If you ask black women what they would like to improve about themselves physically, the most popular answer would probably be related to weight loss or fitness. The next thing on the list likely would be to grow long hair.
Regardless of race, hair grows about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch every month. There exists a misconception that black people can't grow long hair but there are two factors that play into that.
First of all, most black people have a hair RETENTION problem, not a growth problem. Our hair is very fragile because it tends to be very dry due to it's structure. It's difficult for our natural oils to travel down the hair shaft without resistance. Every bend or kink along each hair strand is a stress point and the hair can break easily at these sites if not properly conditioned and moisturized. Then on top of that, many black people add on relaxers that further damages the hair.
Secondly, in the case of natural hair, there is the issue of SHRINKAGE. And inch of hair will be more noticeable on a person with more loosely textured hair than on someone with curly or afro hair.With that said, African American hair does grow and for years, there have been miracle pomades and oils around that claim to increase hair growth.
Wanting long hair is not specific to race. Women of all races desire to have it and there are various things they do to try to achieve it. Health is a major factor in getting long hair. If you are malnourished or sick, your hair will be dry and more prone to breakage. Your hair may even just fall out due to shedding.
There are many products that people on hair boards worldwide swear give them faster growth. As promised, I will discuss three of them which happen to begin with the letter M.
1. MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane)
MSM is usually advertised to support healthy joints and muscles but a side effect seems to be longer hair. It is considered to be a dietary sulfur which is found naturally in foods like eggs and meat. The problem in obtaining sulfur from foods is that it is denatured when cooked. Sulfur is considered a building block of protein and guess what hair is made of???
Some say that MSM outright makes the hair grow faster in a shorter period of time. But others say that MSM doesn't have a direct effect on the rate of hair growth. Instead, MSM lengthens the amount of time your hair is in anagen phase (or active growth). The length of this phase is determined by genetics, which is a contributing factor to why some can grow super long hair and others can't.
Theoretically if your anagen phase is naturally two years (and your hair grows 1/2 inch monthly), the longest your hair will grow is 12 inches before it sheds---that is, if it doesn't break off or isn't cut before that point. MSM would work (supposedly) by extending the anagen phase to 4 years (as an example), so that each strand is able to grow 24 inches before falling out.
2. Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical medication which halts hair loss and generates hair growth. You probably know it best as the main ingredient in Rogaine for balding. No one is too sure exactly how Minoxidil works but it was first marketed as an oral drug for high blood pressure. Theoretically it may cause dilation of the blood vessels in the scalp which in turn allows more blood and nutrients to reach the hair follicle.
There is a woman's Rogaine available on the market and you can buy it at any Walmart or drugstore.
Click the pic to see reviews and check out the product.
3. Monistat (Miconazole Nitrate). Yes, Monistat.
This may be the most controversial thing women are using to make their hair grow. No one knows exactly how it works but it's speculated that the Monistat (or MN) reduces fungal growth on the scalp which allows for hair to grow. I don't know. But lots of women believe in it.
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