Tips for growing out Unruly/Ethnic Hair

Happy Hump Day!

HELP!!! I have ethnic hair and I don't know what to do with it.

All throughout my life I've always hated my hair. Why? Because it was too difficult to deal with. It always looked messy and the only way to not make it look messy was to put horrible products in my hair such as "grease" what my grandma would make me use, and "mousse" what my Mom would have me use.

Everyday from 5th grade until 11th grade I wore my hair up in a bun and would use mousse to keep it up. I wanted to do something else with my hair but didn't think anything would work. I had tried straightening it but it would immediately turn into a big puff ball. So what did I do?

I got a relaxer. I wanted straight, smooth hair but wasn't worried about the consequences of putting such dangerous chemicals in my hair. Actually I didn't think they were dangerous, I was naive. After the first time I got my hair relaxed, I was in love. My hair was so long and it was so nice to see it straight. I should have known that the relaxer was dangerous because when applied it started to burn my head and I was actually left with burns. Did I let that stop me? No. I wanted to keep getting it done because it was the best my hair ever looked.

I later discovered that my hair was breaking. It was in bad condition. I had lost half the length of my hair. I was no longer happy with getting relaxers. I finally looked into it and the chemical fermaldehyde can be found in relaxers and that's what was killing my hair.

This is an extreme example of what it could have turned out to, but I stopped!!!

Recently I have been researching better hair practices and learning a lot about what chemicals to avoid and what you should do to help your hair grow. Today I will be sharing with you how you can achieve the same results.


1. If you get relaxers, stop now. You may not like the way your hair looks while your trying to grow it out, but deal with it for a while so that you can have healthy hair later on.

2. Make sure to get your hair trimmed every three months or so to ensure you are getting rid of the split ends. You  would think that you are just cutting your hair even shorter, but by cutting the ends you allow for your hair to grow longer, instead of continuously breaking at the ends.

3. Avoid Shampoo's containing Sulphate and Sodium. They strip your hair of anything you put in it. It's also used to create that rich lather that many of us love, but there our other ingredients that can do that for you in a shampoo.

4. Avoid products containing alcohol. It will dry out your hair, cause it to be frizzy and dry. It can give you more split ends and it will remove the color from your hair if you dye it or it will completely remove a Keratin Treatment.

5. Wear your hair in protective ways. Good ideas for this would be a bun or french braid. You want to hide those ends and protect them so that they will stay in good shape.

6. Use leave-in conditioner. Be sure to check the ingredients list and avoid Sulphate and Sodium.

7. Brush hair lightly as if you were brushing a toddlers hair. Start from the ends and work up to the roots.

8. Do not pull your hair tie out of your hair. Take the time to un-wind it from your hair. This helps cut down on breakages.

9. Use a wide tooth comb when combing your hair.

10. Air dry instead of blow dry. Make sure to use a heat protectant. If you must blow dry and have normal hair, use a heat protectant. Do not use heat protectant if you just got the Keratin treatment. This too may strip your hair of the Keratin.

11. As you can tell, I am a fan of the Keratin Treatment. If you think your hair is too unruly but don't want to risk it with chemicals like fermaldehyde, then try a Keratin treatment. It actually puts proteing back in to the DNA of your hair. It even looks better than getting a relaxer. I totally recommend it. I know it may be on the pricier side, but it's more safe, gives your hair protein, and gives your hair body.



I hope you find some of these tips useful. It takes a lot of time to find out what works for your hair and what doesn't. Please understand that I am in no way certified in hair health, but for years I've been trying to see what works for me.