7 Reasons Why Your Natural Hair Isn't Growing

@_stepbysteph

Whether you’re experiencing thinning, just can’t get past shoulder length, or have chronically troublesome ends, there are several reasons why you may be experiencing stunted or slowed hair growth. The frustration brought on from trying to figure out what the problem may be could make your issues worse, stressing out your roots and strands further. If you’ve been racking your mind for answers, here are 7 reasons your natural hair may seem to not be growing. 

You’re Stressed

Stress can be a huge contributing factor to why your hair isn’t growing. Stress can affect your whole body, including your skin, your nails, your digestive system, and even your hair.  It pushes your follicles into a resting stage where they halt all growth and/or stop producing new strands. This can lead to thinning, breakage, or even balding. 

If stress is your issue, you should begin looking into stress reduction practices like yoga or exercise. You can also try things like meditation or even change your diet. 

You’re Behind On Your Trims

Though slowed growth may make you unwilling to part with any of your length, your issue could possibly be that you aren’t trimming your ends enough. Most stylists would tell you to trim your hair every 6 to 8 weeks. If you haven’t gotten a trim in over a year, your ends are likely constantly breaking. This will lead to your hair appearing not to grow. 

If this is your issue, you should schedule regular trims with a stylist you trust. 

You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

This one may not be so obvious, but it’s a huge one. If you aren’t drinking enough water, that could be adversely affecting your hair growth. Similarly to stress, dehydration affects your whole body, so it’s natural that it would affect your scalp and strands as well. Not taking in enough water can lead to dry brittle hair and not enough blood flow to your scalp to promote growth.

The amount of water you need will be different from person to person, but generally, nutritionists say 2 liters a day. If this is your problem, increase your water intake and you should see some changes. 

You Have A Vitamin Deficiency 

Here’s another one that may not be obvious. Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals to perform all it’s functions. So if your body is lacking critical nutrients, it’ll start using the little bit it has to prioritise the most important functions, like keeping your heart beating, brain working, etc. Sadly, your hair is not very high on that list of necessities, so if your body doesn’t have the vitamins it needs to keep your hair growing, it will send your follicles into a resting state. 

This issue can be solved two ways. You can start taking daily supplements to ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need. You can also alter your diet to be more nutrient rich. Over time, you should see improved hair growth. 

Your Hair Is Too Dry

Dry hair is a fairly recognizable culprit. When hair is dry, it’s weak and tends towards breakage. This kind of constant breakage makes it impossible to retain any length, whether you’re keeping up with your trims or not. 

Your hair could be dry for a variety of reasons. The answers you seek likely lie in your porosity. High porosity hair can take in moisture quickly, but loses it just as fast. Low porosity hair takes to moisture slowly, but can lock it in for long periods of time. And mid porosity hair is the happy medium between both of these. You can test to find your hair’s porosity by dropping a few strands in a glass of warm water. If the strands float, you have low porosity. If they sink quickly, you have high porosity. And if it sits in the middle, you have mid porosity. 

Once you know your hair’s porosity, you can find a moisture routine that would serve you best. 

You Aren’t Washing Your Hair Enough

This reason is an offshoot of the previous one. Not washing your hair enough can lead to build up on your scalp and strands, which can prevent moisture from getting in, leading to dry and brittle hair that breaks easily. 

Everyone is different, so you should base your wash schedule on your lifestyle. Whatever makes sense for you, keeping your hair clean will help you keep it moisturized. We recommend our DETOX Clarifying & Detoxifying shampoo if you’re going long periods of time without a wash. 

It May Be Genetics 

Lastly, and possibly the most frustrating reason, it may just be your genetics. Things like thinning and balding tend to run in families. If nothing you’ve tried has worked, you could see a dermatologist to see if there are any serious problems. 

You could be dealing with one or more of these issues at once. It’s important that we listen to our hair and take the holistic health of our bodies into account. We hope these reasons helped clear some things up!

@naturally_ray

Do you know of more possible reasons for stunted or slowed natural hair growth? Share in the comments.