7 Reasons Why Your Hair Might Not Be Growing

Technically, hair always grows unless there is a medical condition or something, but there are a lot of things that can stop your hair from retaining length. I personally have noticed that my hair hasn't really been getting any longer recently! I feel like it is almost the same length it was when I cut it in February, which is almost a year from now. So of course I was super annoyed by this. Length has been my goal for awhile and for it to barely grow is very frustrating. So I decided to really take some time to think of reasons why my hair might not be growing--and I've actually been able to come up with a few good reasons. Check them out if you've been having the same issue!1. Too much manipulationOne of the main reasons my hair hasn't been retaining length is because I've just been doing too much to it. This year I've done a lot more than my usual wash and go's and instead done lots of twistouts, braidouts, blowouts etc. These aren't bad, but if you don't style them carefully and gently, you can definitely break your ends. I know sometimes when I style my hair I can get impatient and rough with my hair.2. Detangling the wrong wayThere are a few ways you can "detangle wrong". You can detangle with the wrong tool, suchas a comb that doesn't have wide teeth. Or you can be too rough while doing so. You have to be really gentle and patient while detangling. Use a good moisturizer with a lot of slip and even separate your hair in sections while doing so. I actually used to finger detangle (which is literally detangling with your fingers instead of a comb) and my hair definitely retained a lot more length that way. I stopped because it took so long and kind of drove me crazy lol, but I am going to start doing it again since I really made a difference.3. Damaging protective stylesThis year I had two major protective styles. I had box braids and a sew-in weave. Normally you would think these would make my hair grow, but I felt like it barely grew from them. I think since I had a weave, it might have stopped my scalp from really being able to breathe and grow. And then when I took both of these styles out, my hair was tangled from all of the small braids. I think my ends broke a little while taking them out. Now does this mean I will never wear these styles again? No, I most likely will lol. But I know that I have to be more careful next time and maybe only wear them for a short time, like 4 weeks or so.4. Too many trimsI do have a habit of being a little scissor happy. I have my own scissors in my house and whenever my ends look even a tiny bit broken or damaged, I'll cut them! Of course it is good to have healthy ends, but I do think there were times where they were fine and I could have left them alone. If you take care of your ends, you truly only need a trim about twice a year! No need to cut them every 2-3 months. That just slows down your growth.5. Not sealing your endsThis is actually super helpful and important for retaining length. Use a thick oil such as Jamaican Castor Oil to coat your ends and prevent them from splitting. This is good to do after washing your hair or applying a moisturizer to it. Do this daily if possible! You can add it to your nightly routine and do it before/after you wash your face and brush your teeth before bed.6. Not eating healthyI've always said that being healthy on the inside has a big effect on your outward appearance. Eating healthy helps all of your organs and internal systems work better and more efficiently, including your hair follicles. Unhealthy foods make your digestive system work harder, and then there's no more energy left to focus on your hair and beauty! I used to drink green smoothies all the time and my hair grew a lot from them. Now that I don't I see a difference. ALSO! Drink lots of water! That really helps the growth of your hair.7. Lack of exerciseBelieve it or not, exercise stimulates hair growth! It stimulates blood circulation in your body, including your scalp causing nutrients to reach your hair follicles and cause growth. I started exercising a lot more consistently and I'll even be doing a fitness/health challenge soon! So stay tuned for that so you can get both your body in shape for the summer, and to help your hair grow!So it is clear I have to make a lot of changes when it comes to both my lifestyle and my hair. Most of these habits, are all things I used to do regularly! But this has been a really busy year for me from graduating college, moving into my own apartment, getting my first full-time job, and so much more. So I definitely neglected my hair (and health) in some ways and I am seeing the effects now. Lesson learned, it is important to prioritize these things in order to take care of yourself, both inside and out! I'll be making the necessary changes and keeping you updated!Xoxo,