Lots of women are seeking long and luxurious locs when they are caring for their hair. Hair care companies know this and market products based the target customer’s desire. However, there is not product that can make your hair grow longer. That’s right! Here is the science behind it.

Everyone’s hair grows at pretty much the same rate. The length it grows is determined by genetics. The hair follicle is genetically programmed to grow to a certain length before it sheds from the follicle or hair root. Most people shed 50-80 strands of hair per day. Yes. Biotin and other supplements do promote hair growth. Those supplements promote total body hair growth. You may see more/thicker hair but if you’re not taking care of it and yourself properly, the length will stay the same.

People who feel like their hair isn’t growing are probably experience breakage before the hair grows to it’s maximum length. Here are a few tips to maximize hair growth that doesn’t include buying products.

5 Tips To Grow Your Hair

1. Drink water

Dry hair is brittle. Brittle hair is more likely to break before it reaches maximum length. Yes, you can apply moisturizing products but water is the best moisturizer. Let it come from the inside. Take your weight and divide it in half. That’s how many ounces of water you should be drinking daily. For example: If you weigh 150 lbs., you should drink 75 ounces of water each day. If drinking that much water is overwhelming, try drinking the bulk of it in the morning as soon as you wake up and sipping through out the day. I have taken to drinking flavored sparkling water to break up the monotony. Drink your water however you like but drink it. Your body and hair love it.

2. Take a multi-vitamin and eat right.

There may be nutrients that you aren’t getting from your diet. Take a daily multi-vitamin. Avoid processed foods. They are full of preservatives and lab experiments. If it doesn’t grow from the earth or come from a butcher, avoid eating it. Processed foods tend to be high in calories and low in the nutrients that we need for our bodies to function properly. Here are some daily meal plan guidelines:

• 4 servings of protein
• 4 servings of green vegetables
• 4 servings of fruit
• 3 servings of unprocessed carbs (sweet potato, corn, carrots, etc.)
• 1 serving of oil or grain (I use 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal in my morning smoothie to cover this)

3. Let your scalp breathe.

Just like every living thing needs water to survive, it also needs oxygen. Shampooing your hair regularly cleanses the scalp of residue from products and sweat allowing oxygen into your hair follicles. If you like to wear weave, make sure you are getting to that scalp with a witch hazel swab or something. Avoid shampoos that dry the hair out because, remember, dry hair tends to break due to damage more often than moisturized hair. Make sure you read the ingredients of your shampoo before your buy it. Some products will claim “Sulfate free” on the front but the ingredients include a derivative of sulphate in them.

4. Keep your hair moisturized.

Yes. You are drinking half of your body weight in water daily. Now, we have to address the products. If you are using products that are oil based products or oils, these should only be applied to wet or damp hair. Why? Well, they are designed to seal moisture – aka water – into hair. When oil based products are applied to dry hair, it’s just oil sitting on top of dry hair. Water based products have water in them and can be applied to dry hair as a moisturizer. Again, pay attention to the ingredients on products that you’re buying. Ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum are not designed to moisturize and can actually leave your hair feeling more dry than it did before you used it.

5. Use “low manipulation” styling techniques.

Have a professional install your weave. Find a style and products that work for your hair so you don’t have style it more than 2 times a week. Only detangle damp or wet hair. If you want super long hair, let your hair loc. Locs are low manipulation. Only the newest hair at the root is twisted. The 50 – 80 strands that shed everyday are loc’d in. So the hair appears to grow longer because those strands that would normally come out in the comb or brush are still attached.

All hair textures can grow long. It just takes learning your hair and sticking to your routine. One bad heat styling experience can ruin all of your hard work. It’s like losing weight. You can diet and exercise but if you don’t make the required lifestyle changes, the weight will begin to creep back on. Nourish your hair and it will grow long and flowing, no matter how kinky the coils are.