♡ Impatient Hair Growth? ♡

If you're like me, you could have extremely slow growth (estimating 1/8-1/4 a month for me) which can be discouraging when you've been taking care of your hair for a long period of time, yet still feel like you haven't grown any hair, because maybe all you do to check your length is stretch a part of your hair, rather than actually measuring it with measuring tape or a hair length check shirt. This is why I decided to look up some ways to make hair grow faster, which I personally believe is possible, but no matter what, some will still always find controversial, so this post will soon be updated with the growth aids I will be trying, as well as detailed descriptions of how they help with hair growth.

♡ Reducing Shedding ♡

Recently, I've been having shedding problems with hair, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as deficiencies in certain vitamins, having weak or damaged hair, naturally thin and constantly manipulated hair, and so on. I've recently been doing a little bit of research and have found a few simple steps I am personally going to take to reduce my shedding, and these are it:

Hair Rinses

Rinsing your hair with a caffeine product such as Coffee or Tea, which has a higher caffeine content than Coffee, has been known to reduce shedding dramatically. Commonly used teas are black tea and green tea, and some people chose to infuse them with herbs, though it isn't necessary. All you generally need to do is let the bags infuse in the water, and wait for it to cool down before rinsing your hair with it. How early you do this process before using it to rinse your hair, and how you chose to store it seems to be a personal preference. For making the application easier, I would use a spray bottle to apply it to the hair.

Biotin Supplement

These work by strengthening new growth, and keeping your hair in your follicles for a long time, as well as encourages hair growth, so not only will you have stronger, faster growing hair, but that new growing hair will be stronger, therefore shedding will be greatly reduced.

Garlic Pills

These help by reducing shedding from the inside out, though it can take some time to see a noticeable difference.

Heavy Protein Treatments

The one I am looking forward to getting is the Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment. I know some people use a lighter form of protein that this company also sells, called the Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor. I'd recommend that for people who only want to incorporate a little more protein in their regimen, or don't have the time to add a full on protein treatment to their wash day regimens.

Garlic Prepoo Recipe

I have not tried this, but it seems to have had good results, and the ingredients make it surely seem like it wouldn't fail. This was created by a member of LongHairCareForum called LadyAggie. Here it is:
7-9 garlic cloves 2 oz extra virgin olive oil 1 plastic cap
RECIPE: Crush the garlic cloves until very fine. Mix in with the olive oil and heat in a microwave oven for about 20-25 seconds or hot enough to apply on your scalp without getting burned. Apply mixture to scalp, put on plastic cap, sit under dryer with medium heat for 30 minutes or a little longer without heat. IMPORTANT NOTE: This mixture can be used 3 times a week if desired. Please keep unused product in the refrigerator in order to preserve it for about 7 days. Simply re-heat and use again. Please discard any unused portions after 7 days.

I would also consider trying a Biotin, Garlic based Shampoo and Conditioner Set, or a Protein based one, to help with shedding issues. If after every suggestion, nothing works for you, I would suggest getting your iron and thyroid levels checked out, because they can both cause hair to fall out as well, but prior to doing this, you should make sure you have your protein-moisture balance leveled out, because having too much protein or moisture cause breakage and shedding. Saw Palmetto based supplements also seem to help, and all of the above forms of reducing shedding should help to some extent and can be easy to fit into a hair regimen!

♡ Moisture Before Shampoo ♡

I wouldn't really consider this a regimen perse, but just an extra step you can take to increase moisture in your hair during, before, and after washing it, if you feel like your hair is not soft enough. It's called a Prepoo. Basically, a Prepoo is a hair treatment that is applied to the hair for a certain amount of time (usually 1 hour or a bit longer) before you proceed to wash your hair. Here is some more, in-depth information on Prepoos including recipes, and benefits of adding one to your regimen, courtesy of this article:

Popular Pre-poos
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Homemade Blends
Store-bought Treatments and Masques
Honey
Yogurt
Bananas

Whichever treatment you decide to use for your hair type is, of course, what works for you. And though this may take some extra time, here are five good reasons as to why Prepooing does wonders for your hair:

Moisture

Curls and waves are always in need of moisture – and a Prepoo treatment is sure to give us added, extra moisture when applied. Seasonal stress on hair such as heat, humidity, wind, salt water, etc, can leave curls extra dry. Adding a Prepoo treatment to hair helps to restore lost moisture.

Avoiding “over clean” hair

Though we all want our hair to be clean, sometimes, “squeaky” clean can be too much. Shampoos and other products can often strip the necessary oils that our curls need for shape, shine and definition – Prepoo treatments help restore those oils and protect hair follicles.

Get the tangles out!

When using a Prepoo treatment, you can take care of detangling hair a lot easier than after it’s washed. Breakage occurs much more often with wet hair, than dry. Therefore, applying the Prepoo treatment and allowing it to sit on your hair for 15-30 minutes, will help detangle locks and lessen breakage.

Make the most of your conditioner

We often use our favorite conditioners a bit too much. So much so that after time, they start to not have as great as an effect as they had some time ago – because they lack a place to “hang on to.” As your hair is stripped of oils, the conditioner you follow up with will simply be washed away before it leaves you any benefits. A Prepoo treatment will allow your conditioner to find its place back in your regimen and treat your curls to more moisture.

Say “ahhhh”…

After a Prepoo treatment you should notice soft locks, shiny ones too. Your hair and scalp will be ever so grateful for helping restore some moisture and restorative oils that have been lacking. Making Prepoo a part of your regular routine will show great improvements to your hair’s texture and sheen.

What Prepoo Do I Use?

The Prepoo I found can be found here, the link will take you to a thread in a Hair Forum. I found it quite moisturizing, as well as me already having the ingredients made this simple and convenient for me. Here are the ingredients you will need for it, in case you are interested in making it or getting a few ingredients to do so:
Coconut Oil
Any favorite oil of yours (I used an Extra Virgin Olive Oil polisher/smoother, so it wasn't completely pure, specifically this one)
Aloe Vera Juice or Whole Leaf Aloe Vera

Three simple ingredients that you can most definitely purchase locally! I may at some point in the future try out some other Prepoos, but I have so much Coconut Oil and Aloe Vera I wouldn't want going to waste, so this mixture will definitely be a staple for now, but I will be experimenting with different oils.

♡ Beginner Natural ♡

Honestly, I don't know where to begin with this, but something I will start off by saying is that when I first started trying to take care of my hair I was so confused...there are soo many different websites that say soo many different things and just confuse you, but this post is to help you learn to take care of your hair easily if you're a beginner, so you don't have to pretty much waste approximately 2 years of your life doing research...and I still do lots of it! But I think I am getting close to forming a sold hair regimen. The best part is, once you form a regimen, there's nothing more you have to do to let your hair be healthy, feel moisturized constantly, and grow naturally! Here are some basic tips to simplify your process and make your life lots easier, courtesy of me! ^.^

1. Join Hair Forums
I say this because people on hair forums can help you with your hair based on personal experiences, you can get advice and information from people who may have more knowledge on a certain topic than you, as well as product recommendations, even homemade recipes that work for some people! I find them really helpful and here are a few I may personally suggest:
Hairlista
Curly Nikki Forums

2. Read Some Hair Books
Doing this will save you a lot of time, because most of them help you create a beginning, simple regimen, including product recommendations that are natural and have multiple hair uses, and these books usually have lots of advice on homemade products for those because cautious with money and managing their natural hair. You know, it doesn't have to cost soo much, but when you get lost and confused with your hair journey, you often end up becoming a product junkie! That's where I become thankful I'm just a young girl who doesn't have lots of money because I definitely know I would have become a product junkie at first! But hair really is just hair and you don't need to spend a fortune on it! Here seem to be some really great hair books, though I haven't personally read either, I think I would have benefited from it in the beginning of my hair journey. It just feels like all the information on hair care for naturals is all over the place on the web, and you need a sold starting place, even before joining a Hair Forum:
Grow It by Chicoro
The Science of Black Hair

3. Watch YouTube Hair Advice Videos With Your Hair Type!
This isn't essential for everyone, but if you have my hair type, 4C, watching videos of people with your hair type makes it a lot more helpful, and there seems not to be quite too many YouTube users I could find with my hair type, because personally, I find people with my hair type use products that work well with mine as well due to common issues my hair type specifically has. If you have 4C hair, here are some great YouTubers I recommend:
nalia1908
4CHairChick
glamfun
GirlsLoveYourCurls
NaturallyMoniT
Chery818

I actually intended on making this my first post on my blog but didn't get around to it, but this should definitely help! It will also help you in understanding things I talk about on my blog or will talk about in the future, but my goal is to be as thorough as possible in all my posts so literally anyone can understand them, despite what current hair knowledge they have! Hope this is helpful!

♡ Internal Hair Care ♡

Did you know you can make your hair healthier by what goes on inside of it? :O  Shocker...to some! But some don't care too much for this as hair grows despite what you eat, but if you want to try and make hair as healthy as possible while it grows, it's important to eat healthy foods, but not just for hair health, but for your overall body health. Here are some vitamins that are great for hair along with foods and their hair related benefits.

Folic Acid - asparagus, beets, broccoli, avocados, Brussels sprouts, beans, chickpeas, soybeans, lentils, oranges, fresh peas, turkey and spinach.
Biotin - cauliflower, liver, salmon, carrots, bananas, cereals, yeast, and soy flour. Keep in mind that biotin content is reduced when food is cooked or preserved.
Vitamin B12 - foods rich in vitamin B12 include animal protein (such as beef, lamb, and veal), clams and oysters, liver, fish, milk, and egg yolks.
Vitamin A - butter, egg yolks, fish, fortified milk, organ meats (such as
 liver), and dark green, orange, red (pomegranate), and yellow fruits (persimmons, mangoes) and vegetables, which all contain beta-carotene.
Copper - oysters and other shellfish, whole grains, beans, nuts, potatoes and organ meats are good sources of copper. Dark leafy greens (kale and spinach are amazing for hair along with sea kelp!), dried fruits such as prunes, cocoa, black pepper, and yeast are also sources of copper in the diet.
Zinc – beef, eggs, liver, pork, poultry, and oysters. Also is also abundant in other high-protein foods, like cheese, legumes and nuts.

For strong hair, which is important for my hair type, most people simply tend to focus on eating a high-protein diet. Other than protein, it seems it's most important to focus on supplying your body with Beta Carotene and Iodine, here's why:

Iodine is necessary for the production of the thyroid hormone thyroxin. This hormone promotes hair growth. The foods that contain iodine are seafoods like cod, mussels, seaweed and haddock.

Beta Carotene is actually converted by the body into vitamin A which makes the hair strong. You can find it in green and yellow fruits and vegetables like green peppers and cantaloupes.

Also, while I don't think this is really needed, but if you can't have time to focus on foods to eat for hair, you can take supplements for these purposes, but if you don't want to purchase the supplements and want maximum absorption among other things, it's best to try and get these vitamins from food naturally. Plus, what makes getting vitamins from natural food more desirable, is that you're getting multiple vitamins at once that will be better absorbed as all the nutrients will be working together! Vitamins only take care of one thing...which is whatever the pill is for, like a Biotin pill for an example. The circumstances are different if you're taking a vitamin formulated for hair specifically. It's cool to want quicker alternatives but that costs money as well, it's best to try and work with what you've got, and most people would have at the very least some of the stuff on these lists for these vitamins.

Extras:
-Be sure to get your 7-9 hours of sleep daily, it promotes the hair growth phase.
-If you decide to take supplements, try looking for something as natural as possible!

Besides all this, the most important thing you've got to do, is drink the recommended amount of water daily, as water helps assisting in cleansing the body and helping these vitamins do what they do for our hair! Some people even claim that drinking a lot of water has helped their hair grow noticeably faster! Off to refill my bottle! ^_^

Useful sources with extended information:
Healthy Hair Foods
Healthy Hair Foods

♡ Moisturizing Tips ♡

No matter how dry your hair is, there is a solution you can use to combat dry hair! Here are several different ideas you should consider looking into to keep your hair moisturized as often as possible:

1. The L.O.C. method
In this method, each letter has a meaning. the L stands for Liquid, the O for Oil, and the C for Cream! This is super moisturizing, and can really help during winter months when hair is most prone to being dry. For the Liquid step, basically you apply a liquid type of moisturizer to your hair which could be any mixture you feel your hair likes best, such as a mixture of your favorite leave-in conditioner diluted with lots of water in a spray bottle, or simply a mixture of water and aloe vera juice. Just be sure to apply it evenly and always shake the bottle before each and every application. For starters, here is an extremely moisturizing leave-in spray that seems to benefit extremely dry hair that craves moisture, and it's simple:
- 8 oz of aloe vera juice
- 2 tablespoons of any oil of your choice
- 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin

Now, for the Oil step, you can use any oil that best benefits your hair, but remember, the whole point of this method is to moisturize your hair as much as possible and keep that moisture for as long as possible, so it's recommended you do some research for the most moisturizing oils for your hair type, and oils that can penetrate your hair. Some ideas are avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil.

For the final step, the Cream step, you can use your favorite lotiony or buttery (I mean they're both creamy, right!) moisturizer! Some ideas are homemade shea butter mixes that best suit your hair type. If you don't want to make a product or don't have the time, look for a product that has some butters and moisturizing oils, but is water based. (Water is listed as the first ingredient) Some people simply just use their leave-in conditioner. Based on what I've seen, the most commonly used and desired leave-in conditioner for naturals is the Giovanni Direct Leave-in, especially for my hair type too. The best sealing oils are Castor, Grapeseed, and Jojoba, so if you want to experiment with making the moisture in your hair last longer, try getting an empty container that has a cover, put in a little of whatever product you decide to use for the Cream step, and add a little bit of each oil. Maybe a tablespoon of each? But, for some people, they use both leave-ins and a shea butter mix for this step, but just alternate which ones they use depending on the weather. For more dry temperatures, the shea butter mix would be better, or simply for winter. Even for fall as well if desired. It's all about experimenting with trial and error. ^_^

Basically, this whole method works because for the first step, water equals the master moisturizer! Secondly, oil helps hair hold onto water molecules. Lastly, cream locks in the moisture.

2. Moisturizing and Sealing
Basically, this is as simple as using any moisturizing product you have, (hey even water is a moisturizer, right!) and then sealing it by applying an oil prior to applying the moisturizer, to keep the moisture locked in for as long as possible. It is most commonly done with a homemade moisturizing spritz, followed by a homemade shea butter mix, though these can also be purchased. An alternative to that is a sealing oil. There are hundreds of YouTube videos of homemade shea butter mixes and countless articles I've found online of homemade spritz mixes. It's also more fun creating your own products! This method is a little similar to the L.O.C. method.

3. Deep Conditioning
So for numbers one and two, you don't have to do both of them, but just whichever one gives you the amount of moisture you feel your hair requires. But deep conditioning is something that should be done whenever you wash your hair! Say you wash your hair twice a month, well in my opinion, the first time that month you should use a moisturizing deep conditioner, and the second time you should use a more protein orientated deep conditioner. Fortunately, these can both be homemade if you don't want to purchase products that are meant to accomplish these tasks!

4. Water Bagging
This is just simple and for anytime! It's when you spray your hair with water (water and aloe vera if you desire) top it with a plastic cap, and keep it in for as long as you want, say if you're going to be home most of the day, it's an awesome way to moisturize your hair as you do your normal stuff and don't need to focus on your hair much. When you remove the plastic cap, your hair will be very moisturized, so you can immediately follow up with your favorite moisturizer sealing product and be set to go!

5. Green House Effect
This is pretty much the best way you can wake up to having ultra moisturized hair! It's a very simple and awesome way to moisturize your hair overnight, actually. It is a bit similar to water bagging also. Here are the steps, taken from here:

-On damp or dry hair apply a generous amount of JBCO or EVOO throughout your hair (or how ever much you can tolerate) making sure to coat the ends in the oil to create a protective barrier against pollution, fabrics, dryness ect.
-Place shower cap or plastic bag over your hair to lock in the moisture from your scalps natural oils and heat from your head. This creates a green house, steam effect during your sleep which is the best time for your hair growth in this case.
-Place a head tie/scarf over your head & shower cap making sure that it’s nice and snug; for best results also wear a winter hat over your scarf to help produce more heat.
-In the morning you may find that your hair is a bit damp from the moisture the steam effect created.
You can either blow dry it on cool setting, let it air dry a bit (about 15 mins) before styling, or go ahead and style it while it’s still damp and let it dry as the day progresses.

* If you don't really care for the JBCO smell, you should definitely try the Shea Oil with Mango & Papaya it will make your hair smell amazing or you can simply use EVOO from your local grocery store, it's much cheaper!

There you go! Now you don't have to have dry hair anymore!