1966 Magazine

One question I’ve been asked numerous times is how I grew my hair down my back and how long did it take. Well, to be completely honest it has been different every single time. I have taken my hair out several times in different ways (more on that in my next post).

Nevertheless, the methods I used all seemed to yield great results so I will briefly share them with you.

I have employed “going natural,” hair straightening, vitamins and even wearing wigs. When I went natural I basically just worked with my hair’s natural curl pattern.

This was tough because I wasn’t quite sure which products to utilize because previously the flat iron or pressing comb had always been a girl’s best friend. Products that proved to be a lifesaver were:

• non-alcohol hair gel/pomade
• leave-in conditioner
• hair oil
• sulfate free shampoo and conditioners
• mayonnaise (for deep conditioning)
• hair ties and foil

Every time I cleansed my strands I would always follow up with a leave-in conditioner and hair oil. The conditioner gave my locks vital nutrients and moisture while the hair oil would literally lock it all in, basically sealing in all of the good stuff.

One of my favorite conditioners that I have used for years is by Mane and Tail. Many shy away from their products because Mane and Tail is actually used on animals such as horses to keep their mane looking pristine. Now I’ve seen some horses with hair I’d love to detach and place upon my head, so what’s good for the goose is good for the gander!

Moreover, my natural hair tends to be quite unruly, so to keep it in line I would apply a hair gel or pomade. Braids also helped to achieve wavy hairstyles as well as foil rollers.

In another post, I promise to show not only how to make the roller, but an easy hairstyle to achieve with it as well.

Another method I used was simply straightening my hair every two weeks.

I would also apply a hair mask after cleansing my hair and leave it on for at least 30 minutes. Daily maintenance would include wrapping my hair up with a satin scarf at night not only to reduce friction created while at rest but also to help give my hair a slight bend so that using a curler would be unnecessary.

Also, every day in the morning after combing my hair I would apply a very light hair oil to keep my locks strong. One thing I will stress is that keeping heat to a minimum has always helped my hair to grow faster. I know that may not be the case for everyone, but that is definitely something that helps give my growth cycle a boost.

When it comes to vitamins, I have taken Biotin as well as B vitamins and received great results. To this day I like to take Women’s One A Day multi-vitamin which includes all the vitamins you need for healthy hair, skin and nails.

Lastly, as mentioned I have employed wigs to grow out my hair. I prefer wigs where all of my hair is safely resting underneath; however, half wigs look way more natural so for appearance sake I opt for half wigs or wigs with a movable part.

Out of all methods used my hair grew the fastest using the wig method, it literally only took about 5 months for my hair to go from above my shoulders to down my back. In a future post I will focus specifically on the wig method and tell how I did it.

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