Keys to Successful Natural Hair Length Retention: 5 Steps to Protect & Nurture Your Ends

Did you know most naturals think they have a hair growth problem when it’s actually an issue with natural hair length retention?

I fell into this trap shortly after deciding to return to natural. I stopped relaxing thinking the harmful, unhealthy chemicals were the only culprit preventing my hair from growing.

WRONG! My hair grew while I was relaxed; I had to go in for new growth touch-ups. My problem stemmed from not retaining my length.

A magic formula exists for length retention! Moreover, the formula’s magic lies in its simplicity. The ends of your hair are the oldest. Thus, they require special attention focused on nurture and protection.

So, keep reading to discover how to give your ends the care they need to make your natural hair length retention improve as if by magic.

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Natural Hair Length Retention Step 1: Keep Your Ends Well Moisturized

Moisture loss poses a real issue for naturals. The natural hair oil, sebum, does not fully coat hair strands due to the hair’s texture. Furthermore, the problem escalates closer to the ends because they are farthest from the scalp.

Thus, to show dedication to natural hair length retention, you must moisturize your ends frequently. Moisturize daily if your hair desires it.

Use water or a water-based product like rose water or aloe vera juice in your moisturizing efforts. Next, seal in the moisture with a butter or oil. Shea, mango, or cocoa butter or olive, avocado, or jojoba oil work well to moisture seal.

Natural Hair Length Retention Step 2: Drink Lots of Water

Moisturizing deals with outside moisture. Conversely, drinking water handles the moisture inside your body.

According to Kinetico, approximately 25% of a single hair strand’s weight comes from water. Therefore, water’s importance goes beyond the role of transporting nutrients, vitamins, and wastes to support hair growth. Water actually helps make up your hair.

Not drinking plenty of water leaves your hair in a vulnerable state and more prone to damage and breakage. As such, excellent water intake promotes great natural hair length retention.

The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine recommends women intake about 91 ounces (11.5 glasses) of total water (from all beverage and food sources) daily. It suggests roughly 125 ounces (15.5 glasses) total water consumption daily for men.

Additionally, WebMD recommends drinking ½ ounce to 1 ounce of water for each pound you weigh daily as part of an overall weight management program.

Regardless of which recommendation you choose to follow, the message is clear . . . Drink up!

Natural Hair Length Retention Step 3: Work Your Protective Styles

The age of your ends makes them very fragile. So, protecting them must be a hair regimen staple. Subsequently, protecting your ends reduces tangles, leading to less manipulation from detangling. This lowers the potential for mechanical (friction) damage to hair.

Since protective styles keep your ends tucked in and/or covered, they work wonderfully to shield the most fragile part of your hair, promoting natural hair length retention. As such, you should try to wear a protective style most days of the week.

Look for styles requiring little to no manipulation for the entire time between your wash days. Likewise, continue to care for your hair underneath when opting for longer-term protective styles, like weaves, crochet braids, faux locs, etc.

Natural hair has so much versatility. Do not be afraid to explore the treasure trove of hairstyles just waiting to be discovered. The secret is finding what type of hairstyle is best to compliment you.

women-with-long-braids — Credit: Original image by Karabo Mdluli on Unsplash.com.

Natural Hair Length Retention Step 4: Don’t Forget to Trim

Regardless of how delicately you handle your ends, you will need to trim from time to time. Trimming removes damage, helping to prevent future harm to the hair shaft.

Additionally, unhealthy hair diverts moisture and nutrients from the more healthy parts of the hair. Trimming rids your hair of its unhealthy portions. As a result, healthy hair has less competition for nutrition.

Hence, naturals should trim on an appropriate schedule for their hair. When detangling becomes more grueling than usual, it is probably time to trim. If your ends are rougher or thinner than normal, grab the scissors or go see your stylist for a cut.

Also, those who use heat or develop fairy knots often may need to trim more frequently.

Natural Hair Length Retention Step 5: Keep up with Your Protein Treatments

Keratin, a protein, comprises the majority of your hair. As such, protein treatments serve to strengthen your hair strands. They combat breakage and damage, encouraging increased natural hair length retention.

Protein treatments once a month will well attend to most naturals’ needs. Alternatively, you may choose a weekly deep conditioning mask containing hydrolyzed proteins and/or amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

Depending on your hair’s condition or your chosen styling methods, the frequency of protein treatments may need adjustment to get the best results for your hair. Nevertheless, heat and color users often require more frequent protein treatments to maintain their hair’s best condition.

Check out some recommended protein treatments and protein-containing hair masks below:

It’s A Wrap!

The 5 steps to protect and nurture your ends make natural hair length retention easy. Capitalize on the information in this post, and your improved ends and greater natural hair length retention will follow.

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