Tips to Keep Dry Hair Moisturized

Dry, brittle, breaking hair can be characteristic of a number of problems with your hair. The most common reason most hair breaks is that it lacks moisture. Since the ends of the hair are the oldest hair on your head, they need more moisture than the hair at the scalp.

To eliminate dryness you want to use products that penetrate the hair shaft because not only is the surface of the hair dry but the innermost part of the hair is also dry. Products like petroleum and mineral oil are a dead giveaway that they are not penetrating your hair because after you apply them, anything that touches your hair gets stained by these products. This is a sign that moisture is not getting where it needs to be.

So there are a couple of tips that you should follow when you consider moisturizers for your hair:

• First, water is moisture and should be the first ingredient in a good hair moisturizer.
• In addition to moisture, our hair needs lubrication. Since oils lubricate, they should be second after water in a good moisturizer. Neither of these oils should be petroleum or mineral oil because they sit on top of the hair and do not penetrate the hair shaft.
• Finally, start at the ends of the hair then work your way up.

Moisture is a key component in stopping the hair from breaking.

Will Trimming My Ends Make My Hair Grow?

The answer to this question is “no.” The idea that trimming the ends of our hair will help it to grow is a long-held misconception. I cover this topic in more detail in my book, Ultra Black Hair Growth II. Trimming the hair is a maintenance step for appearance purposes only. Trimming can even out split ends, making your hair look neater, but it has nothing to do with making it grow faster or longer. As I state in my book, however, there are other steps that you can take to minimize or even eliminate split ends such as avoiding brushing, excessive heat and over-processing.

Along these lines you may have probably also heard that trimming helps avoid the ends from splitting all the way up to your scalp. Hair that is badly damaged by split ends is more likely to break off long before splitting all the way back to the hair shaft on the scalp. In this situation, trimming the ends will be of little help anyway. Moreover, I must say that in my many years of research in black hair, I have never seen a hair that was split from one end to the other.

Hair grows from the scalp, not from the ends. When we trim the ends of our hair, it has absolutely no affect on the hair that grows out of our scalp. Remember too that once the hair pushes through the scalp, it is dead. Common sense tells us that there is no way that cutting the ends can send a signal through the hair to the scalp to grow more hair. So I suggest that you not be so quick to cut off the ends of your hair. After all when you cut off the ends, you are simply exposing a new end, only shorter. Without the proper maintenance and care, these new ends will become frizzy and split like the old ones. I suggest that instead of frequent trimming of your ends, you learn to properly maintain them so that they can add to the length and beauty of your hair instead of distracting from it.

Is it okay to wear weaves while doing Cathy Howse's 365-day challenge?

The answer to this question depends to a large extent on the type of weaves you use and the result you are aiming for. First, let me explain my 365-day challenge. This involves using the Ultra Black Hair regimen and products during the course of one year to grow your hair 6” more or longer.

If you are familiar with my method for growing longer, healthier hair you know that keeping the hair clean, moisturized and conditioned with products that improve the hair are critical for successful growth. But what do you do if you just don’t feel comfortable wearing your own hair in the interim? Some weaves may be an option. The most common hair weaves are: sew in, glue on, and clip on. Sew in and glue on can actually prevent the hair from getting the full benefit of the cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning it needs. For example, because the hair is braided beneath sew-in weaves, products needed to keep hair clean and healthy are wasted on weave hair, by preventing sufficient product penetration to your own hair. As a result, important conditioning and strengthening benefits that the hair needs are wasted on hair that will be taken off and thrown in the trash.

So, if you feel the need to wear weaves while taking my 365-day challenge, I see clip on weaves as the best alternative. They are easily removed and re-attached so you have continuous access to your own hair and can provide it with the proper moisturizing and conditioning it needs to grow strong and healthy. For this reason, wigs are also a good alternative.

So it’s okay to wear weaves while taking the challenge as they can provide instant beauty and fullness to your hair. But, I believe that for the best results choose an option that will not block your hair from receiving the products needed for healthy hair growth. After all, the beauty and fullness of our own hair is what most of us are trying to achieve.

For more information on clip on weaves see the video below.