There's nothing as exciting as seeing your 4c hair reach and grow beyond your shoulders. It's a beautiful, informative hair journey that starts when you throw out haircare products that don't hydrate your coily tresses.
So...
In their place, you increase your stash of moisturizing and conditioning products so that there's less breakage and more growth.
Are you there yet, or is length evading you no matter the strategies you initiate?
Don't worry because we have tips on how to grow 4c hair fast, naturally. Let's get started.
How To Make 4c Hair Grow In A Few Months
We're not lying; you can witness considerable growth in a few months.
One thing we can't overemphasis is:
Moisturize Your Hair
The dense coils of 4c hair prevent moisture in the roots from reaching the tips. Therefore, you have to increase it by applying a 4C hair moisturizer as often as you need it. As you do that, don't forget to massage your scalp to enhance blood circulation and stimulate hair follicles.
Two ways of moisturizing this hair type are LOC and LCO. If you prefer the LOC method, you’ll first moisturize with a Liquid, then use an Oil followed by a Cream.
Here’s the process:
- Sprint some water/water-based product
- Apply a leave-in conditioner suited to this hair type
- Seal the moisture with oil, such as castor or jojoba oil
- Close the hair cuticles with a moisturizing cream
Alternatively, you can use the LCO method. Start with a Liquid, use a Cream, then apply an Oil, which reverses the cream and oil processes described above.
Without moisture, your hair will be dull, it will have frizz, and when you comb it aggressively, you'll see it fall off. If you have dandruff or an itchy scalp, get a moisturizer with vitamin E or other ingredients that relieve these problems.
Use enough as too much product may leave residue and add weight to your already stressed coils. This point brings us to:
Avoid Products With Harsh Ingredients
Walking into a haircare store often feels like you're in a candy store as there are so many flashy, appealing labels.
BUT:
Before they win you over with terms like deep-conditioning, natural honey, and organic ingredients, find out if there are some nasty ingredients hidden somewhere on the list. These culprits include sulfates and silicones that are even hidden away in gels for 4C hair. Shampoos with sulfates are too harsh and may leave your hair dry. Consequently, using such shampoos causes breakage.
You can also:
Use Protective Hairstyles
Some of the best protective styles are braids and weaves, as they reduce tangles and breakage from daily combing. They also protect your hair in summer or winter. Nonetheless, you have to moisturize your hair even when you've braided it.
Also, the hairstyle shouldn't be too tight to stress your scalp and induce hair loss. If the weave or braids stay on for too long, you'll increase build-up, breakage...
Avoid Heat Styling
If you must, position a hairdryer a few inches away from your hair instead of directly on it. On top of that, spray a protectant mist before ironing or blow-drying your hair. It seals the moisture to reduce the drying effects of heat.
Trim Your Hair
Urgh! What is it with split ends showing up just when you're growing 4c hair? They make your hair shafts weak, which increases the risk of breakage. You can trim the ends every three to four months. If you have chemically treated hair, trimming will be a fresh start since now you know how to get 4c hair to grow.
Detangle Before Shampooing
The knots get worse even after using one of the best shampoos for 4c hair since it shrinks and coils more when wet. Hence, incorporate a pre-poo session into your routine to add moisture to your hair to counter any loss from shampooing.
Use your fingers to detangle your hair instead of combing it as it may break. After shampooing, apply a rinse-out or surface conditioner to increase moisture, soften your hair and prevent friction between the strands. You can deep condition it every two weeks, before or after shampooing.
However, always deep condition damp hair for the product to penetrate the shafts. The difference between regular and deep conditioners lies in the ingredients, as a 4C deep conditioner has nourishing oils like avocado and olive oils.
FAQs On How To Get 4c Hair
Does 4C Hair Stop Growing?
No, it keeps on growing, but you may not notice a significant change unless you stretch out a coiled strand. On average, 4c hair grows about 0.9 cm a month, while type 1 to 3 can increase by over 1 cm.
It may also feel like there's no increase in length because 4c hair shrinks when wet. It's also fragile, so you're likely to experience breakage often unless you're following the 4c hair growth tips we mentioned earlier.
Why Does My 4C Hair Not Grow?
Our hair type breaks because of too much heat styling, chemical straightening, and twisted hairstyles. You're also likely to have poor hair growth after excessive washing as it dries your hair and induces breakage. Even more worrying is the fact that genetics may influence hair length.
To counter the issues under your control, add more nutritious foods to your meals, such as foods rich in iron, zinc, proteins, and biotin. Then, create a practical hair care routine so that you pamper it as much as possible and avoid breakage.
Here are some reasons why your 4c hair is not growing and some mistakes to avoid:
How Long Can 4C Hair Grow?
In a year, you can expect an average of six inches. However, lifetime growth is unlimited when you know how to get 4c hair to grow. You also have to remember that genetics dictate if your hair should fall over your shoulders or coil into a rich afro like The Jackson 5.
If you use a chemical straightener on your coils, it'll not add length but emphasize what you already have at the expense of your hair's health.
How Can You Care And Grow 4C Hair?
Create a daily hair care routine to moisturize and protect your strands from the environment or the effects of too much styling. Therefore, first, find out whether you have low or high porosity hair as the care routine varies for these two types.
Low porosity, the norm for 4c hair, repels moisture, so everything you apply sticks to the surface. Such hair needs products with emollients and humectants to seal the moisture in.
On the other hand, high porosity takes in excess moisture and loses it just as fast. It needs sealants to preserve moisture. That's why butter moisturizers are a priority for highly porous hair.
So you moisturize your hair regularly, but how do you take care of it at night? Sleep in a satin or silk bonnet to preserve moisture and eliminate the unsightly tangles you find in the morning.
On top of what you do daily, have a weekly and monthly plan. For instance, wash your hair not less than twice a month or once weekly, and co-wash it with a conditioner.
As we conclude this topic on how to make 4c hair grow:
Final Thoughts
Your natural hair journey doesn't have to be tiresome and depressing. It only needs information and a haircare routine suited to the needs of coiled hair shafts. Your 4c hair can grow by up to or over six inches annually when you eliminate all the products that cause breakage.
Your hair regime should also not entertain ingredients that strip off natural hair moisture. Further, be cautious of using too much product, hoping that it may induce growth when in the real sense, it's weighing down hair shafts that are already growing diagonally instead of vertically.
