How To Grow And Retain Natural Wavy Hair

The best time to detangle your hairis when you are in the shower, it is fully saturated, and you have applied enough conditioner to make it feel as slippery as seaweed.

Use a gentle brush like a Tangle Teezer or wide-tooth comb and start from the ends, working your way up to the roots. Make sure you are using the right type of hair products for curly hair, especially a good quality conditioner. Merwave’s repair conditioner is silicone and sulphate free and designed to repair your hair.

Yes, you may not like this advice but your hair will thank you if you get rid of those scraggly ends!

Your split ends will not disappear -in fact they will continue to split up the hair shaft. No amounts of wavy hair products can heal a split end, just let it go and book a hair appointment!

If you’re using a normal bath towel to dry your hair, please stop!

This towel can cause friction which will increase split ends. Instead try using a cotton t-shirt or micro fiber towel to PLOP your hair. This article breaks down how you can plop properly. 

If you crave natural, beautiful locks then you must choose the best hair products for curls and waves. This means avoiding harsh ingredients that will dry your hair out. 

Sulphates may strip away too much moisture, leaving your hair dry and unhealthy. They may also make the scalp dry and prone to irritation. Parabens can irritate your scalp, cause dryness and even hair loss. Although not harmful, silicones can affect the weight out your hair, causing a weighty feel, dryness and hard to remove build up. 

Merwave’s 5 step wavy hair kit is free from all three of those ingredients. It is a simple, healthy way to look after your natural hair and bring out your waves without causing long lasting damage.

If you’re tying your hair in a tight bun or ponytail every day it can be putting excess tension on your hair. This can lead to hair damage or hair loss.

Instead try braiding your hair or leaving it down. Say goodbye to tension headaches!

On a similar thread, if you do tie your hair up, make sure you’re using the right accessories. Silk/ satin scrunchies, headbands or scarves are all less damaging to hair than a traditional hair elastic and tight headbands.  

Try to avoid anything with broken clips or as these could scratch your scalp leading to follicle damage.

You need to think about your hair whilst you sleep. Cotton pillowcases absorb moisture, leading to dry, brittle, and tangled hair, which is more prone to snapping.

On the flip side, Silk/ satin pillowcases, scarves or a hair bonnet are a great way to protect your hair overnight. Their frictionless surface mitigate damage and help keep your hairs moisture retained.

A silk pillowcase is also great for your skin too as they absorb less moisture and dirt.

This might sound obvious but if you’re healthy and hydrated, your hair will be too!

Let your hair be healthy from the inside out by maintaining a balanced diet and drinking plenty of water.

         Hair grows at an average rate of half an inch every month. So in theory your hair should grow6 inches every year. However, there are other factors which can interrupt your hair growth.

         We covered this in an earlier post but it’s definitely worth mentioning again as sometimes its what’s going on inside rather than outside. Physical or psychological stress can also have a negative impact on your hair health. It can cause premature greying to reducing the strength of every strand.

         During pregnancy (with increases in hormones) you may notice your hair growing more than normal. It may look thicker and add to your beautiful pregnancy glow. After you have given birth you will go through more hormonal changes which can cause your hair to shed.

         Everyone has a hair growth cycle unique to them and each hair strand has its own growth cycle. This is why you can probably notice different length hair strands throughout your head.

These cycles last anywhere from two to six years and you really can’t change this. It’s just your DNA!

       As you get older you will experience changes in your hair, especially during the menopause.

The older you get, the less oil your scalp produces so your hair may become more coarse leading to dry hair prone to split ends and breakages.

Keep your hair as healthy as possible with regular deep conditioning treatments. Try using Merwave’s step 2 conditioner as a leave in mask to provide the moisture your hair needs to thrive.

        Hopefully you’ve already realised the damage styling with heat tools does to your hair. But if you haven’t, here is a reminder…

Heat styling weakens and dries out your hair. Which will lead to dry, brittle hair which can easily snap. It really is a case of short term gains, yet long term sacrifices.

Try to cut down (or stop completely)on the amount you use heat styling tools. Make sure you are regularly conditioning your hair and using a leave in conditioner to try and fight the damage.

Also be aware that your hair will go through a transition stage after you ditch your heat products. Which means it’ll take time for your hair to recover. This article – How To Survive The Curly Girl Method Transition Period, breaks it down in more detail.

       To have healthy hair, you need a healthy scalp.

Switching your hair products to gentle cleansers, nourishing moisturisers and the right styling products for wavy hair will lead to a healthier scalp and healthier hair with less breakage and longer lengths.

In summary there could be a few simple changes you can make to your hair routine which will help give you healthier longer hair. 

The trick is to gain a deeper understanding of your own hairs needs and then build a custom routine around what works for you. This will involve trial and error (and some frustrating hair days!). Yet in the long run your hair will thankful for the changes you’ve embraced.

If you're looking to give your wavy hair the TLC is craves, then check out the natural 5 step system from Merwave.

Click here to check out how it works. 

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