Just as women of color come in all shades and ethnicities, our hair texture comes in variations too. Whether your hair is kinky, curly, wavy, relaxed, texturized, coarse, fine, short, long or natural, every woman wants healthy and gorgeous locks that grow. However, for many women of color our hair frustrates us. We just can’t seem to tame it. From hair breakage to hair that just doesn’t seem to grow, we look for quick fixes, like miracle pills and hair elixirs that promise growth. Hair growth is ultimately a matter of heredity, which means you may never have hair that flows down your back. While you may not be able to control overall length, you can maintain a strong and stunning head of hair. The key to achieving beautiful and strong hair is to keep both your hair and body healthy.

Feed Your Hair

What you put into your mouth can affect the vitality of your hair. Foods rich in vitamin B, E and C boost the health and growth of hair. If you don’t consume enough of these vitamins in your daily diet, you can use hair products that contain these vitamins or take the following vitamin supplements:

• Silica
• Promotes soft and shiny hair
• MSM
• Helps decrease hair loss by lengthening the growth stage of hair and retaining the root
• Evening Primose
• Moisturizes and nourishes dry hair
• Flax Seed Oil
• Helps growth and health of hair
• Biotin
• Helps hair grow faster and stronger

*These supplements are not a cure for hair loss, but can be helpful for some women.

Use Heat and Chemicals Sparingly

Applying too much heat or chemicals to your strands breaks down the proteins in your hair—causing hair damage and breakage. If you relax your hair, allow ample time in-between touch-ups. When blow-drying, flat-ironing or curling your hair, use the lowest setting and hair products that will protect it from the heat. If you have naturally curly hair, like many Latinas or biracial women, always let your hair air dry. Trying to blow-dry it or comb it will cause breakage. Remember to detangle hair using a wide-tooth comb before applying any heat and never pull or tug hair. To minimize the use of heat, wrap your hair using a silk scarf at night to hold your hairstyle in place.

Toss Accessories That Weaken Hair

Many of us do not realize how much certain accessories can weaken and break off our hair. Get rid of accessories like rubber bands, fine tooth combs and elastic ponytail holders with metal parts. Remember: bobby pins have an expiration date! If your bobby pins start to break they can entangle your hair causing you to pull it out.