Hello everyone, I am happy to be writing this blog post on 3 techniques that I have found to be most effective for retaining length and growing out our hair. This blog post is in collaboration with my darling Lade of Rehairducation (our very own Rapunzel), who shares the 3 techniques she has implemented to grow her hair to waist length, to find out more – please visit the link here.

Growing hair comprises of two elements; length retention and the actual hair growth itself. Now for our hair to grow long and healthy it is important that we adequately retain length. Retaining length is simply our ability to keep the amount of hair that we have grown on our heads. So when you find that your hair has been breaking off excessively that means that you are not effectively retaining length.

It is also important that the hairs from our follicles actually sprout and grow – this is the actual hair growth itself. You may notice that there are times when your hair might not seem to be growing as fast as it could. For example, if you have relaxed or texlaxed hair there would be times when you get your hair relaxed and you have more new growth and other times when you do not have as much. There are also times when you might have a bald spot or non-existent or sparse edges and you might need some help to get that area of your hair to grow back again.


So without further ado I bring to you, my very own best methods for retaining length and improving hair growth:

1. Massage a Growth Aid into your Scalp: There are times when your hair may not be growing as fast or as much as it could due to stress, hormonal imbalance, post partum hair loss, falling off your hair care routine and so much more. In these instances it is important that you deal with the situation if it is something that can be helped. So for example, you can ease your stress if you are a mum by asking for help when you need it. Also if you know that you have been neglecting your hair try to get back to caring for it (take it one step at a time and before you know it you will get there).

To also help you along you may want to apply a growth aid that will aid hair growth, this has worked for me when I need to give my hair that extra growth boost. There are several kinds of growth aids however this blog post will only feature the topical growth aids. A topical growth aid is any product that is applied to your scalp which will stimulate blood flow to the scalp and therefore promote hair growth. The application process for the growth aid is very important. It is important to massage the growth aid into your scalp in circular motions using the pads of your fingers and not your fingernails. The process of massaging your scalp with a growth aid has many benefits including strengthening the roots of your hair, conditioning the scalp and helping circulate the scalp’s natural sebum. Some examples of growth aids are Wura’s Secret Hair Growth Oil, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil. Using a growth aid will help with retention of length and promote hair growth.

Here is a throwback before and after picture. In the first before picture I was going through post partum shedding and my supposed big bun looked so dismal and my edges were non-existent that I had asked myself on the day after seeing pictures why I wore my hair that way. The second picture (I believe about 6 months after) is after I had used a growth aid – Wura’s Secret Hair Growth Oil for a while and my edges had started coming back to life.



2. Deep Conditioning with Heat: Deep Conditioning is the truth, if you want to grow your hair longer and retain length, then it is important to deep condition your hair. Now deep conditioning does not mean simply throwing any deep conditioner in your hair and calling it a day. Rather before you deep condition it is first important to determine what your hair needs. So let us say that your hair needs protein and you do a moisture deep condition, this will be counter intuitive. For you to therefore get all the crucial benefits and nutrients from deep conditioning it is important that you use the right deep conditioner for your hair at that particular time. Now once you have determined the right deep conditioner for you at that time; the next step is to apply the deep conditioner to your hair properly. It is important that you apply your deep conditioner into your hair in sections making sure that you apply the conditioner throughout the entire hair shaft and pay particular attention to the ends of your hair. After this has been done, and you are sure that your hair is properly coated with deep conditioner then you can cover your hair with a plastic cap and apply a heat source. I have a review of the Soft Hood Hair Dryer Attachmentwhich is an easy and yet effective means of deep conditioning at home. Then if you want to take your deep conditioning with heat to the next level you can use a steamer which will ensure that your hair adequately retains moisture and will also strengthen your hair by improving its elasticity.

3. Baby/Care for the Ends of your Hair: In our quest to grow longer hair it is important that we retain length and to do that we need to pay particular attention to the ends of our hair. If your hair is growing at the same rate your ends are breaking, then it will be difficult to achieve longer hair. So in everything we do relating to hair care, our ends should be properly cared for. Now let us go through each step of hair care and state how the ends of the hair should be cared for. When you are shampooing your hair, never try to apply shampoo on the ends of your hair and start washing away as this may lead to dry hair. Also while washing your hair, don’t apply pressure on the ends of your hair. Rather we should focus our efforts on our scalp – apply shampoo on your scalp alone and gently wash your hair using the pads of your fingers. In the process of rinsing off the shampoo, your entire hair will be cleansed. Also when deep conditioning, moisturising and sealing be sure to apply the product more particularly, to the ends of your hair apart from applying it to your hair in general. It is also important to keep the ends of your hair protected by wearing protective styles as often as possible.

If the above methods can be implemented you will be well on your way to achieving longer and healthier hair. Please don’t forget to read Lade’s techniques on her blog – Rehairducation.

Please share if there are any techniques/methods that have worked for you on your hair journey. As always if you have any questions or comments leave them in the comment section below and I will be sure to respond.

TONKA, xoxo



“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer” – Albert Camus