that said, it is equally as important to improve our overall health in addition to great hair care practices in order to get the most out of our hair.

If you have a slow growth rate it is important that you stick with a consistent protective style regimen, trim only when neccessary in order to retain as much length as possible.

Here is my question to you, do you have slow growing hair?

This post was first seen on Emilycottontop.com