There are a ton of articles on how to grow your hair but a lot of what is said in those articles aren't fully true. How would I know? I've had long hair all my life until the age of eighteen, when I decide to go for something new. I was not used to having short hair and immediately regretted cutting my hair but after speaking to my mother and getting her advice on how she maintained my long hair, I tested out everything! I followed YouTuber's, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen Magazine's advice before following my mothers. The tips below are a combination of how my mother grew my hair and what actually worked from the advice of YouTuber's and magazines!

1. Do Not Wash Your Hair Often

This tip has become very popular and it is very helpful!. I personally wash my hair every three days and I know that sounds gross but that is where dry shampoo comes in handy! I wash my hair the first night, the next morning i use heat on my hair and keep it till the day after, and then by the third day I wash it in the morning because it is most likely already greasy. This minimizes the amount of heat and shampoo you use, so in the end you save product and have healthy hair because your hair needs your natural oils and vitamins.

2. Do Not Trim Your Hair

I REPEAT! DO NOT TRIM YOUR HAIR! Trimming your hair kind of kills the purpose of growing it! Yes cutting off your dead ends helps your hair remain healthy but your hair will still grow if you don't cut them off. Sometimes your dead ends even fall off your hair naturally! When I was five years old I would get a trim two times a year, with that given said it is okay to trim it but not every two months like magazines and YouTuber's claim.

3. Apply Castor Oil Overnight

Castor oil is a natural oil with the purpose to help with hair growth, help with skin problems, and under-eye treatment. A lot of beauty gurus on YouTube claimed that castor oil helped them with growing their hair out so I got a bottle of my own on Amazon for eight dollars and tested it out for three months, it works! I applied it over night by massaging my roots and ends and then braiding my hair before going to sleep. The next morning I would condition my hair to remove the thickness of the oil and let it dry naturally before straightening my hair. Using actor oil will help your hair grow twice the amount it would!

4. Use A Wooden Comb

Plastic combs are not the best for your hair, it tangles your hair more and rips off vitamin from your hair. A wooden comb on the other hand removes all your knots easier and since it is made out of wood it helps with keeping its shine since no vitamin is being ripped off every time you comb. The only down side to this is that wooden combs are expensive but they are worth it!

5. Drink Lots Of Water

Drinking a lot of water is the top solution for hair growth and it is true! Our hair is like a plant, and plants need water and oxygen, so does our hair plus it keeps us hydrated! It also helps with getting rid of bad toxins that is in our bodies.

6. Get As Much Sleep As Possible

Sleeping is so important! The more a person sleeps the more they are relaxed and all of that helps the scalp remain in a healthy state to nourish our hair. If a person is stressed, the scalp isn't relaxed instead it freaks out and that cause hair loss.

7. Don't Use Heat More Than Three Times A Week

Magazines claims that in order to grow your hair you shouldn't be using heat at all but that is very hard when you have frizzy hair. I can go a day or two with my natural hair but it is too frizzy to not use heat, this is why i tested out if using heat three times a week will interfere with my hair growth. It doesn't, it is okay to use heat! On days that you decide not to use heat I recommend to braid your hair or wear a head accessory.

When it comes to caring for hair, it can be very tricky but you have to be committed to care for it if you want to see a difference, wether it is to keep it healthy or growing it out.