Natural Hair Tips: How to Retain Length

Hey Queens,

One of the questions I receive the most concerning my hair is about how I retain length.

*Let me start off by reminding you that everyone’s hair unique. Even though we may have similar textures, what works for me might not (always) work for you.

With that out the way, let’s move on, shall we?

Here are 5 things I do to retain length:

• I hardly ever use direct heat (blow dryer & flat iron) and if I do, I use the minimum heat to get the job done.

I blow dry on the LOW heat setting. I flat iron using the recommended setting for my hair type, and sometimes even lower. I try to only do 1-2 passes over each section.

•  Deep Conditioning Treatments at least 1-2x a month. I cover my hair with a shower cap and let it sit for at least 30 to 45 minutes. If you have the time to let it stay a few hours that’s even better.
•  Dust/Trim Ends, as needed.

If you notice your styles aren’t coming out the way they normally do, or your hair tangles easier than usual, it’s time to consider trimming.

**Only trim with scissors designed for hair. Other scissors may cause more damage to your strands.

I trim my hair while it’s twisted up. Here’s a link:

Whenever I flat iron my hair, it’s usually for a hair cut. I let my mom cut my hair. I’m afraid I’ll mess it up if I do it myself. Here’s a link to see my last cut:

•  I protect my ends often as possible. I hardly wear my hair just hanging down, because as you know curly hair loves to curl up on itself and get tangled. My hair is most often in medium twists. As I work in the week, they are usually tucked away under a beanie. (I work with infants and they have a habit of yanking on my hair)

•  I seldom rock Curly Fros and Wash and Go Styles. As much as I love these styles, they wreak havoc on my kinky-curly hair, especially the ends.

Doing a lot of wash and gos caused a lot of single strand knots in my hair. I had to cut off quite a few inches to get rid of most of them.