Condensed Guide

Heather Katsonga-Woodwardwww.NenoNatural.com

How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Hair

How To Grow Long, Healthy Hair

Get the full version of this book at:NenoNatural.com/FreeInfo

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The Hair Rule

Since I started managing natural hair in early 2011 I have learnt that there is only

one rule:

You are theQUEEN of YOUR

KINKS, CURLS & COILS

Any tips you hear from anybody are suggestive;

you can try them, but if they don’t work for you,

ditch them!NenoNatural.com 3

Table of Contents – Of Full Version

Introduction..............................4Hair Types.................................5Growth Potential .....................6Maximum Hair Growth………....71. Detangling.............................82. Wash & Condition................113. Chemicals to Avoid..............164. Moisturizing Dry Hair.........215. Stimulating Growth........ ....316. Heat and Your Hair............347. Nutrition..............................388. Combing and Handling…...429. Sleeping...............................4510. Hair Styles for Length.......48

11. Braiding...............................5012. Weather..............................5313. Frizz Control......................5514. Trimming………………….…….6115. Building A Regimen…..……6516. Products……………….….………71

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Introduction In March 2011 I encountered severe hair breakage for

no apparent reason. I got scared, stopped relaxing my hair and decided to

transition to natural hair. 18 months later, I could tie my hair all in one place and

importantly, it looked healthy. Here, I share everything I learnt about growing long,

healthy hair.

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18 months natural

Hair Types Natural hair comes in four main "types”: 1, 2, 3 and 4. Type 1 is completely straight hair. It doesn’t have any

subsets. Most black people have type 4 hair. This can be further

broken down into: 4a, 4b, 4c. Some have more loosely curled 3C hair.

The type in itself does not matter. What does matter is the impact of type on how the hair should be handled.

All type 4 hair is very curly/kinky but type 4C is the most kinky and most vulnerable to breakage.

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Growth Potential If you have very kinky hair, treat it with great care and

reverence. Kinky, curly and coily hair is a little more prone to

breakage than straight hair because the bonds in hair are slightly weaker at the “bend” points.

Any harsh treatment or harsh chemicals will lead to breakage and will result in less retention of hair length.

On average, hair grows a maximum of 0.5 inches per month. You can expect 3 to 5 inches of growth per year (after trimming).

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Maximum Hair Growth Hair does not grow forever. On average the growth cycle is 4 to 7 years. This limit is

set by genetics and cannot be changed. The growth cycle can be as short as 1 year and as long

as 10 years! If your growth rate is 4 inches/year and your genetic

limit is 5 years the maximum you can achieve is 20 inches of hair (before trims).

If you have fast hair growth of 6 inches/year but your cycle is only one year, your hair will not grow beyond 6 inches. A little less with trims to keep the ends neat.

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Almost 3 years natural

1. DETANGLING

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Detangling

Detangling is the one crucial stage of natural hair management that does not exist when you have relaxed hair.

Detangling tips:o Only detangle moist plasticized hair.o Finger-detangle first.o Use a wide-tooth comb not a rattail

comb.

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2. WASH & CONDITION

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Wash & Condition

Kinky, curly and coily hair is very vulnerable to dryness.

A wash every 7 to 10 days with a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo is enough.

Co-washing in-between shampoo days is great if you want to wash more often.

The longer your hair gets, the less often you need to wash it because hair tangles become a big issue and the dry hair problem worsens.NenoNatural.com 12

3. CHEMICALS TO AVOID

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Chemicals to Avoid

The only way to verify the quality of a product is to read the label and understand the ingredients.

Some ingredients dry out and tangle hair.

Some ingredients are bad for co-wash only regimens.

Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks.You’ll normally get better quality

from companies dedicated to natural hair rather than relaxed hair manufacturers monetizing the “natural” opportunity.

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4. MOISTURIZING DRY HAIR:NO MORE DRY HAIR!

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Moisturizing Dry Hair: Water

Water is the supreme moisturiser.

DEEP condition weekly with a proper deep conditioner to replenish hair.

Use pH balanced products.

Seal hair moisture in using the LOC or LCO method.

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Spray bottles

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5. STIMULATING GROWTH

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Stimulating Hair Growth

Use essential oils to stimulate hair growth.

Great essential oils for hair include:o Cedarwoodo Lavendero Rosemaryo Thyme

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6. HEAT AND YOUR HAIR

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Going Heat Free

Use heat cautiously.Heat damaged hair loses

it’s kinky, curly form.Heat damage is not

reversible and will ultimately have to be cut off because the straight strands won’t blend with your kinks and curls.

Excessive heat use is likely to also lead to increased rates of hair breakage.

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7. NUTRITION

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Nutrition

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A healthy diet is key to growing long, healthy hair.

A nutritional supplement will help but it won’t make up for an atrocious diet.

A supplement will normally make more difference in winter when it’s hard to get enough vitamin-D.

8. COMBING AND HANDLING

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Dry Hair HATES Combs!

Avoid combing dry hair, it’s likely to break.

…but wet hair is also weaker than dry hair.

Damp / well moisturized hair is best suited to combing for naturally kinky or curly hair.

Finger detangle before using any combs or brushes.

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9. SLEEPING

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Sleeping

Twist your hair before bed to avoid matted, tangled hair.

To prevent breakage from friction with your pillow/mattress sleep on a satin pillowcase or with a satin cap on your head.

Cotton pillowcase are not ideal for natural hair – too much friction.

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10. HAIR STYLES FOR LENGTH

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Hair Styles For Length

Protective hairstyles will help you to retain more hair length.

Protective styles are hair styles that involve pulling your hair up so it doesn’t rub against clothing and (ideally) hides the hair ends, e.g. braids or updos.

Protective styles are most critical when the weather is bad, i.e. extremely hot, very cold, windy or raining.

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11. BRAIDING

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Braiding To Grow Hair

Thin or heavy braids will pull out your hair, avoid them.

Braid hair when it is at its strongest not when it is already weak and damaged.

Don’t neglect your hair whilst it’s braided.

Wash and deep condition braided hair weekly and moisturize it too!

Try not to keep braids in for over 8 to 9 weeks.

Give hair a break between extensions – at least two weeks before rebraiding.

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12. WEATHER

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Weather

During winter wear hats and scarves when you are outside. This is the single best thing you can do for your hair during winter months.

When you are on a long-haul flight take a hat or even better, your satin night cap, onto the plane with you!

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13. FRIZZ CONTROL!

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Frizz Control

Don't rub or ruffle your hair dry: o Pat dry with a

cotton shirt or microfiber towel.

oOr squeeze water gently down your hair. Section hair to make this squeezing easier.

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(just over a year natural)

14. TRIMMING

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How To Trim Natural Hair• When to do it: on wash day. • What type of scissors to use: very sharp ones.

• How to do it:o After you have rinsed out both shampoo and conditioner, apply your

leave-in conditioner or moisturizer.o Using a wide-tooth comb make sure your hair is well detangled

before you twist it for air drying.o Twist your whole head. Once twisted trim the end of each twist.

• Will your hair be even? It will be even enough.

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http://youtu.be/BzfShdBPjKI

15. BUILDING A REGIMEN

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Other People’s Regimens

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To help you formulate your own regimen, check out regimens of other naturals at: o NenoNatural.com/queens

16. PRODUCTS

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Products

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Commercial products recommended by Neno Natural Facebook fans are at:o NenoNatural.com/Products

Struggling to find good products? Make your own: NenoNatural.com/TV

These productsdo not exist, they’re my

fantasy!

Welcome to Neno NaturalAnd thanks for being a supporter!

You’ll see this guy in some of my YouTube videos – he’s my biggest fan and husband – watches every single video I

make, reads every blog.

NenoNatural.com 41Harry Heather

How To Grow Long, Healthy Hair

Get the full version of this book at:NenoNatural.com/FreeInfo

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The full version is longer and has more

content on each page.