afro growth journey

This store requires javascript to be enabled for some features to work correctly.

How to Grow Black & Afro Hair Fast! (15 Natural Methods)

Growing afro hair can sometimes seem like an impossible task. One thing is for certain, however, and that’s that it requires dedication and a whole heap of patience. Scientifically, black hair is the slowest growing hair type due to its elliptical shape and only grows about one third of an inch per month.

Alongside slow black hair growth, you'll likely also encounter issues such as breakage, thinning and shedding whilst trying to grow your afro hair; typically, this is due to dehydration. From intense moisturisation to heat protection, as well as increasing your vitamin intake, we’ve got all the tips and tricks right here to encourage your black hair to grow faster.

Key Summary

There are different types of black and afro hair but the common link between them is that they struggle to retain moisture. 

To encourage hair to grow it is important to keep hair hydrated.

Steps you can take to grow black hair quickly include regular hair treatments, a balanced diet, reduced heat styling, and scalp massages.

It is important to remember that hair growth requires patience and consistency. Hair does not grow overnight but you will start to see progress within 3 months.

Types of Afro Hair

The first step in stimulating greater afro hair growth is to identify which type of hair you have. There are three main types of black and afro hair which can be broken down as follows:

• Type 2 (wavy hair)
• Type 3 (curly hair)
• Type 4 (coily hair)

Type 2 hair tends to be thin but easy to handle, whilst on the other end of the spectrum, type 4 hair is typically very fragile (as well as being hard to grow).

Secrets to growing black hair long and fast

The secret to unlocking quicker hair growth lies predominantly with moisture.The natural waved or coiled shape that black hair takes means that moisture struggles to travel down the strands leaving locks dehydrated and more prone to breakages which, of course, hinders any growth efforts.

If you are looking to encourage quick hair growth, focus your efforts on hydrating your locks with naturally derived hair care, masks, and oils.

Other ways to encourage growth and promote overall hair health include maintaining a healthy diet that focuses on vitamins and nutrients important to hair health, reducing the use of hair extensions, gentle brushing, and regular trims.

Finally, remain patient and consistent. If you don’t develop a regular routine to support your hair health then the progress will not be as quick.

How to make black hair grow faster overnight

Throughout your hair growth journey, it is important to keep your expectations realistic. If you are looking at how to grow natural black hair in a week or overnight, you need to realise that this is unlikely. Although hair will grow within a week, it will be a small amount that is not noticeable.

When it comes to how to grow black hair, 3 months is a more realistic time frame to expect to see significant growth. So now let’s take a look at the tips and tricks to encourage quicker growth.

Step-by-Step: How to Grow Black Hair

Although it might not seem like it, achieving healthy, strong black hair with length really is possible, even if you’ve previously come up against obstacles like breakages. Follow these steps to help manage your afro hair and improve its condition, and start to see your natural hair grow in as little as one week.

1. Keep it Moisturised

As already mentioned, one of the biggest issues for those with curly, black or afro hair is that these hair types find it challenging to retain moisture, making your locks dehydrated. We’re all aware of how important it is to keep our bodies hydrated, but the same is also required for healthy, happy hair.

With the natural helix shape of coiled or curly hair making it a challenge for moisture to make its way down the hair strands, your main focus needs to be keeping your locks hydrated.

Find a set of designated products, like this Afro Hair Growth Set , which focuses on moisturising your hair at every point of the hair wash and care routine as this will help your black hair grow faster and thicker. A targeted set of products will leave you in the best position to see swift hair growth progress.

Afro Hair Care Growth Set

We've jam-packed this Growth Set with luxurious ingredients to give you a kickstart on your hair growth journey. We've selected our best-selling and hair replenishing treatments as part of the set. And because we really want you to have a great time, we're giving this set away for less than getting each product individually.

Other ways to keep on top of your tresses and their moisture levels include using a hair oil, applying deep conditioners and regularly applying hair masks, all of which work to combat the effects of dryness, keeping hair nourished and quickly improving your hair’s hydration levels.

An intense hydration boost is also a great step for fighting the effects of frizz which can lead to knots and breakages.

2. Not so Hot

It’s common knowledge that heat styling can damage hair by causing split ends and breakages, as well as dehydrating your locks. It isn’t just your hair drying and styling tools that can have an impact though; the sun with its UV rays can also dry your locks out. Vitamin E can help to provide protection from sun damage so aim to increase your dietary intake of this, wherever possible.

Keep heat styling to a minimum and always apply a heat protectant spray before use. It’s also worth investing in an SPF hair product to limit the effects that the sun can have on your hair. Another great idea, simple though it may seem, is to pop a hat on when exposed to direct sunlight.

3. Say No to Sulphates

Many big haircare brands use chemicals in their products that hinder, rather than help, the health of your hair. Sulphates are put into shampoos to create that thick, foamy lather that many associate with cleansing, but the lather in a shampoo isn’t what cleans your hair and isn’t essential to the product.

Sulphates are known to strip hair of essential oils and moisture as well as damaging scalp health. Stick to hair care products with naturally-derived ingredients, such as the Baobab Hair Detangler & Cleanser , that aren’t just kind to your locks and scalp, but to the environment, too! 

Baobab Hair Detangler & Cleanser

We prefer to avoid calling this a detangling shampoo. Instead, we call ours a detangling cleanser because it’s softening and moisturising while cleansing thoroughly. It also acts as your pre-poo detangler before you wash. Are you tired of that stripped feeling after you’ve just washed your hair? Wash your hair not strip it of its natural oils.

4. Gentle Brushing

The dry and frizzy tendencies of black hair can make it more prone to tangles and matting, meaning you’ll never want a brush too far from reach. But whilst it might be tempting to yank the brush right through, this certainly isn’t the best move for your tresses!

Roughly pulling a brush through knotted hair is going to place stress on both the root and hair follicle and can also lead to breakage and snapping, something which is entirely counter-productive for those wanting to see hair growth.

Divide your hair into small sections to make it more manageable and gently tease the comb through your hair. Detangling sprays can help brushes glide through with greater ease. Not only should you avoid yanking your brush through knots, it’s also much better to avoid brushing hair whilst wet. The reason? Wet hair is at its most vulnerable and therefore more likely to break.

5. Avoid Excessive Styling

If you’re keen to see hair growth quickly, then avoid placing your hair under additional stress through regular changes in hair styles. Whilst some hair styles protect the hair – braids, for instance – you should try to leave them in place for up to 10 weeks at a time. You’ll notice the difference in your black hair growth in no time!

6. Ditch the Extensions

In your search for longer hair, you may well have turned to extensions to help fulfil that dream. This could actually be hindering your chances of natural, long black hair, however. Traction alopecia is all too commonly seen by trichologists with hair extensions being the main cause. When extensions are applied, particularly when used with glue, it causes tension and the constant pulling can lead to breakages as well as follicle damage.

7. Wrap it Up

You wouldn’t think that going to sleep could negatively affect the growth rate of your locks, but if you're sleeping on a cotton pillowcase then this could be decreasing the rate at which your hair grows. 

Sleeping with exposed hair on a cotton pillowcase can encourage hair to fall out as well as causing friction which can lead to breakages. Use a silk pillowcase for a frictionless snooze that protects your hair and helps to maintain its condition.

Another useful tool to add to your hair care routine is a silk hair wrap. Silk’s smooth surface helps protect hair cuticles, and is a less absorbent material than cotton or satin so your hair won’t be stripped of its natural oils or moisture. This leaves your hair less dehydrated as a result.

8. Up the Vitamin Intake

A balanced diet is a key factor in helping maintain a healthy body, but the vitamins and minerals you consume can also play a big part in helping your hair to grow, too. If you neglect your diet, this will likely be reflected in your hair’s appearance, quality and growth (or lack, thereof).

There are a variety of hair-targeted multivitamins available to purchase but, of course, you could always boost your intake of essential nutrients for hair through your diet, too. Vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for hair health include:

• Sebum production is reliant on vitamin A. Sebum helps to maintain a healthy scalp and, without it, hair may become dry and therefore more prone to breakage. Find vitamin A in foods such as carrots, mangos and sweet potatoes. 
• Found in broccoli, spinach and peas, vitamin B helps with hair growth. B vitamins carry oxygen to the scalp so that the follicles can create new hair.
• Protect hair from sun damage by consuming a diet rich in vitamin E. Nuts are a great source of this vitamin, and also help increase your zinc and protein levels that are also needed for healthy hair.
• Low zinc levels can lead to a dry, flaky scalp and hair loss. Keep a healthy, balanced scalp by increasing your zinc intake with food such as beef, eggs and wholegrains.
• A hair powerhouse that’s considered essential to hair health. It’s actually a B vitamin but deserves its own section because too little biotin can cause brittle tresses and hair loss. Biotin sources include wholegrains, eggs and yeast.
• A lack of iron is a major cause of hair loss and could be affecting your growing progress. Iron-rich foods include red meat, edamame beans, dried fruit, and fortified breakfast cereals.
• Hair is made up of protein, so it’s hardly surprising that it’s needed in your diet to keep your locks healthy and strong. If your diet lacks protein, hair is likely to become dry and brittle which can cause hair loss as well as limiting growth. Eggs, dairy, nuts and chicken are all high-protein foods.

9. Introduce an Oil

If you haven’t used an oil on your hair then now is a great time to try one and benefit from the instant improvements to your locks. Hair oils such as coconut, jojoba, argan or black seed oil are ideal for locking in moisture and restoring hydration to dried-out hair. You could even pop a few drops of peppermint oil into your shampoo for added hair growth stimulation.

Black seed oil, in particular, is known for its naturally restorative properties (as well as helping to darken greying hair , offering an added benefit). It has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties that work to protect both the hair and scalp. It works to slow down shedding and hair loss whilst stimulating growth at the same time. Try this  Black Seed Hair Oil Elixir if you’re looking for black hair products that promote growth speedily!

Black Seed Hair Oil Elixir

This Black Seed Oil For Hair is enriched with Fenugreek, Brahmi and Bhringaraj ayurvedic oils, our first hair serum is your best bet to reaching your hair goals. Stop split ends, check. Stop itchy scalp, check. Help accelerate growth, check check check. We've jam-packed this little bottle with luxurious ingredients from the Caribbean, India and the Amazonian rainforest to give you longer, thicker, and stronger hair in less time. 

There are several different ways that you can use hair oil. We would recommend using it as an intensive, mask-like treatment once a week. Simply apply the oil to your hair, cover with a cap and leave for at least 20 minutes before a hair wash. It’s also a good idea to apply an oil to your hair after washing as an extra nourishing dose of moisture for both the hair and scalp.

Top tip : If you feel like the lengths and ends of your hair are starting to feel dry and frizzy throughout the week, run a few drops of oil through it to maintain hydration levels!

10. Deep Conditioners (and Hair Masks ) are your ‘BFF’

Deep conditioning and hair masks often help to support the role played by hair oil. If you are suffering from dry, dull hair that breaks and sheds easily – or, perhaps you're a regular user of chemical hair treatments that leave your hair a bit parched – then deep conditioning is the best choice.

If you feel that your hair is particularly damaged, then use a deep conditioner . For how long, we hear you ask? To start with, use the conditioner once a week but ensure that, once its condition has improved, you reduce that usage to twice per month. A hair mask is the ultimate intensive treatment for dehydrated hair that lacks moisture . Let these rich, targeted formulas hug your hair from root to tip and expect to see some serious hair growing almost overnight!

11. Daily Scalp Massages

Another great hair stimulation technique is the scalp massage. Performing a daily scalp massage stimulates the hair follicles to produce thicker hair and growth. Try introducing this for 5 minutes per day and see results in as little as 8 weeks when used with a stimulating hair oil and other growth supporting products.

Stress and anxiety can be a factor in hair loss. By introducing massage techniques, not only will you be supporting your hair and scalp health, but you could also be working to relieve some stress and tension throughout your body.

12. Don’t Over-Wash Hair

Regular use of shampoo tends to dry the hair out so try to stick to hair washing once a week. Moisture is the key to hair growth and if you are washing your locks too frequently, it can strip the hair of essential oils and hydration leading to breakages and damage.

If you feel like your hair needs washing more frequently than this, you could introduce a rice water wash. Using rice water is known to grow hair due to its naturally occurring amino acids. Not only this, but it increases volume and shine so it’s a complete win-win!

Whilst it isn’t essential to use shampoo every time you wash your hair, we would always recommend using a conditioner to maintain its health.

13. Regular Trims

It’s only natural that you may be apprehensive to give your hair a trim and lose some of the precious growth you’ve achieved, however this can negatively impact your hair growth progress. 

New hair grows from the roots, but you will only see results if the ends of your hair are in good health, so chop the dead weight by removing dead ends that otherwise will see your hair strands prone to snapping.

14. Care for Your Edges

The edges and ends of hair are far more vulnerable and damage-prone than any other part of your tresses. Tending to be much finer hairs, the edges will require extra care through injections of moisture from oils and other hair hydrators.

Braiding hair keeps the ends far less exposed than if hair is just loose and hanging down. If you use a toothbrush to comb your edges into place, then switch to a soft-bristled brush to avoid placing hair under unnecessary tension.

15. Consistency is Key

Developing a hair care routine is going to be key to your black hair growth success. If you are keen to reach your hair goals swiftly then be sure to create a consistent routine that you stick to. Steps we would advise to put into your hair routine include:

Washing hair with shampoo once per week.

Using a hair mask or deep conditioning, with a product such as the Babassu Oil Treatment Hair Masque , twice per week.

Babassu Oil Treatment Hair Masque

The Babassu Deep Treatment Hair Masque is an intensive protein-moisture balanced treatment that applies a restorative formula to the hair, using steam to encourage absorption into the hair shaft. It is jam-packed with Brazilian butter, Tucuma and Murumuru seed butters and revitalising oils to nourish your hair. It’s so rich and gets to work for longer, you only need to apply it once or twice a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to grow an afro.

There’s no real time scale when it comes to afro hair growth as it’s going to be dependent on the condition of your hair and whether you have type 2, 3 or 4 hair. Sadly, you can’t make hair grow faster overnight!

The curlier your hair is, the longer it will take to grow, and afro hair generally tends to grow slower than any other type with between one half to one third of an inch of hair growth per month. Dry, brittle hair is the most likely cause for your afro not growing.

As such, the best way to increase afro hair growth quickly is to work on having healthy, hydrated hair. Once this is achieved the length will swiftly follow.

Does Aloe Vera Grow Hair?

Aloe vera is a great natural ingredient to add to your hair care regime as it supports the dry tendencies of afro hair by protecting and boosting moisture levels.

Not only is it known for its hydrating qualities, but it also helps to boost hair growth with the presence of proteolytic enzymes.

These enzymes break down dead skin cells on the scalp that can clog hair follicles, slowing or preventing hair growth.

What are Signs of New Hair Growth?

If you’ve been on a quest to grow your afro, then you’ll be desperate to see results. Signs of growth to look out for include:

• Increased baby hairs or fuzz
• Dark spots, or specks, and shadow
• A reduction in hair loss and breakage
• Stronger, more manageable hair
• An increase in hair length

Final Thoughts

There are no quick tricks when it comes to afro hair growth, and consistency and patience are required throughout the journey. The steps above will not only improve your hair health to support and improve growth but also prevent any further hair loss and breakage. Build a routine around these steps and you’ll have long, luscious hair to be proud of in no time at all!

© 2024 Equi Botanics

Natural Hair Insights

How To Grow An Afro Fast For A Male

I look at the pictures taken in the ’60s and ’70s and can’t help but admire the afros that those folks had. Ever wondered what it would take to have an afro that looks like those the Jackson 5 wore back in the day? After some thorough research and talking to two buddies who have such great afros, I can confidently share exactly how to grow an afro fast (male).

The first thing we need to understand is that this is not an overnight thing.

There are no magic pills or concoctions that will miraculously grow the hair out.

The process takes time and patience.

Be ready for a long-term investment in your hair for it to grow.

Table of Contents

Can Anyone Grow An Afro?

Men who have an afro look so cool especially when it’s well maintained.

This can make someone start thinking about growing out their hair and wear a great afro of their own.

An afro is a hairstyle won by men with curly hair so it’s best suited for their hair texture.

Those with straight hair or other softer textures may not be able to achieve this style.

Not all men with curly hair can grow a perfect afro though.

Only those with hair that has tighter curls/coils can attain this style.

How Long Does It Take To Grow An Afro From Scratch?

I’d always wondered how long it took for Colin Kaepernick to grow his afro to that length.

What does it take to grow it from scratch?

First, you have to decide to give yourself time to achieve this goal.

Hair takes time to grow and this calls for tons of patience.

Growing out hair requires dedication and correct hair care.

This requires setting your mind right for the task at hand.

So, assuming you are starting out with a bald head, how long would it take to grow an afro from scratch?

Well, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair grows about 1/2 inch per month.

There are various factors that determine the rate at which hair grows.

These include factors such as gender (male hair tends to grow faster than female hair), genetics, age, nutrition, pregnancy, and overall health.

There are several other factors that affect the rate of hair growth.

If you are a black male starting out this journey with a bald head, it’s important to remember that coily hair is the most difficult to grow (for lack of better words).

This type of hair is also the easiest to get tangled, making it the easiest to get damaged, mostly mechanical damage.

Coily hair, therefore, needs a proper regimen for it to flourish.

Having said that, if you are aiming for a five-inch afro, it would take you about three years to get it to that length.

How Long Does It Take To Grow A Mini Afro?

As mentioned above, curly/coily hair is the hardest to grow and it takes time to attain even a mini afro.

It may take up to 6 months to grow about 1.5 inches in length.

Remember there are various factors that determine the rate at which individuals’ hair grows, so these figures are just general estimates.

One of my buddies, Andrew, had about 2 inches of a stretched-out hair strand after seven months.

On the other hand, Greg (my other buddy) had 3 inches after only eleven months!

They both started out with bald heads.

As a woman, I’m quite envious of the speed at which these guys’ hair grows, especially when I remember the struggle that women in the natural community go through while length chasing.

One requires patience and a good hair maintenance routine to attain the perfect afro.

The routine should involve constant care of both the hair and the scalp.

The following are tips on how to grow an afro fast for males.

Greg and Andrew have contributed these tips – seeing that they’ve managed to grow their afros in a relatively short period of time.

Constant Moisturizing

Black men have naturally dry hair.

This is because unlike straight hair, their curly hair doesn’t get an even distribution of natural oils.

Curls don’t assist in the process of distributing these oils.

The longer their hair grows, the curlier and drier it becomes.

It is therefore very important for men who want to grow an afro to constantly moisturize their hair.

This should be part of their daily hair care routine.

Hydration leaves hair healthy and not prone to damage due to dryness.

Stay Away From Heat

I’ve shared about how I suffered from heat damage just a few months after I went natural.

It wasn’t pretty and I now avoid frequent use of heat styling appliances.

Heat destroys hair leading to great damage and worst-case scenarios, it can lead to hair loss.

Heat makes hair dry and can even make split ends worse.

If you must use heat, do it occasionally (maybe for a length check?) and always use a heat protectant .

If you simply want to dry your hair after cleansing, set the drier at low heat settings.

Stay Away From Color

It’s best to avoid coloring your hair for it to grow as desired.

Dyes tend to dry out hair and this can lead to it being very brittle causing breakage.

This is the opposite of what you are trying to achieve – a healthy afro.

Hair dyes contain harsh chemicals like peroxide which bleaches hair to attain the color.

This is what causes the hair to dry up.

Additionally, the ammonia in hair dye lifts the hair cuticle up to let the molecules of the dye in.

Lifting of the cuticle affects the structure of the hair strands.

Trim Split Ends

This may sound like the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve, but trust me, it’s a very important step.

Get a barber who specializes in afros.

Growing an afro doesn’t necessarily mean saying goodbye to the barber.

Every once in a while you may need to have your barber sort out split ends that require regular trimming.

Split ends need to be trimmed constantly or they can lead to stunted hair growth.

Split ends can prevent hair from growing which works against your goal.

Once the hair has started to split at the ends, it can lead to constant breaking which undermines all your efforts to grow a healthy afro.

Hair with split ends also appears unkempt and even frizzy.

This is not ideal since the ends of the hair strands are the most noticeable and appearances are important.

These ends, therefore, need constant trimming to pave way for better hair growth.

There are people who know how to trim their split ends perfectly.

If you’re one of them, then you don’t need to book an appointment with your barber.

Cut Down On Frequent Shampooing, Condition More

Daily/frequent shampooing of your hair is not the best route to take when you’re trying to grow an afro.

The best thing to do for an afro is to shampoo it fewer times in a week and condition it more.

Conditioning is very important for infusing moisture into your hair strands and can be done daily.

Leave-in conditioners are perfect for daily use since they aren’t rinsed out (well, at least not until the next wash day).

Shampooing, on the other hand, should be done once or twice a week.

I wrote a detailed post looking at how often black men should wash their hair . Have a look at it.

Constant washing with shampoo can dry out your hair.

Remember dry, brittle hair breaks easily.

Most shampoos contain sulfates that strip out the hair’s natural moisture, thus causing dryness.

It’s best to buy natural, sulfate-free shampoos that are ideal for curly hair.

If you suffer from a dry scalp that’s itchy and gets flaky, you should look for the best men’s shampoo for a dry scalp to help you get rid of the itchiness and inflammation.

Your scalp environment needs to be healthy if you want to stand any chance of growing out a big and healthy afro.

Use The Right Products

The best products for growing an afro are the ones that use natural ingredients and are free from harmful harsh chemicals such as parabens and sulfates.

Harsh chemicals not only affect the hair but the scalp as well.

As mentioned above, some of these chemicals strip out the hair of its natural moisture, leading to excessive dryness that leaves the hair susceptible to mechanical damage and breakage.

Growing hair means nourishing it and this highly depends on the products used.

Moisturizing products that have water as the first ingredient should be at the top of the list of hair products you should purchase.

Products containing natural ingredients like oils, shea butter, beeswax, among others are also good.

Use The Right Comb

The best comb for an afro is a wide-tooth comb .

Smaller combs lead to breakage of hair because of pulling.

Curly hair easily gets tangled and taking out those tangles with a thin toothed comb will lead to damage and breakage of hair.

The general advice in the natural hair community is that you should not even be using a comb on your hair unless it has conditioner in it.

If you planning to use a comb, there is a wide range of afro combs available in the market to choose from.

Get A Satin Pillowcase

The beloved cotton pillowcase has got to go.

This is because cotton tends to absorb most of the moisture and oils in the hair leading to dryness which should be avoided at all costs.

Purchase a satin pillowcase which will help reduce the loss of oils and moisture from the hair.

There’s no need to spend the whole day moisturizing for all of it to be soaked up at night by the pillowcase.

I’ve been using satin pillowcases since I went natural and they’ve been great.

Wrap The Hair At Night

Bro, if you don’t have a silk or satin pillowcase, you’ll need to start wrapping your hair before you go to bed.

To grow out hair and have the healthiest afro requires taking certain measures.

Including wrapping your hair.

Get a scarf made of silk or satin to wrap the hair with at night before going to sleep.

Well-wrapped hair will not dry out and won’t easily tangle.

Tangled afros can be a nightmare to maintain and trying to comb them out every morning is next to impossible.

This is the perfect recipe for hair breakage.

To avoid all these, simply get the scarf!

Or you can go for a satin bonnet .

Drink More Water

I wasn’t planning on listing this tip (since it sounds obvious) but I figured it has to be said.

As stated above, hydration is very important to maintaining healthy hair and a healthy scalp.

Drinking more water is one way of helping hair remain moisturized and prevent it from drying out.

Living in hot areas requires taking in more water than people in cooler areas.

Hot areas cause more damage to hair and lead to dryness.

Dry hair is a no-no for afros.

Aside from drinking water, proper nutrition contributes heavily to healthy hair growth.

I’m speaking from experience.

When I changed my diet and started eating healthy in a bid to shed some pounds, I noticed that my hair was flourishing.

This was a pleasant surprise considering I hadn’t changed a thing in my hair care regimen.

And last but not least, patience. I honestly think this is the main tip here.

Growing out an afro takes time.

Let no one lie that there are quick methods of growing out hair.

There are no pills for this.

(The vitamins people take basically supplement the food nutrition I’ve talked about above)

Growing hair is a waiting game.

Be ready to wait for as long as it takes.

A good afro takes years to grow out and needs constant nourishing.

One way to nourish it is patience.

How To Maintain An Afro For A Male

The tips on how to maintain an afro for a male are exactly the same as those listed above.

The same tips you’ll have followed to grow your afro to the desired length are the same tips that you’ll stick to if you want to maintain a healthy afro.

Avoiding heat and color is top on the list.

Constant moisturizing and generally using the right products (free from harmful chemicals) is a must.

Finally, try as much as you can to eat healthy and drink more water.

Greg swears that this has really worked for him.

Some men want their afros long while some just want a mini afro.

Growing hair requires a constant routine.

Getting a daily or weekly routine is important.

For people who want to know how to grow an afro fast (male), the best way is to take good care of it and protect it from damage, as discussed above.

Give your hair the tender, loving care that it needs.

7 thoughts on “How To Grow An Afro Fast For A Male”

Great article….. I read this once every few weeks to remind myself of the process…. I am trying to grow my hair for the first time in my life, and this article gives me everything I need to know. Thank you for writing this!!!!

Thanks for stopping by Kaleb. Glad I could be of help.

Hey. Wanted to ask if I can wrap my hair the entire day. I typically use a leave-in conditioner everyday, along with Aryan oil, olive oil and Shea butter. I then wrap it the entire day with a durag. Is that OK??

Wrapping your hair all day is fine. It actually prevents someone from touching their hair all the time, which is not very good for the hair.

I love afro hair but just that I can’t maintain it. Thanks for this article.

I love afros so much but maintainance is hard. I had actually just let my hair grow without taking care of it.

Once in a while leave it open. I’m not sure it applies to everyone, but I had a friend who kept her hair covered 90% of the time in a tight turban. It was for religious reasons of course which is okay. One time she decided to leave her hair open and initially a horrible hue of brown but after a while got a nice natural black colour.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You cannot copy content of this page

How To Grow An Afro FAST For Black Women & Men

When you think of an afro, what do you think of?

To be honest, I think of the 1970s, shag carpeting, and bell bottoms.

The styles and trends of the past have started making a comeback, and afros are on the list.

The only problem is, how can you grow an afro fast?

There’s on magic involved, just care and patience.

But if you’re interested in growing an afro, here’s how you can do it.

Get A Haircut

If you’re beginning your afro journey, the first thing you’ll want to do is get a haircut.

When you look at someone’s afro, it’s usually the same length all around.

This is what will keep it looking neat and keep the rounded shape that we’re used to associating with afros.

By getting a haircut at the start of the process, you’re making sure that your hair can continue growing at the same length to help it take shape as early as possible.

Another reason you’ll want to get a haircut is to protect you from split ends.

I’m not going to lie.

In my youth, I used to think split ends were something that only happened to white women.

That’s because they were the only ones I ever heard talk about them.

Split ends can happen to anyone.

They occur when the hair shaft splits in half.

And while you might not think it’s a big deal, split ends can affect how your hair looks, feels, and grows.

When the hair shaft splits, one thick hair looks like two thinner hairs. 

These hairs usually split at the end, but it can travel up the shaft to the root which can lead to hair loss.

While they won’t affect how your hair actually grows, they can affect how much hair you’re actually keeping.

Drink A Lot Of Water

Most people say water is the key to everything.

Do you want to lose weight?

Cut out all the extra drinks you have (juice, soda, sweetened coffees), and replace with water.

The same goes for hair growth.

You want your hair to grow?

Drink water!

The human body is approximately 57-60% water.

Also, we should be aiming to drink the recommended amount of water daily.

There’s that target number we’ve been hearing our entire lives of 8 glasses a day, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. 

You should aim to drink half your body weight in ounces each day.

For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water daily which is a little over 9 cups of water.

The thing is, water is crucial to supporting the functions of the body, and making sure you drink enough water can affect your hair growth as well. 

Think about it this way.

When it comes to nutrients, our hair is one of the last places they go to.

That means that if you’re not drinking enough water, the water you are consuming will go to other, more important places first.

If you’re drinking 2 cups of water daily, don’t immediately jump into drinking your recommended amount, especially if it’s a large difference.

Gradually build you way up to however much you should be drinking.

While you might have to use the bathroom multiple times a day after making the switch, your body will eventually adjust.

Drinking water can make you feel more energetic, help curb your hunger (when you think you’re hungry but not), and help with hair growth.

By drinking your recommended amount of water daily, this can not only lead to your hair being thicker, but it’ll be hydrated internally and softer which can lead to you keeping a lot of your hair as well.

And while you need to keep your hair moisturized from the inside, you also need to keep it moisturized from the outside as well.

Keep Your Hair Moisturized

When compared to water, drinking water helps strengthen your hair before it even leaves the root.

Moisturizer helps after the fact.

Truth be told, hair moisturizers aren’t going to help your hair grow .

They’re going to help you retain your length.

They’re also going to help your hair look better and feel better.

There are a few ingredients you might want to look for in a hair moisturizer to really get the best bang for your buck.

One, look for water.

Water should really be the first ingredient found in your hair moisturizers.

Two, you want to look for glycerin.

Glycerin boosts your hair’s moisture content and strengthens the shaft.

This will help prevent split ends from occurring.

You’d also want to look for products with aloe vera in them.

Commonly used topically for sunburn, aloe vera not only acts as a great conditioner, but it can also help make the hair smoother and shinier.

You’ll also want to look for ingredients like avocado oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter.

Shea butter being the most popular of the three, it is a natural carrier of vitamin A and physically holds in moisture.

Jojoba oil is very similar to the natural sebum that our scalp produces to moisturize the scalp and hair.

Avocado oil helps add moisture and revive an itchy scalp.

These are all incredible ingredients you should be incorporating into your hair routine to promote growing hair.

If you’re on the market for hair moisturizers, take a look at our post on the best hair moisturizers for Black men .

And while this list might be catered to Black men, we all know that most of the products on this list are favored among women.

Invest In The Proper Hair Tools

The only way you’ll achieve the best possible afro is if you’re investing in the proper tools.

One, there are some tools you should aim to give up completely.

While blow drying your hair might be a big part of your routine, try to switch out heat with the cool setting on your tool.

You might still choose to keep your blow dryer on deck, but you should 100% give up your hot styling tools.

I’m talking about your straighteners and curling irons.

No matter how careful you try to be, you always run the risk of doing heat damage to your hair.

If you’re lucky, it might only appear in the form of split ends that you can cut off.

If you’re unlucky, you might be cutting off inches to get your hair to look healthy again.

Lastly, if you’ve ever used the comb side of a rattail comb, you’ll want to stop that immediately.

Using this will definitely lead to hair breakage and loss.

After getting rid of some bad tools, you’ll want to invest in the right ones.

There’s only one tool you’ll really need throughout this process, and it’s a wide tooth comb.

Between this or a pick, you’ll be able to smoothly comb out your afro without getting tons of tangles and breakage that a smaller tooth comb would give you.

Dry Your Hair Naturally

In the previous section we touched on how you should give up drying your hair with hot heat from a blow dryer.

What you should really be focused on is drying your hair naturally.

Using high heat on your hair can lead to making your hair brittle and damaged.

If you want your afro to be full and healthy, brittle hair is the opposite of what you should be aiming for.

What you should try to do is let your hair dry naturally as often as possible to prevent heat damage of any kind.

The only problem is that for some people, their hair takes longer to dry.

If you have low porosity hair, your hair doesn’t absorb water that well, making the process of drying very quickly.

For those with normal porosity, your hair will take an average time to dry for a few hours.

However, for those with high porosity hair, their hair loves water.

This means that their hair absorbs the water and never wants to let go.

This could lead to them spending an entire day or more waiting for their hair to air dry.

Because of this, I can definitely understand the appeal of using a blow dryer.

And if you don’t know what type of hair you have, take our Hair Type Quiz .

If you need to use high heat to dry your hair, use a heat protectant.

You should never apply any type of heat to your hair without a heat protectant, so make sure you check out these 17 best heat protectants you can use the next time you blow dry your hair.

Avoid Coloring

If you can’t tell by now, the way to keep your afro growing at a steady pace is by protecting it from getting damaged.

Anytime you make a chemical change to your hair, you run the risk of damaging it.

This can happen when applying a relaxer or texturizer.

The same holds true for coloring your hair.

When people talk about dyeing hair, they usually mean bleach.

Bleach is one of the quickest hair processes you can go through that will damage your hair.

Unlike heat, there’s nothing that can really protect your hair from getting damaged by bleach.

You just have to hope that your hairstylist knows what they’re doing.

Regardless, it’s important to stay away from coloring your hair as you grow your afro.

It will cause your hair to become brittle which will lead to breakage and hair loss.

Wrap Your Hair Before Bed

To be honest, everyone should wrap their hair before they go to bed.

There’s no better way to protect the hair.

One, you should figure out a style for sleep.

While this might sound weird, it’s necessary.

You shouldn’t be sleeping with your afro just out and about.

That could lead to tangling, and tangling can lead to hair loss when it’s time to comb it out.

Find a loose, twisted or braided style that you can quickly do to keep your hair together when it’s time to go to bed.

Trade In Cotton For Silk Or Satin

To tie in the above point, you’ll want to trade cotton materials for silk or satin.

First, start with whatever you’re wrapping your hair with.

Cotton causes friction and is bound to create said friction when it comes in contact with your hair.

That’s why you’ll want to use a silk or satin head wrap or scarf.

The material will glide along your head which will one, prevent your edges from breaking and two, stop hair loss that might be caused when it rubs against the material.

Another item you’ll want to trade in for silk or satin are your pillows.

Because silk and satin are so smooth, sometimes when I use a satin head scarf, it slides right off my head.

By making sure my pillowcase is also satin, I don’t have to worry about my scarf coming off in my sleep.

And if you need an added reason as to why you should trade in cotton pillowcases for silk or satin, they’re better for the skin.

But moving forward to keep your afro healthy and growing, make sure you use satin or silk products to keep your hair protected.

Get Regular Haircuts

The reason you’ll want to get regular trims is because of something we touched on earlier – split ends.

While they seem like something small, split ends can actually be detrimental to whether our hair stays thick and healthy.

Can you believe there are six types of split ends?

One, there’s the basic split which is most common.

This is where the end of the hair shaft looks to be split in two, almost resembling the letter y.

When your hair splits this way, it usually means that the hair needs more nourishment.

The second most common way is the mini split which is just a small piece of the hair shaft splitting away.

This is another example of hair that probably needs more moisture.

The third type of split end one could get is the “fork in the road.”

These typically look like a hair shaft has been broken into three.

If these are common among your hair, you’ll need to be a bit more thorough in your treatment process which might require a deep conditioning mask.

There are three other types of split ends your hair might be dealing with, but as a Black individual, you’ll probably get the basic split end or the last one we’ll list – the knot.

It comes with the territory of having curly, kinky, coily hair.

Self-explanatory, the knot is simply a knot at the end of the hair shaft and can commonly occur if we’re not careful with brushing and detangling the hair.

All these types of split ends can stop you from retaining your hair which will make the process of getting to your coveted afro take longer.

Because of this, you’ll want to continue with regular haircuts to prevent your split ends from getting out of control.

Make Sure Your Vitamin Intake Is Balanced

Similar to water, you’ll want to make sure you have the necessary amount of vitamins going into your body.

As discussed previously, the hair is usually one of the last things to receive water and nutrients.

The first step to intaking your necessary vitamins is through a balanced diet.

And while this is often easier said than done, you can also compensate with a hair vitamin.

Some vitamins and nutrients that are good for hair are B-vitamins, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron.

B-vitamins can often be found in dark leafy greens, whole grains, seafood, and meat.

As for vitamin D, the best source of this is the sun, but make sure you’re putting on your SPF.

Omega-3 fatty acids also promote hair growth and you’ll find these in fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines.

And one of the most common vitamins you’ll hear in terms of hair growth is biotin.

Also known as vitamin B7, you’ll see this in most hair, skin, and nails products.

To get a full list of some products to try, check out our list of hair vitamins .

How Long Does It Take To Grow An Afro?

Depending on how big you’d like your afro to be, the answer will vary.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), scalp hair grows about six inches a year.

That means, if you’re looking for those huge, fluffy afros, you’re looking at at least a year if you’re starting from a short cut.

You can’t forget that if your hair is naturally curly or coily that while it will still grow approximately six inches a year, it might not look like six inches.

We all know the issue with shrinkage!

Depending on where you start, your journey to an afro might take longer or shorter than others, but eventually you’ll get there!

Is Growing Black Hair Fast Possible?

I’ve waited to the end to break your heart.

Is it even possible to grow hair fast?

The answer is no.

No one has control over how fast their hair grows.

While there are things that might cause your hair growth to slow down, we can’t physically force our hair to grow faster.

The things on this list like drinking water, taking vitamins, and keeping your hair moisturized will allow your hair to be stronger and healthier.

Stronger and healthier hair will allow you to keep and maintain the hair growing on your head, but unfortunately, it won’t actually make the strands leave your scalp any quicker.

How to Grow An Afro Conclusion

If you’re looking to grow an afro, the first rule of thumb is to be patient.

Using the tips on this list won’t cause your hair to grow faster, but it will help you maintain the integrity of your hair.

Dry, brittle hair will lead to hair loss which will only hinder the process, so make sure you’re doing all you can to keep your body healthy which in turn affects your hair.

Similar Posts

Braids Vs Plaits, What Is The Difference?

To braid or plait our hair, what is the difference? Although many will tell you that braiding and plaiting are the same when it comes to black hair, there are some distinctions between them, especially when braiding our curly or coily hair. Growing up with braids, I did not know there was a difference until…

32 Short Hairstyles For Black Women, Regardless Of Face Shape Or Skin Color

Whether your hair is naturally short or you want to try something different and have a lower hairstyle, there’s one thing for sure: It’s not always easy to decide how to style short hair as a black woman. Chances are you have a few styles you regularly use, but what about when you want to try…

What Is The Difference Between A Deep Conditioner And A Hair Mask?

We all want perfectly moisturized curls, and of course, that all starts in the hair product aisle. But if scanning the shelves makes you bite your lip and think, “I’m in over my head here!” you’re not alone. Back in the day it was simple, right? Get your shampoo, conditioner and grease, and you’re out…

6 Best Extra Large Swim Cap 2024 For Dreadlocks, Braids, Afros & Long Hair

Have you got dreadlocks, long braids, an afro or super long hair? Then you’ll know how easy it is to despair when it comes to finding swim caps that actually fit. Most swim caps are so tight fitting that people with long hair have no chance of getting it all in. That means you either…

13 Best Dating Sites For Black Men

It’s not something that’s often spoken about, but different races can have better success on some dating sites and apps than others. If you’re a Brother looking to date, chances are you haven’t got the kind of success you want on some of the sites you’ve tried. While milage will vary from person to person,…

Hair Breakage In Black Afro Hair – Why It Happens & Treatments

Hair breakage in black afro hair can really be frustrating.  Not knowing why you are experiencing breakage or how to solve it is one of the worst things to experience when it comes to hair care.  Luckily, there are a few ways to deal with this.  In this article, we break down the causes of…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How To Grow An Afro: 9 Pro Tips & Hints On Acquiring One!

Last Updated on: April 9, 2024

When you think of growing afro hair, what is the first thing that comes to mind? To be honest, the first thing that comes to my mind is the good old 1970s when things were simpler and bell-bottoms were a trend. Luckily, most of the forgotten trends are making a comeback, and afro hair is no exception.

Unfortunately… 

Growing an afro hairstyle can be quite annoying. Irrespective of what you try, at times, you may feel like the length of your afro is not increasing. And that is because your hair is always dry, which is why you want to learn how to grow an afro fast. 

How Long Can It Take Me to Grow an Afro?

Generally, there is no straight answer to this question. If you want to determine how fast it will take to grow your afro, you need to first consider your hair type, the current length of your hair, and how long it takes for your hair to grow.

Afros vary in length and form; plus, the different curl types can have a huge impact on your hair growth rate. So, if you’re an African American, you need over 2 inches long of black hair to create afro hair . The simplest method to determine the amount of time needed for your afro to grow is by comparing it to your hair type.

For example, folks with type 5 hair require about 5 inches of hair to get an afro. On the other hand, if you have type 3 hair, you require 3 inches. You need to understand that these lengths are for individuals who have extended their hair and don’t need to attain these lengths to get the style that you need.

The average hair growth rate for human beings is about half an inch per month. 

How To Grow An Afro For Guys

The great news is that growing and maintaining your afro does not have to be frustrating or hard in any way. In fact, it can be very straightforward, leaving you wondering why you were worrying in the first place. So here are a few tips on how to grow out an afro:

1. Keep the Hair Moisturized

Keeping the hair moisturized is important for many hairstyles, but it’s essential for folks with an afro, especially African hair. After all, when the hair dries, it becomes brittle for a black man and starts breaking, which isn’t ideal for anyone learning how to grow an afro fast.

A proper hair care routine like moisturizing your hair does more than prevent it from drying out; it keeps your hair flexible, healthy and looking great.

It can also help you maintain your afro-textured hair. Drinking a lot of water before moisturizing your hair can also prevent your afro from drying out. Drinking about 2 liters of water per day can keep your entire body healthy. 

You can also use moisturizing afro butter to keep your hair hydrated. And depending on your hair type and moisture level, you may need to lower the number of times you shampoo your hair. You can mix your moisturizer with essential oils and massage your scalp for better effects. 

Massaging your scalp can activate your hair shaft and guarantee a long hair strand. Castor oil can also help improve the effects of a moisturizer and shampoo. Proper hair care can also help clear blocked hair follicles and give you healthy hair.

2. Find Out if a Conditioner Can Work for You

We have different hair types, including curly hair, kinky hair, and wavy hair. Luckily, some of us do great with conditioners, while others don’t. If your hair is always soft, you don’t need to worry about a conditioner. 

If your hair always feels dry, then a conditioner has a high likelihood of improving your hair texture.

Fortunately, a conditioner can prevent hair damage while giving you an exceptional afro style.

3. Replace Your Current Hair Tools

As your hair grows into shape, it will start coming together, so how you get rid of the tangles will have a huge impact on the final outcome. After all, a tight-toothed comb can break your hair and disrupt the form of your afro, which is not ideal for anyone trying to grow an afro. Instead, you need to replace it with a wide-toothed comb.

A wide-toothed comb can remove the tangles without damaging your afro in any way.

Other than a wide-toothed comb, your fingers can also come in handy when managing an afro. With your finger, you can do more than just remove the tangles – you can also groom the curls. Your fingers, a wide-tooth comb, and a hair pick can give it a natural look while puffing them out. 

4. Wrap Your Hair Every Night Before Going to Sleep

So far, we have covered many things that can damage your afro, and oddly, sleeping is one of them. Laying your head on a pillow can trigger lots of friction, increasing the likelihood of hair breakage and even adding fuzz to your afro.

Therefore, before going to bed, you need to wrap your afro with a scarf or durag. Durags have many advantages, but most importantly, they can protect your hair when sleeping. If you wrap it correctly, you will never have to worry about friction damaging your afro.

Durags can help protect your hair while it’s still short, but you will have to switch to a scarf once it grows.

There are a number of protective styles that you can use, like braids to keep your long hair safe before wrapping it with a scarf. The best materials for scarves are either satin or silk. 

Fun Fact : Know how to put on a durag to maximize the benefits this hair accessory could give to your natural black hair!

5. Get a Haircut First

It’s always a good idea to have a consistent hair length beforehand. Remember: you’re aiming at a certain length. But your initial hairstyle can have a huge impact on the outcome of your afro. a leveled short hair can work perfectly with both caucasian hair and African American hair. 

Therefore, for guys, you have to start with a short length to get an incredible final form. And once grown, you can adjust its shape to your desired form and size.

An even haircut of about 2 inches can guarantee you an exceptional afro, but you can still go a bit higher.

A haircut at this stage can help remove fragile spots and clear all the split ends that will break and affect your length.

Once the afro has grown, you can opt for doing an additional trim or occasional maintenance. If you’re impatient, you can just let it grow and get regular trims that can prevent split ends and facilitate hair growth.

Fun Fact: If you are the DIY type, then make sure you know how to sharpen trimmer blades either by sandpaper or stone! You don’t like bruising yourself or damaging your trimmer blades, right?

6. Dry Your Hair Naturally

Talking of devices that can cause damage and make your afro brittle, a hairdryer is one of them. Blasting high heat to a growing afro is like creating some brittle locks, which no one needs. Therefore, you should dry your hair naturally to prevent damage whenever possible.

Using a hairdryer once in a while is not bad, but you should apply some heat protectant spray before using it.

You should also use the lowest possible setting when using a hairdryer. But I would never recommend using a hairdryer every time since its effects will build up with time.

7. Only Use a Satin or Silk Hairband

Natural hair, particularly an afro works perfectly with satin or silk; you can also apply some coconut oil or shea butter to create curly hair. These materials are gentle and can get the job done without causing any long-lasting potential damage. 

With these materials, you won’t have to deal with hair breakages as your hair increases in length. Satin pillowcases can also prevent hair damage when sleeping.

If you plan on having an afro that can be tied to your face, you can work with silk and satin hairbands.

8. Never Dye Your Hair

Hair dyes are cool, but I would never advise anyone learning how to grow an afro to dye their hair. Therefore, you can avoid them for about a year as your afro shapes up. 

Other than adding more work to your afro, bleaching & dyeing cause hair damage by making them brittle.

Dyes can cause split ends which are harmful to your hair. So you should stick to your natural hair until your afro shapes up.

9. Consult Your Barber

Generally, hair care is always a priority, particularly when you have an afro, so you should consult an expert when in doubt. You have to consider many factors when creating an afro, and the chances are that you can forget some of them.

Luckily, your barber knows everything to do with hair care and is always ready to help you out.

They can also help keep your hair healthy by trimming all the split ends. Barbers can be the best source of info for men learning how to grow out an afro.

Fun Fact : Barbers don’t only trim your hair but also provide advice on the types of hair that might suit you. If you like trying out a 360 wave instead, then inquire about how to get deeper waves . Your barber will be more than glad to assist you! 👍

Watch This!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it hard to keep and maintain an afro.

Yes, it could be. Maintaining an afro can be quite difficult, especially for men. With proper care and a little patience, you can grow your afro with little to no worries. But make sure you wash your hair with shampoo at least once per week.

How Long Does It Take to Grow an Afro?

Scalp hair takes about 12 months to grow by about 6 inches. This means that if you’re looking for fluffy, huge afros, you’ll have to wait for about a year.

Can You Turn Straight Hair Into an Afro?

Yes, it may seem difficult, but you can turn straight hair into an afro hairstyle by either braiding or getting a perm. You can also do it by simply braiding your straight hair at home. The braiding method can give you crimped wavy patterns while perms create a tightly curled afro. 

If you want to grow an afro, you need to keep your head moisturized. After all, dry hair is not healthy, and it can break; if you’re not careful, you may suffer hair loss. But with proper care and a reliable afro hair product, you can have a beautiful thick afro hairstyle in no time.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Address: 92 Middleton St, Brooklyn, NY 11206, USA

Phone: 718-388-4737

Email: [email protected]

© 2024 A Smooth Shave - All Rights Reserved

ASmoothShave.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

10 Essential Tips: How to Grow an Afro Gracefully

The Afro hairstyle, a symbol of pride and culture, has captivated hearts for decades. However, the journey to achieving a glorious Afro can be challenging. In this article, we’re unveiling the top 10 expert tips on “how to grow an Afro” that will help you nurture your natural beauty and embrace your unique style.

10 Tips on How to Grow an Afro

1. daily haircare practices.

Daily haircare practices are the cornerstone of growing a healthy and beautiful Afro. Start with a gentle sulfate-free shampoo and a nourishing conditioner that suits your hair type. Cleansing your hair removes dirt and buildup while conditioning keeps it moisturized and manageable. After washing, use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair from the tips to the roots. This helps prevent breakage, which is crucial for Afro growth.

Additionally, consider incorporating a leave-in conditioner or hair oil to maintain moisture throughout the day. A satin or silk pillowcase can reduce friction and protect your hair while you sleep. Remember that Afro hair tends to be delicate, so handle it with care during your daily routine.

2. Choosing the Right Products

Selecting the right products is vital for Afro growth. Afro-textured hair is diverse, and each type requires specific care. Look for products designed for your hair type, whether it’s curly, coily, or somewhere in between. Natural and organic products are often gentle and can help maintain the health of your hair.

Invest in a good quality deep conditioner or hair mask for weekly treatments to keep your Afro soft and moisturized. Avoid products that contain harsh chemicals like sulfates and parabens, as they can strip your hair of its natural oils and hinder growth.

In addition to shampoos and conditioners, consider using a hair moisturizer or leave-in conditioner daily. These products can provide ongoing hydration, prevent breakage, and promote healthy hair growth. Don’t forget to read product labels and research ingredients to ensure they align with your hair’s needs.

3. Balanced Diet and Hydration

To grow a vibrant Afro, you need to nurture it from the inside as well. A balanced diet rich in essential nutrients is key to promoting hair growth . Include foods high in vitamins, such as A, C, E, and biotin, which are known to support healthy hair. Protein-rich foods like lean meats, beans, and nuts are also crucial for strengthening your hair.

Hydration is equally important. Drinking plenty of water keeps your body and hair well-hydrated, preventing dryness and breakage. Additionally, consider taking a daily multivitamin or hair supplement if your diet doesn’t provide all the necessary nutrients.

Lastly, be mindful of how lifestyle factors like stress and smoking can affect your hair’s health. Reducing stress through relaxation techniques and quitting smoking can positively impact your Afro’s growth and overall condition.

4. Protective Styling

Protective styling is a game-changer when it comes to growing an Afro. These styles shield your hair from the elements and daily wear and tear, reducing the risk of breakage and promoting growth.

Braids, twists, and Bantu knots are popular protective styles that not only safeguard your hair but also allow it to grow uninterrupted. They minimize manipulation and tugging, which can lead to hair damage. When choosing protective styles, ensure they’re not too tight, as this can cause stress on your hair and scalp.

Remember to take breaks between protective styles to give your hair some breathing room. This will help prevent any potential issues like thinning edges or excessive tension.

5. Trimming and Maintenance

Contrary to the misconception that avoiding scissors promotes hair growth, regular trims are crucial for maintaining a healthy Afro. Trimming removes split ends and prevents them from traveling up the hair shaft, causing further damage.

It’s best to trim your hair every 6-8 weeks or as needed. If you prefer to maintain your Afro at home, invest in a pair of sharp hair shears and follow tutorials on proper trimming techniques. However, visiting a professional stylist who specializes in Afro hair is often the safest option, as they can shape your Afro and address specific concerns.

Aside from trims, daily maintenance is essential. Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers to detangle your hair gently. Avoid excessive brushing or combing, as this can lead to breakage. Opt for a satin or silk bonnet or scarf at night to protect your hair and maintain its moisture.

6. Patience and Persistence

Growing an Afro is a journey that requires patience and persistence. Hair growth takes time, and it’s essential to set realistic expectations. Understand that your hair won’t transform overnight, and there may be periods where it seems to grow slower than others. Stay committed to your routine and remain patient throughout the process.

To maintain motivation, consider keeping a hair growth journal. Document your progress, including measurements, photos, and personal milestones. This visual record can help you appreciate the gradual changes and stay focused on your goal.

Joining online communities or seeking support from friends and family who understand your hair journey can also be incredibly encouraging. Remember that every curl and kink in your Afro is a unique part of your beauty, and the patience you invest will be worth it.

7. Overcoming Common Challenges

As you embark on your journey to grow an Afro, you may encounter common hair challenges such as breakage, dryness, and shrinkage. Addressing these issues is crucial to maintaining healthy hair.

To combat breakage, practice gentle haircare routines , avoid tight hairstyles, and use wide-tooth combs or your fingers for detangling. Consider using a silk or satin pillowcase to minimize friction while you sleep.

Dryness is another common challenge, particularly for Afro-textured hair. Deep conditioning treatments, moisturizing products, and the LOC (Liquid, Oil, Cream) method can help retain moisture and combat dryness effectively.

Shrinkage can be frustrating, but it’s a sign of healthy natural hair. To stretch your hair and minimize shrinkage, explore various stretching methods like twist-outs, braid-outs, or banding.

If you find that these challenges persist, don’t hesitate to seek professional advice from a stylist who specializes in Afro hair. They can provide tailored solutions and recommend products that work best for your hair type and specific concerns.

8. Embracing Natural Beauty

Growing an Afro is not just about achieving a specific hairstyle; it’s about embracing your natural beauty. Afro-textured hair is unique and showcases your heritage and individuality. As you embark on this journey, take pride in the beauty of your natural hair.

Building self-confidence and self-acceptance are integral parts of the process. Surround yourself with positive influences and seek inspiration from individuals who celebrate their natural hair. Experiment with different styles, accessories, and haircare products to express your individuality and boost your self-esteem.

Remember that your Afro is a symbol of strength and resilience. Embrace it with pride, and let it be a reflection of your true self. Celebrate your heritage, and share your journey with others who may be inspired by your natural beauty.

9. Lifestyle Considerations

To support the growth of your Afro, consider making certain lifestyle changes. Minimize the use of heat styling tools, as excessive heat can lead to hair damage and breakage. If you must use heat, always apply a heat protectant spray to safeguard your hair.

Additionally, reduce or eliminate the use of harsh chemicals like relaxers or perms, which can weaken the hair shaft and hinder growth. Opt for natural and organic hair products that are gentler on your Afro-textured hair.

Stress can also affect the health of your hair. Practice stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, or regular exercise to promote overall well-being and healthy hair growth.

Lastly, consider quitting smoking, as it can have detrimental effects on hair health. Smoking restricts blood flow to the hair follicles, which can impede growth.

By making these lifestyle adjustments, you’ll create a more nurturing environment for your Afro to flourish and thrive.

10. Celebrating Your Progress

Celebrate your progress and the milestones you achieve on your journey to a stunning Afro. Each centimeter of growth is a step closer to your goal. Acknowledge and appreciate the uniqueness of your natural hair.

Share your success with others and inspire them on their own Afro-growing journeys. Encourage friends and family to embrace their natural beauty as well. Consider hosting “hair parties” or gatherings where you can exchange tips, experiences, and celebrate the beauty of diverse natural hair.

Treat yourself to small rewards or pampering sessions when you reach specific milestones, such as achieving a certain length or mastering a new styling technique. These celebrations will keep you motivated and excited about your evolving Afro hairstyle.

Remember, the path to a beautiful Afro is not just about the destination but also the journey itself. Enjoy every moment, experiment with different styles, and take pride in the crown you wear every day. Your Afro is a testament to your strength, style, and unique beauty.

Incorporate these ten expert tips on “how to grow an Afro” into your haircare routine, and witness the transformation of your natural beauty. Remember, the road to an Afro may be winding, but with patience, persistence, and self-acceptance, your Afro will flourish, and you’ll proudly flaunt your unique style.

Ethel Manley is the founder of My Web Pal, where she delves into diverse topics with a friendly, explorative approach. With a passion for knowledge, Ethel shares insights as if conversing with a friend.

Similar Posts

How Long Does Henna Last on Hair?

Henna, a centuries-old natural dye, is celebrated for its unique ability to color hair without harsh chemicals. But a key question persists: how long does henna last on hair? This…

From Thin to Thick: 5 Clear Signs of Hair Growth

Are you longing for luscious, flowing locks? The journey to achieving your dream hair begins with understanding the crucial signs of hair growth. In this article, we will explore the…

8 Signs Revealing Your Naturally Wavy Hair Secret

Navigating the world of hair types can be a maze. From the sleek straight paths to the spiraled curly labyrinths, there’s a unique, less-talked-about terrain: naturally wavy hair. If you’ve…

Can You Wear Jeans for Business Casual? 10 Rules of Office Attire

Is it possible to strike a balance between casual and professional attire? The million-dollar question is: Can you wear jeans for business casual? This article explores this prevalent question in…

10 Natural Oils for Nails: Discover What Oils Are Good for Nails

Are your nails prone to breaking, splitting, or looking dull? Discover the secrets to achieving stronger, healthier nails naturally. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of nail care…

The Beauty of Marula Oil: 6 DIY Uses for Gorgeous Hair and Skin

Marula oil, often dubbed Africa’s beauty elixir, has transcended centuries, offering unmatched skincare benefits deeply rooted in African traditions. What is Marula Oil? Derived from the majestic marula tree, primarily…

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories

We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.

The Most Effective Ways To Encourage Natural Hair Growth

By Twiggy Jalloh

With stunted hair growth and hair loss a major concern for many with afro textured hair (and a major topic in the headlines, remember The Slap ?), the search for effective solutions continues. As vanity-driven as it may sometimes seem, given all the emotion attached to hair, and its correlation with what we see as beautiful, the experience of hair loss or stunted hair growth can feel devastating.

As fulfilling as the hair retention, health and growth journey is, I – like all semi-edgeless people – know the process can also be an arduous one. With myriad products out there promising the sun, moon and stars – yet often failing to promote growth from a single follicle – it’s all too easy to feel exhausted by the noise, or to just give up trying altogether.

The Texture Gap Report produced by Carra , founded by textured hair expert Winnie Awa, found that “the tighter the texture, the higher the likelihood of multiple concerns. Sixy per cent of Type 4 have four or more concerns, compared to 35 per cent of Type 2.” The report also states that “two our of three consumers with Type 4 hair struggle with dryness and slow growth”, and are more than twice as likely to experience breakage.

As someone with type 4b hair who has struggled with hair loss, I thought it was time to find out what really works, and what doesn’t. Now that I’m restarting my hair growth journey, I wanted to hear from the experts themselves. Here, four pros share how to prevent hair loss, and encourage growth.

What causes stunted hair growth?

It is crucial to be aware of the negative effects of aggressive styling. “From pulling hair back into tight buns, to detangling with force, to using a lot of edge control, to braids so tight you can’t move your face,” lists off hairstylist and creator of Manketti Hair Oil , Charlotte Mensah . “Keep it simple!” If your hair growth appears to be stunted, you may be manipulating your hair a little too much. Mensah suggests simple styles to take the pressure off hair and edges. “Start with two-strand twists and protective styles that can be worn a few times weekly,” she says.

Cyndia Harvey , founder of This Hair of Mine , agrees that excessive heat styling or chemical treatments are often to blame for damage and breakage. “Additionally, everyday stressors and environmental factors, along with harsh cleansers and product build-up, can disrupt the delicate scalp microbiome and impede hair growth,” she continues. “In more severe cases, this imbalance and inflammation can even lead to hair loss.”

While external factors may contribute to hair loss or worsen scalp conditions such as dandruff or fungal infections, there are a number of internal and genetic factors that we should also consider. “Hormonal imbalances, chronic stress and psychological trauma can also hinder the natural growth process,” says Mensah. A “healthy mind” as Mensah puts it, in addition to patience, is key to achieving the best results. Harvey says: “Ultimately, consistency, patience, and overall health maintenance are key factors in promoting healthy hair growth.”

By Laura Jackson

By Maria Ward

By Alice Newbold

“Each type of alopecia will have its own specific cause, symptoms and treatment,” says natural hairstylist and author of The Healthy Hair Handbook , Ebuni Ajiduah . “A very common type is telogen effluvium, or increased shedding. This can be due to weather changes, illness, stress, pregnancy or anything else that can cause the body to become unbalanced. While other types of alopecia can have links to the immune system and genetics or some combination of all of the above.”

“Dehydration is a key factor behind stunted hair growth,” shares hairstylist and loc specialist, Mars Wolf , who also points to the possible impacts of being on certain medications, or vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

What are the best ways to encourage hair growth?

The first and most important thing to do is to establish why the hair is not growing. “Getting the correct diagnosis for hair loss is the most important step in regrowing hair,” says Ajiduah. “Seeing a professional who is culturally sensitive can prevent misdiagnosis, and help to make the treatment plan more appropriate.”

Proper haircare practices are also crucial. “Using gentle haircare products suitable for your hair type, and being mindful when detangling are important,” Harvey says. “It is also important to keep the scalp clean and healthy by regularly cleansing it to remove product build-up, excess oils and dirt.”

The experts are unanimous on the impact of diet on hair growth. “There’s an uncomfortable thing we all seem to overlook, and that’s nutrition,” says Mensah. “It still surprises me how many people neglect their diet. Many benefits come from a healthy balanced diet – not just beautiful hair. This is a good place to start, hair growth requires a healthy scalp, a healthy body, and healthy hair habits to work most effectively.” Harvey echoes the sentiment: “First and foremost, maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet is essential. Consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats provides the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins for hair health.”

“Opt for supplements such as biotin, folic acid, and vitamin D – however you should consult with your doctor first,” says Wolf. “Fish oils are also great for promoting hair growth, and [look to] zinc, as it helps reduce hair loss.”

At what point is a hair transplant a better option than topical treatments?

If you have noticed thinning edges, especially as a Black woman, you may have traction alopecia (a condition caused by repeated tight pulling). The way to treat this is to change styles and use topical stimulants, or, ultimately, to have a hair transplant.

“If you’ve tried all of the things mentioned above and you’re still not seeing much improvement, then I would suggest considering going down the hair transplant route,” says Wolf. “Before committing to the decision, I suggest speaking to several different professionals and dermatologists to make sure it is safe for you. Like most procedures, there are health risks to be cautious of. It is possible to still experience hair loss even after a hair transplant.”

According to Ajiduah, those who opt for a hair transplant can usually to expect to see results within three to six months, but, she adds, no news is good news. “If the loss has stayed the same, or at least not gotten worse, this could be a sign that it is working,” she says. Of course, a hair transplant involves a significant financial outlay plus recovery time. It is essential to consult with a professional before pursuing this as a course of treatment. “Surgery may not be the best option for everyone, and a good doctor will signpost other treatment options,” says Ajiduah. “When thinking about transplants, it is best to choose a surgeon who is part of a professional body, like the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS), or International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS).

Recommended products

“Incorporating scalp massages into your nightly routine is a great way to encourage hair growth,” says Mensah. “Massage in a few drops of hair oil – in my case the Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil – a few nights a week. This will stimulate blood flow, bring more oxygen to the follicles and encourage hair growth.” In more severe cases, Wolf suggests speaking to your doctor or dermatologist about topical or oral treatments such as ketoconazole shampoo, which may produce better results.

Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil

Plantmade Inches Hair & Beard Oil

Centered En Root Scalp Oil

Feel Unique

T.H.O.M (This Hair Of Mine) Scalp Serum

This Hair Of Mine

Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil

Cult Beauty

Watermans Hair Oil

Nature Spell Rosemary Oil For Hair & Skin

By Lauren Valenti

By Ranyechi Udemezue

By Lauren Murdoch-Smith

Natural Afro Hair Care

14 tips on how to grow afro hair, everything you need to know about growing strong healthy afro hair.

Growing afro hair can be one of the most annoying things in the world. No matter what you try, sometimes it feels like it just won't grow, it's always dry or any other problem it can give us. That's probably why you're here right?

The good news is that growing natural doesn't have to be hard, frustrating or any of those things. In fact, it can be so easy that you will wonder what the fuss was ever about...

We have come up with these 14 afro hair care tips to help you grow beautiful afro hair quickly. They range from using a silk pillowcase to protect your hair at night, all the way to the vitamins and minerals required for natural hair growth . When you've finished reading and you know exactly what to do next, check out our list of our favourite products for natural afro hair . We would love to hear about your progress so get in touch and let us know what worked for you.

Photo credit: Thought Catalog

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you decide to purchase something.

1. Keep it moisturised

Dry hair is the cause of most hair problems. It can be frustrating when it seems like our hair absorbs anything we put in within 5 minutes. We can be chasing defined curls and just end up with frizz that we dread combing later on. Your main focus should be finding ways to keep moisture in your hair which include oils, conditioners and good practices. We go over some of the ways in other tips.

If you are struggling to find products that work for you and want to support black owned businesses; we have a growing list of black owned hair products . Check it regularly for updates and share the list to show support.

Learn more with our guide - 5 reasons to keep your hair moisturised .

Coconut oil and Castor oil can be great if they work for you. Everyone is different but some people live by one of these or even both. They are great for locking in moisture after washing and conditioning. If you don’t already, give one a try and see if it works for you. There are plenty of oils for natural hair growth including Jojoba and Argan , shop around and see what works for you. You can even use your favourite leave in conditioner afterwards depending on how moisturised your hair is feeling. Read our interviews with Blessed and Manna for more on this.

Author Abi Faniran has written a book called How to Grow Your Hair Healthy & Long With Natural Oils . It’s written for people who want to start using oils to correct problems they might have. I’ve written a bit more about it in the bonus section ahead.

Learn more with our guide - 5 reasons to try oil on natural hair .

3. Protective styling

We all know natural hair is beautiful and we can be tempted to wear it out all the time. Depending on your climate and how well you look after your hair, this could be a bad thing. We recommend finding protective styles that look good so can be worn out and do the job. Protective styles make sure your hair isn’t easily damaged by extreme temperatures which can cause loss of moisture and breakage. They also can make it easier to wrap up and wear a hat if it gets cold or rains. A benefit of some protective styles is that they can lock in the moisture so when you take them out you feel beautiful silky hair. Leah spoke about her hairstyles in her interview.

We love natural hair and we know we know there are different types of people in our community. Some will only wear their own hair, others are open to braids & weaves and will never chemically treat their own hair. The natural hair community is more open now so find what works for you and have confidence. If you choose to braid or weave your hair, your stylist might give you the option to buy your own braiding hair or weaving hair which can save you some money. The cost can vary a lot depending on if you go for human hair or synthetic and where you buy from.

Check out our article on box braids for more on protective styling. We've also written about wigs and the surprising benefits of them if you're trying to grow you hair.

Learn more with our guide - 7 benefits of protective styling .

4. Deep condition

Deep conditioning is key to replace any lost nutrients from our hair. Many people use home made products for this and base them around a main protein ingredient. Hair is absorbent and after a wash with no product applied yet is the perfect time for a deep condition. This is because there is nothing sealing/ blocking the absorption of nutrients. Tyler loves doing this.

Learn more with our guide - 5 reasons why you should deep condition .

5. Go homemade

As we touched on above, some people use home made products and we love this. Shop bought products contain natural products but also can have manmade chemicals that keep the ingredients from separating and to make them look pretty so we buy them. With homemade products we can rest assured that there is nothing but whatever we choose to include. It can be daunting but it is a good opportunity to experiment and find out what your hair likes. A quick google search should bring up some recipes.

Some popular ingredients we have come across include coconut oil, jojoba oil, raw shea butter, aloe vera gel and raw egg (yes egg) just to name a few. Speak to your grandma or aunty, you never know, there might already be a recipe in the family. Celai detailed her homemade hair tea, which she made with her mother, when we interviewed her. This one is great for if you're trying to figure out how to treat afro hair at home.

Learn more about the pros and cons of going home-made .

6. Don't wash your hair too frequently

You should be washing your hair roughly once a week at the most. Moisture is key for our hair to grow and a high volume wash routine can leave our hair dry and without protection which will ultimately lead to damage and breakage. Many people wash once a week and others wash once every two weeks. Tyler and Sharna talk about this. Find what works for you.

Learn more about how often you should wash natural hair .

7. Cut off split/ dead ends

While it can be tempting to hold onto all of your hair and wait for it to grow. Not getting rid of split and damaged ends can be stunting your hair growth. As new hair grows from the roots, the rate of breakage from the ends can match it. This makes it look like your hair has stopped growing. Many people are surprised that when they clean up their hair routine, their hair grows past what they thought for possible for their head. Don’t be afraid, just cut off split and damaged ends. Many people are fans of this technique, Sharna , Tyler & Manna feel passionately about this one.

Learn more about why you should cut off split ends for faster natural hair growth.

8. Apply product to freshly washed hair

As soon as you have washed your hair and dried it enough to stop the drips, apply product. The job of a good product is to seal in the moisture. If you are applying product to dry hair, it can appear moisturised because of the shine but you can actually be sealing dry hair which can cause damage in the long run. Try castor oil or a leave in conditioner .

9. Apply product before applying heat

Following on from above, it can be tempting to blow dry your hair straight after a wash just to get rid of the excess water but this is a quick way to damage your hair. The ends of your hair are more susceptible to damage simply because it is older and this is the first part that will dry. While you wait for your scalp areas to dry you will continually damage the middle and ends. To be safe, towel dry delicately to stop drips then apply product and blow dry if you have to. Don’t use the hottest temperature. Blessed uses pink hair lotion .

Learn more about why you should apply product before heat for healthy natural hair.

10. Wrap up your hair

Wrapping up your hair overnight is a must. The pillow covers will drain the moisture from your hair. Get a silk head wrap or bonnet of some sort. Some people can be irritated by sleeping with something on their head so a silk pillow case is an alternative. Ebonie lives by this one, it really useful for afro hair growth.

We've got a whole guide on pillowcases for hair care and it takes you through the differences between silk and satin.

Learn more about why you should wrap up your hair day and night.

11. Use different products for your hair and scalp

Hair products are great for protecting your hair and encouraging growth but can be bad for your scalp. Your hair and scalp should be treated differently. Your scalp wants to be able to breathe, it can get irritated if the pores get blocked which can cause your head to itch and even cause spots. Some of us are more sensitive to others. A healthy scalp can encourage hair, it shouldn’t be dry. Blessed talks about this in her interview, she uses pink hair lotion  for her hair and pure coconut oil for her scalp.

Learn more about why you should use different products for your hair and scalp .

12. Look after your edges

For some of us, edges can be really frustrating while for others their edge hair seems as strong as the rest of the head. Edges can be easy to damage because they are right on the hair line and are the first line of defence. When you style your hair make sure you don’t neglect your edges. You can use styling gel or moisturise slightly more frequently than the rest of your hair. Leah uses Eco-styler gel .

Here's some more tips on how to look after your edges .

13. Careful combing

Make sure your hair has lots of moisture when you come it. It is far easier to detangle moisturised hair and minimise self inflicted breakage. When your hair is dry, you could be used to combing as fast as possible whilst grabbing hold of the roots to minimise pain. The truth is, hair doesn’t have to be painful to come. Sometimes being wet is all that is needed but if you have extra tight curls try a detangler . Try a big tooth comb too.

Learn more about why you should detangle carefully for healthier hair and how.

14. Take action and do what feels right for you

The advice in this article is no secret. You would probably have heard of many of these tips at some point. The key is to take action, don’t be afraid to try out some of what you have  read here. It can be hard to break habits but that is exactly what you will need to do to grow your hair. To make it easy, take the tip that stood out most to you and try it first. Also, there is lots of advice all over the internet. It is easy to get lost however, everyone is different and what works for someone else might not work for you. Ultimately, you have to experiment, don’t be afraid to fail and do what works for you.

Here are some tips about taking action to get results.

15. (BONUS) - Look at your diet

It still surprises us how many people neglect their diet. Many benefits come from a healthy balanced diet, not just beautiful hair. This is a good place to start, the problem is that it can often be the most difficult thing to implement because our diets are a big part of us. Try to be honest with yourself and cut out anything that might be harming your health. Do research and find products that can help you. One thing we are big fans of is reducing your intake of dairy or cutting it completely if you can.

7 vitamins and minerals for growing healthy afro hair

Everything you need to know.

We need vitamins to grow strong healthy hair but which ones are they? Here's the complete list and exactly where you can find them.

Vitamins & Supplements

Vitamins for afro hair growth is a topic that has been debated for a long time. Some people live by them and see results quickly, whereas others don't like the idea and say your normal diet is just fine. There are plenty of hair growth vitamins and Biotin is the one that stands out for black hair.

It is part of the Vitamin B family and is required for strong healthy nails and hair. People with a Vitamin B deficiency often have thin hair and brittle nails although this is very rare. The vitamin is naturally occurring in foods such as eggs, almonds and some seeds.

You can get biotin supplements in three forms, soft-gels, tablets and liquid. The liquid biotin is popular because it allows you to control the dosage more easily, which brings me to the negatives.

Lots of people have complained that it gives them bad skin/ acne although want to keep using it because it helps their hair grow faster, so they follow these rules;

• Start with a low dosage and if you start getting acne, lower the dosage even more.
• Drink a LOT lots of water. Many people said this helped them. Set a goal to drink so many litres a days and make sure you reach it.
• Take a multivitamin containing other members of the vitamin B family. These are said to help your body break Biotin down more easily.

There is little scientific evidence that Biotin actually works and as I have said there are conflicting views on the supplement. Make sure to do your own research, read reviews and please be careful.

We have written a complete guide on the 7 vitamins and minerals you need to grow strong healthy hair so check it out if you want to learn more.

16. (BONUS) - Education, read books

Learning how to take care of your hair is something that can take a long time but once you know how, it will never leave you. It is something you can pass down to your children and share with family members. Chances are, they have very similar hair to yourself. My point is, enjoy the journey and don't worry about how long it takes to learn how to get there.

Reading books is a great way of learning about our hair. Authors spend a lot of time researching and editing them to be perfect so we don't have to go and scrape together all the information ourselves. It's amazing that we get years worth of effort in just a few clicks.

On Amazon you can search for "afro hair ebook", then use the filter to sort by best rated. I found some books on hair care techniques, the history of afro hair and even children's books to give them confidence in their hair early on. Here's the results .

Here's how and why you should get educated on natural hair to get the results you want.

If you have a Kindle ebook reader , you can get started straight away. If not, you can order a lot of these as a physical copy. Here's a few that are worth a look;

If You Love It, It Will Grow: A Guide To Healthy, Beautiful Natural Hair - Written by the best selling author, Dr. Phoenyx Austin, this book is a filled with expert advice on how to grow afro textured hair. If you want a complete guide on all the things that are good and bad for our hair, this is for you. Get it here .

The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care - As the title says, this is a deep look at afro textured hair. So if you are a person who likes to understand "why" you are doing something, this is for you. You don't have to be a scientist to understand the book, it is written in a way that anyone can pick it up and learn from it. Learn more here .

Hair Love - An amazing children's book that is focused on a black father and daughter. It's very popular so you might have seen this one already. If not, you are definitely missing out. Check it out here and read the reviews.

How to Grow Your Hair Healthy & Long with Natural Oils: Choose the Right Oils & Learn How to Use Them to Achieve Optimal Growth - Abi Faniran starts off the book by answering a lot of questions about why natural oils are good, how they are produced and which ones are best for our hair. She also covers the difference between oils and moisturisers so one definitely doesn’t replace the other.

In the following sections we learn about all the different hair issues and how oils help. These include hair thinning, hair loss, scalp issues, breakage, frizzy hair and so on.

It is a complete guide with over 150 ages of information where Abi covers 40 different natural oils and real up to date recipes to give you the best chance of getting the hair you want. It’s easy to read and is full of useful information that you can use straight away. Get it here . You can look inside for a preview on this one.

Shopping Online

Hey guys, we know our readers are from all over the world. Most of our product suggestions lead to Amazon because they have nearly everything. The problem is that all of you don’t have access to Amazon so if you see anything you like and want to buy online, you can try AliExpress who ship worldwide.

AliExpress - China’s answer to Amazon. Better for individuals, just look out for unusual pricing on products. Good for raw products like shea butter and essential oils.

Amazon - Here's the highest rated afro hair products on Amazon.

There are plenty or natural hair products and remedies out there. For some people, you will get lucky and it will work for you quickly. For most of us, it will take a while. The problem with hair is that it can seem to grow slowly. To see results, we have to choose something and stick to it for a while.

When it comes to afro hair growth, we struggle a lot more than people with other hair types. It's like some of them can get long health hair seemingly by accident. Normal products, washing everyday, a few trims a year and done. The great thing is that when we get it right, we can wear our hair like a crown and it is something to be proud of.

If you've been wondering how to grow afro hair fast, that's probably the wrong way to look at it. Your hair will grow at the rate it usually grows assuming you are healthy. What you should focus on is things like keeping your natural hair regrowth in tact. This means focusing on keeping the hair from breaking and falling off due to neglect, lack of a proper hair care routine and damage. The tips above should give you what you need to get started on your journey to healthy natural hair.

Like these tips? Let us know. Share your journey with us, if not with us then share them with your community.

Follow us on IG @naturalafrohair and Facebook @naturalafrohaircare

What are your thoughts on this article? Do you have anything to add to the list? Are you planning to try any of these tips out or has some of them already worked for you? We are always looking for black hair growth tips to share with our community and you can help. We have great article that lists of our favourite afro hair products , check it out. Remember to try the product selector , it's our new tool that lets you choose your hair type and it gives you personalised product recommendations.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you decide to purchase something.

You might also be interested in...

The Best Afro Hair Products - The complete list of products you need for every step in your hair care routine...

Cantu Beauty Review - Everything you need to know about Cantu Beauty and their hair products. Find out if they are right for you and what you should look out for...

Afro Hair Trends 2021 - A look into the popularity of black hair styles, trends and techniques for the past year. Find out how your searches compare to other people around the world....

Model, Artist and Musician - Natural Hair with Manna McLeod - We talk natural hair with the beautiful model Manna. We picked up some tips and learn about some new products. Can’t wait for you to read!...

FREE DELIVERY: UK, FRANCE & DOM-TOM!

Country/region

• DZD د.ج | Algeria
• GBP £ | Angola
• SHP £ | Ascension Island
• AUD $ | Australia
• EUR € | Austria
• EUR € | Belgium
• XOF Fr | Benin
• BWP P | Botswana
• BGN лв. | Bulgaria
• XOF Fr | Burkina Faso
• BIF Fr | Burundi
• XAF Fr | Cameroon
• CAD $ | Canada
• CVE $ | Cape Verde
• XAF Fr | Central African Republic
• XAF Fr | Chad
• KMF Fr | Comoros
• XAF Fr | Congo - Brazzaville
• CDF Fr | Congo - Kinshasa
• XOF Fr | Côte d’Ivoire
• EUR € | Croatia
• EUR € | Cyprus
• CZK Kč | Czechia
• DKK kr. | Denmark
• DJF Fdj | Djibouti
• EGP ج.م | Egypt
• XAF Fr | Equatorial Guinea
• GBP £ | Eritrea
• EUR € | Estonia
• GBP £ | Eswatini
• ETB Br | Ethiopia
• EUR € | Finland
• EUR € | France
• EUR € | French Guiana
• XOF Fr | Gabon
• GMD D | Gambia
• EUR € | Germany
• GBP £ | Ghana
• EUR € | Greece
• EUR € | Guadeloupe
• GNF Fr | Guinea
• XOF Fr | Guinea-Bissau
• HKD $ | Hong Kong SAR
• HUF Ft | Hungary
• GBP £ | Ireland
• ILS ₪ | Israel
• EUR € | Italy
• JPY ¥ | Japan
• KES KSh | Kenya
• EUR € | Latvia
• GBP £ | Lesotho
• GBP £ | Liberia
• GBP £ | Libya
• EUR € | Lithuania
• EUR € | Luxembourg
• GBP £ | Madagascar
• MWK MK | Malawi
• MYR RM | Malaysia
• XOF Fr | Mali
• EUR € | Malta
• EUR € | Martinique
• GBP £ | Mauritania
• MUR ₨ | Mauritius
• EUR € | Mayotte
• MAD د.م. | Morocco
• GBP £ | Mozambique
• GBP £ | Namibia
• EUR € | Netherlands
• NZD $ | New Zealand
• XOF Fr | Niger
• NGN ₦ | Nigeria
• GBP £ | Norway
• PLN zł | Poland
• EUR € | Portugal
• EUR € | Réunion
• RON Lei | Romania
• RWF FRw | Rwanda
• STD Db | São Tomé & Príncipe
• XOF Fr | Senegal
• GBP £ | Seychelles
• SLL Le | Sierra Leone
• SGD $ | Singapore
• EUR € | Slovakia
• EUR € | Slovenia
• GBP £ | Somalia
• GBP £ | South Africa
• KRW ₩ | South Korea
• GBP £ | South Sudan
• EUR € | Spain
• SHP £ | St. Helena
• EUR € | St. Martin
• GBP £ | Sudan
• SEK kr | Sweden
• CHF CHF | Switzerland
• TZS Sh | Tanzania
• XOF Fr | Togo
• GBP £ | Tristan da Cunha
• GBP £ | Tunisia
• UGX USh | Uganda
• AED د.إ | United Arab Emirates
• GBP £ | United Kingdom
• USD $ | United States
• MAD د.م. | Western Sahara
• GBP £ | Zambia
• USD $ | Zimbabwe

Item added to your cart

Mastering afro hair care: the science, habits, and natural boosters.

Caring for afro-textured hair is a daily mission. From regular treatments to dietary habits, various factors contribute to its beauty. Let's delve into the natural ingredients that promote growth in curly hair and how SENSEOFREASONS products can enhance this journey.

Essential Habits for Stimulating Afro Hair Growth :

Hydration : The primary characteristic of afro hair is its dry and brittle nature. The solution? Hydration. This can be achieved through moisturizing sprays and drinking ample water. Remember, for optimal hydration, aim to drink AT LEAST 1.5 L of water daily. Discover SENSEOFREASONS hydration products .

Trimming : Healthy hair grows better. Don't hesitate to trim those split ends. By removing the damaged parts, you're left with a healthy foundation that promotes better growth.

Why Does Afro Hair Seem to Grow Slower?

It's a common misconception. While our Caucasian or Asian friends might appear to have faster-growing hair, it's primarily because curly hair naturally coils, making it hard to notice its length. Another factor is the challenge of sebum (natural hair oil) traveling up the dense structure of curly hair. This results in less hydration, leading to drier and more brittle hair.

Natural Ingredients to Boost Afro Hair Growth :

Keratin : Hair is 95% keratin, a protein essential for hair health. It adds flexibility and shine. To replenish it, opt for treatments rich in keratin. Check out SENSEOFREASONS products with keratin .

Castor Oil : Known for its high content of ricinoleic acid (omega 9 fatty acid) and vitamin E, castor oil hydrates and stimulates hair growth.

Brewer's Yeast : A beauty cocktail for hair due to its rich mineral and vitamin content. It promotes hair growth. Whether in capsules or flakes, sprinkle it generously over your dishes.

Protein-rich Foods : Keratin synthesis relies on proteins. To boost it, consume foods like salmon, avocados, spinach, eggs, and lentils. Explore SENSEOFREASONS protein treatments .

Vitamin C-rich Foods : This vitamin strengthens hair. A deficiency can lead to fragile, brittle hair. Find it in blueberries, blackcurrants, bell peppers, and raw fish.

Incorporating SENSEOFREASONS in Your Hair Journey :

SENSEOFREASONS offers a range of products tailored for afro hair care. From hydration to protein treatments, their products are designed to complement the natural ingredients and habits mentioned above. By integrating them into your routine, you're ensuring a holistic approach to hair care, combining the best of nature and science.

Conclusion :

Afro hair care is a blend of science, daily habits, and the right products. By understanding the underlying principles and incorporating natural ingredients, you can witness a transformative change in your hair's health and length. Embrace these tips, integrate SENSEOFREASONS products, and let your afro hair shine!

Discover our product collection

Sense of faces.

Welcome to our Sense of Faces range, designed to take care of...  

Sense of Hair

SenseofReasons is proud to present its range of natural hair care products...  

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Opens in a new window.

• Haircare & products
• Hairstyle galleries
• Mixed-race hair
• Natural hairstyles
• Hairdressers
• Hair | Tried & Tested
• Straight & Blow outs
• Wigs & Weaves
• Beauty features
• Beauty | Tried & Tested
• Bridal Hairstyles
• Wedding essentials
• Black Fashion Designers
• Meet the cover girl
• Street Style
• Subscribe to Black Beauty & Hair Magazine
• Single Issue
• Digital Version
• Magazine submissions
• Get Your Free Copy!
• All interviews
• Celebrities
• Black-owned businesses
• Black Beauty Hair Awards
• Body & Soul | Health Matters
• Community & Culture
• Food & Travel
• Meet the team…
• News | Black Beauty & Hair

My shopping basket

• No products in the cart.

• The 10 Best Steps to Growing Long Afro Hair

• Hair Haircare & products

Gaining length relies on a good, solid hair care regime. To get you on track hair blogger Amla Ruddock of blackhairinformation.com imparts her advice

 Hair holds such a cacophony of meanings to a black woman that it would take a talented psychologist years to unravel. It can be a source of pride, a display of our political or religious beliefs or even in some circumstances a source of shame. Based on research done in the UK, black women spend six times more on hair related products than white women, yet the one thing that we are seemingly in search of, long hair, eludes us. It begs the question: ‘Are we doing something wrong or it is encoded into our DNA that long hair was never on the cards for us?’

What if I told you that you could have whatever length of hair you wanted? There has been a wave of information sweeping the online hair community in the last few years from women not willing to accept short hair as the norm. This information is changing the lives and hair of black women across the globe and as such changing the way we view ourselves.

Most things are easy to achieve when you know how. The problem is a lot of black women still don’t know how to grow their hair long, but I hope to rectify that and show you that real hair growth is possible regardless of your background or hair texture. To begin with it is important to do away with some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding black hair care.

• Genes determine your hair length – False

• Water dries out your hair – False

• Oil or grease moisturises your hair – False

• Kinky hair cannot grow long – False

I have lived and breathed hair, both my own and the thousands of women who I have helped in my years of giving advice online and I have seen all types of textures begin to grow and thrive when proper black hair care techniques are applied consistently.

Everyone’s hair grows but when your hair is breaking at the same rate that it grows, it remains the same length year afteryear. I was in the same boat myself. My relaxed hair was stuck between neck and shoulder length for years until I developed a way of caring for my hair, otherwise known as a hair regimen, that would  finally help me grow the long hair I had always dreamed of having. Here I will share my top tips for growing long healthy hair.

Amla’s hair journey

1. Deep condition with heat

Using heat expands the hair shaft allowing for more of the conditioning ingredients to penetrate the strands making your hair stronger. Do this every week without fail.

2. Track your growth

Let’s face it, hair grows slowly so don’t rely on your memory to track your progress. Buy a length check T-shirt or make one yourself. There are even phone apps that can track your growth for you like the ‘Hair Journal’ app available on the iPhone.

3. Moisturise and seal daily

This should be done right before bed every night. Apply a water-based moisturiser over the length of your hair and follow this up with a natural oil which will seal in the moisture and keep your hair supple.

4. Buy a satin pillowcase

Cotton robs your hair of moisture and causes friction while you sleep resulting in breakage. Sleeping on a satin pillowcase or covering your hair with a satin bonnet will prevent this.

5. Always finger style

Learn the art of finger detangling and use your fingers when styling. Black hair is fragile and combs and brushes often cause unnecessary breakage that takes away from thriving length.

6. Be ingredient conscious

Make sure that the products you purchase are good quality by reading the ingredients. Avoid products laden with sulphates, mineral oil and petroleum. Opt for natural oils and butters like coconut oil, olive oil or pure shea butter.

7. Protein is key

Protein treatments and conditioners can mean the difference between success and failure. Protein strengthens your hair which is particularly important in preventing chemical and styling damage.

8. Get the right support

There is wisdom in crowds and you will find plenty of other women going through the same hair challenges as you. Join a hair community like www.blackhairinformation.com and get help with your hair problems from women experiencing the same thing.

9. Be patient

Understand that your hair will not grow long overnight and if it is very damaged it will take a while to see the fruits of your labour, but success will come if you are persistent and consistent.

10. Natural is best

It is a fact that natural hair is stronger than relaxed hair and it’s actually much easier to grow natural hair long. Going natural will often resolve issues like thinning edges too! Relaxed hair can also grow long but generally it takes more time and effort.

There is a lot more to learn about black hair growth that goes beyond the scope of this article. If you are excited about starting your long hair journey today visit our online hair community www. blackhairinformation.com so that we can help you achieve hair goals!

More hair growth articles…

Hair's kitchen

Good growth for afro hair starts with a healthy scalp

Hair Loss Was the Last Thing I Expected!

5 reasons why your hair isn't growing

Hair supplements: tried & tested

Hair expert: Getting to the real root of hair matters

Could you please recommend some products that I can use at home to help my hair grow? I go to the salon every 3-4 months to have my hair relaxed, treated and trimmed- is that often enough?

Hi thanks for getting in touch. I've tried so many products over the years and what works for me are hair supplements. I had speedy results with Hairfinity but unfortunately suffered from severe breakouts. I now use The Mane Choice - the growth time is slower but it's making a difference. I also like to use hair products with biotin - I highly recommend Jason Biotin Shampoo & Conditioner and FAST Shampoo & Conditioner. Your regime sounds good. Stretching a relaxer to three to four months worked for me, however if it starts to shed in that time it's a sign that a relaxer is due. And yes, keep up with the treatments and trims :-) Hope that helps! Jemima, BBH TEAM

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Related posts

What your post-pandemic afro salon experience might look like

Quick & easy ways to style short hair

AQUIS X Poosh Limited Edition Turban

Understanding the Hair Growth Cycles: A Guide for Afro Hair Care

Maintaining a healthy hair growth cycle is vital. It ensures strong, vibrant hair and reduces the risk of hair loss or damage. Understanding your hair cycle and how it is unique to afro hair is the key to unlocking the best hair of your life. So let’s take you through the basics of the cycle, how to treat your hair at each stage and what products to use!

The hair growth cycle comprises four phases. During the anagen phase, hair actively grows. The catagen phase is a transitional stage, while the telogen phase is a resting period before the final shedding phase, the exogen phase. Understanding these phases is essential for comprehending the growth cycle and implementing appropriate care routines for healthy hair maintenance.

The Anagen Phase: The Active Growth Stage

During the anagen phase, afro hair is in the active growth stage. This phase is characterised by rapid growth as the follicles produce new hair cells. Its duration varies but lasts between 2-7 years on average. To promote growth during this phase, it is essential to maintain a healthy scalp and ensure a healthy diet consisting of foods that nourish the hair . Additionally, adopting a regular hair care routine, which includes products that support the anagen phase and avoiding excessive heat or chemical treatments can support optimal hair growth.

The Catagen Phase: Transitioning Stage

The catagen phase is a transitional stage in the hair cycle. Its purpose is to signal the end of active growth and prepare the hair follicles for renewal. It lasts for about 2-3 weeks. During this time, the hair stops growing and detaches from the blood supply, which leads to the formation of a club hair. It’s important to handle the hair gently during this phase as it is more prone to damage. This is when to avoid excessive styling and nourish the scalp with gentle moisturising products to promote a smooth transition to the next phase of the hair growth cycle.

The Telogen And Exogen Phases: Resting Stage

The next stage of the hair cycle is the telogen phase or the resting stage. This stage plays a significant role in the overall health of the hair. It lasts anywhere between 2-4 months depending on the individual. During this phase, the hair follicles are at rest and new hair is not actively growing. Then, the exogen phase of the hair cycle is the final stage when the old hair sheds naturally. It allows new hair to grow, promoting continuous renewal and healthy hair. To minimise hair loss and promote regrowth during this phase, stick to a healthy hair routine .

Promoting Healthy Hair Growth in Afro Hair

Afro hair has unique characteristics that can influence this cycle. The coiled structure of our hair makes it prone to breakage and tangling, which can affect growth. External factors such as styling, heat and environmental factors like humidity or dryness can also play a part. 

To support the hair cycle in afro hair, specific care techniques are crucial. Moisturising regularly with hydrating products such as leave-in conditioners or natural oils helps prevent dryness and breakage. Gentle detangling using wide tooth combs or fingers minimises damage. Using sulfate-free shampoos and avoiding excessive heat styling are also recommended to promote optimal hair growth.

Shop Nylah’s Naturals

You can find our range of afro hair care products on our website ! Don’t forget to have a look at our bundles , which are great if you’re looking to start a new healthy hair routine! To keep up with our latest offers and news, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram .

Your hair is beautiful, every kink, every coil and every curl.

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Opens in a new window.

Just added to your cart

Afro Hair Growth: 5 Tips To Grow Healthier, Thicker, Longer Hair Fast

Hair is the second fastest growing tissue in the body after bone marrow but we have to take good care of it and certainly can't take it for granted as things can and do go wrong. Here are some of the common reasons why women look for afro hair growth tips:

My hair is not growing fast enough

We've all been there. The frustration when your haircare regimen is just not giving you the results you expected and you just don't understand why. Don't give up, carry on reading, help is at hand! 

I need to regrow my hair after hair loss

Apart from alopecia , medical conditions like cancer, blood pressure medications like acne treatments, steroids and antifungals also have a hand in hair loss. This is simply unavoidable until the dosage is done but you can get back on track when the treatment is complete. Bad haircare practices can also lead to hair loss. 

So how can you get fast hair growth

These 5 tips can help you regrow hair after having lost it,  prevent further hair loss, or grow healthier, thicker, longer hair to meet your hair goals.

Have a consistent haircare routine

A hair care routine could be the solution you have been looking for. In order to be more aggressive about it, document the journey. Whether a journal or video documentation, ensure that you have a regimen that works for you. Opt for natural shampoos, no parabens, sulphates or alcohols. Deep condition at least weekly, moisturize and seal .

While we are on moisturizing, include a good hair growth oil and massage it in your scalp for a few minutes. This stimulates blood flow to the scalp motivating hair follicles to grow.

Diet and nutrition

Hair is a reflection of how healthy your body is. The fact is, when you are healthy, hair flourishes effortlessly. This is mostly because of what you eat every day. Include nuts, seeds, leafy greens, fatty fish, lean meats, eggs, fruits and feel free to boost your immune with good vitamins and supplements.

Vitamins and supplements however, are not to be taken as substitutes for health eating. They are solely meant to add a boost to the immune.

Satin is your friend

Hair is prone to breakage and damage from the elements. Line your hats with satin to protect hair from direct sunlight and other elements. Remember to also sleep in a satin bonnet or scarf. This helps protect hair from cotton pillowcases which dry hair out by draining all the moisture from hair. They further (cotton pillowcases) aggravate the hair by causing friction which leads to frizz and breakage. Full Bloom Beauty's Secure Hair Turban is lined with high grade satin material, protecting your hair while also looking stylish. 

Embrace Moisture

Water is by far the only solvent that is responsible for life. Keep up with your water intake. This ensures that hair is hydrated from the inside while flushing out any unwanted toxins from the body. Keep in mind that water is also a great moisturizer. Spritz some water on hair if it appears too dry, add a bit of leave-in conditioner for added moisture, or simply shower without a plastic cap and let steam moisturize your hair. Full Bloom Beauty's products for dry hair   are great for  locking in moisture and reducing dryness, resulting in softer, shinier hair.

Protective styling

Be very intentional with protective styling. Avoid very tight styles, if possible, do your own hair. If you cannot do your hair, do not be shy to tell your hairdresser what and how you want your hair done. Remember that most hair is lost in the take down process. Be very gentle when taking down your styles, use the right detangling brushes , and do not detangle dry hair.

Hair Growth Bonus Tip

Hair care is one of the best kind of self-care. Invest in the right tools (detangling brushes, denman brushes, deep conditioning caps, clips and silk scrunchie). The right products (shampoos, deep conditioners, protein treatments , moisturizers, oils and butters ).

Do not criticize or complain about your hair no matter what. Hair plays a huge role on self-acceptance so just remember that it is an extension of what you project. Be kind. Be gentle. Enjoy and embrace your hair journey. You got this!

Need help getting started or not sure what products and routine will work best for your hair? Full Bloom Beauty's hair coaching service can guide you on your hair growth journey.

Related articles:

• What black women need to know about Hair Loss and Alopecia
• Share Share on Facebook
• Tweet Tweet on Twitter
• Pin it Pin on Pinterest

Leave a comment

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.

Let customers speak for us

Stimulates scalp and is easy to clean. Whether it works, I have my fingers crossed 🤞.

The anoint hair oil works like magic. I have had a bald spot for years and tried everything. I have used this oil for over 3 weeks and i can see growth. This is literally my first ever review, I'm just not into reviews but this time i had to. Thank you Full bloom beauty for a product that actually works😊

Hello i notice my hair is breaking cause i made dread my natural hair so searching for something i found bloom ever since then it change

AMAZING 😍😍😍

It’s amazing, my edges are growing just two months I started using the Anoint oil.

I only started using the oil two weeks ago and I still can't see results, but the smell of the oil is very good and the consistency of the oil is not thick ,is good,at the moment and that's what I have to say.

Prompt delivery as usual.

The smell is nice I’m waiting for results I will update soon

Not sure if it’s working tbh

I have ordered more than one time and I'm about to order again. It definitely works, my edges are filling up nicely

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories

“It makes me feel extra black”: four men on their Afro hair journeys

By Olive Pometsey

“Don’t touch my hair," sang Solange Knowles in 2016. "When it’s the feelings I wear.” It was a lyric that black people the world over, myself included, instantly identified with. 

Anyone, of any race, who has made a dramatic change to their hair style or cut knows the emotional attachments that can be wrought between our respective psyches and those miraculous protein filaments – but for black people, the sentiment often runs deeper. 

Indeed, in a Western world that has for decades prioritised Eurocentric beauty standards, Afro hair , in its varying textures and types, has been perceived as being at odds with what is deemed professional, approachable and attractive. In reality, those beauty standards are at odds with our identities.

As children, we’ve been suspended from school for wearing hair in natural styles. As adults, we’ve been denied jobs and told that we “look like we smell of weed”. Strangers reach out and touch our hair without permission on nights out. Sometimes, they'll tell us we're dirty even when we explain that, no, Afro hair doesn't need to be washed as frequently as Caucasian hair. Then they'll try out protective hairstyles such as braids or dreadlocks to make themselves look edgy.

But times are changing. Over the past few years, a natural-hair revolution has seen many black women eschew relaxers to instead wear their Afro curls out and proud, while men have become increasingly experimental with their looks. Slick, short fades have been replaced by locs, cornrows and twists. Buzzcuts have been allowed to grow out into luscious Afros. 

There’s nothing wrong with wearing Afro hair short, of course, but the recent mushrooming of black men from all backgrounds growing their hair out and experimenting with different styles is something to be celebrated. In a world that’s beginning to reckon with white supremacy, it’s a defiant, unapologetic display of blackness. It symbolises heritage, self-expression and self-love. It also looks incredibly cool. 

We spoke to four men about their own hair journeys, to find out what it means to them.

31, musician and author

"When I was younger, my parents let my hair grow out quite a bit, but when I got to primary school, I started to feel a pressure to always have a fresh trim. We didn't have a lot of P's, so my dad used to take me to have it cut by his friend. Every time it would grow out, at school people would call my hair ‘nappy’ or ‘n**** knots’ and that kind of stuff, so I always felt like a pressure to always have it freshly cut.

"When I went to secondary school, I started to like experiment with patterns, because it was on trend to have a Nike tick at the back of your head and different kinds of patterns. I went to school in Essex and there weren't a lot of black people in my school, so in year nine, I decided to grow the Afro out, because I thought I'd kind of lost touch with who I was, and that made me feel a bit empowered. I could never grow it long enough – maybe I was using the wrong products – so in the end I cut it off.

“My dad passed away in 2017 and it was a big shock to me. We were really, really tight. He wore his Afro with pride, man, regardless of what anyone thought or said. I wanted to do something to symbolise my heritage, because I realised I didn't ask my dad enough questions about where he was from and what his upbringing was like. I decided to just grow out my hair and dread it, because I felt like it symbolised me never losing that part of my heritage. I'm Ghanaian, so I went back to Ghana for my 30th birthday with ten friends. We went back to my dad's village, spoke to his friends and long-lost family members, and it just ignited one of the most empowering seasons of my life. 

By Peter Bevan

By Max Berlinger

By Daisy Schofield

“I don't know if I'll have dreads forever, but I know that, for now, it's super important for me to remember my Ghanaian heritage and that my hair is a powerful thing, and I should just allow it to show itself in its natural form, regardless of what people say. I'm always like, ‘Am I limiting my opportunities because this isn’t a “proper” hairstyle?' But it's just as important to be yourself. If seeing more representation of black people growing out their hair on TV and in the press makes that little kid who is getting bullied at school for having ‘nappy’ hair feel confident to wear their hair as it is, then I think that's a beautiful thing."

Radzi Chinyanganya

33, TV presenter

"My hair journey starts at the greatest barbershop ever, V Cuts in Wolverhampton, run by a man called Denville. I was a young boy who was born in Oxford, sounded ostensibly posh and had a white mother. She took me to another barbershop when I was nine, and when we walked in the place fell silent. When she left, the place got noisier again. I didn't understand why, as a nine-year-old, but I remember thinking that something wasn't quite right. She was clearly not welcome.

"When we went to V Cuts, Denville asked her name, offered her a seat and drinks, even though there were no drinks to be had in this barbershop. The place was unreal. I couldn't understand patois, because my dad is Zimbabwean and not West Indian, but I picked it up because of the banter. These guys liked me because I was clearly different and unapologetic about it, even as a 10-, 11-year-old. I looked forward to going there, getting my hair cut and being amongst those guys. 

"When I was 18, the worst thing ever happened: V Cuts closed down. Any black man worth their salt doesn't just go to any barbershop for a trim, there's a specific place you go to, so when that happened I decided to just let my hair grow. When I got to uni, it was long enough to be an Afro, but before that I had it in cornrows. During that time, I remember walking down the street with my headphones in and three people crossed the road as I approached. The following day, after I'd taken them out, none of that happened. Instead, people asked me about my hair and wanted to touch it. There's a thing about not touching a black person's hair, but I think it's actually a real opportunity to explain about it and communicate a message of positivity.

“When I started sports presenting, a friend said to me that they didn't think they'd ever seen a sports broadcaster with long natural hair. When I had my first experience anchoring sport for BBC, I thought, ‘I’ve actually done it.' One time I was presenting the Manchester City Games with Colin Jackson and Denise Lewis, who, for whatever reason, had decided to grow out her hair and had an Afro. I decided to start the show with a joke. I said, 'I'm delighted to be joined by Colin Jackson and a lady who does not age and, who would have thought it, two Afros in one television screen!' We had a proper laugh about that on air and then Colin said, 'I feel like I'm missing out because I used to have an Afro back in the day.' I thought, ‘Ah, man, this is special.’

“My hair communicates a number of messages to a number of people. It communicates that I'm proud of who I am. It's the antithesis of uniformity. It's individuality and it's pride.”

28, radio/audio producer

“During my school years, I would often just keep my hair short. I came from very humble beginnings and it was quite expensive to keep my hair short, so it would sometimes grow out, but it was never done purposefully. The grown-out look wasn't cool when I was young, because you had to go through that phase of having the little microphone head. During my teenage years, I started experimenting quite a bit with patterns in the back and sides of my head. I had the number seven when I was playing football, so it was on the back of my shirt and my head. Growing up, I loved David Beckham and I remember he had the curtains at one point, like the band Five, and I was envious as a young black kid. I wanted my hair to grow out so I could flick it! I wanted to comb it over, spike it up and all of that stuff.

"Then I went to uni and I was going through that phase when you try loads of stuff, like going vegan and Buddhism. I thought, 'Now's the time to actually grow my hair and see what I can do with it.' It was sort of a weirdly spiritual thing. I was surrounded by people from all different backgrounds and I sort of noticed that I am black, regardless of my character, regardless of how I behave, there are things about myself, such as my skin colour and my hair, that everyone around me notices first. Growing my hair was a way to take ownership of my blackness. I also wondered if, for the past 20 years of my life, all of that short hair, was that a choice that I wanted to make, or was I subconsciously just conforming to expectations of being a man and trying to fit into this society? Growing it out was liberating. It made me feel extra black. I think that was important, especially at a time when I was questioning my own identity.

"I've cut it a few times since then, but the last time I cut it close to my head was 13 August 2013 and since then it's just been growing. I've had twists and cornrows a few times, and I've been gearing towards having dreads – or funky dreads, as my dad would call them. My dad's a Rastafarian and he's been growing his hair for about 30 years. He has dreadlocks because he's a Rastafarian. If you're not a Rastafarian and you have dreadlocks, then you have funky dreads.

“My male friends and I talk about our hair a lot, but there's nowhere to explore it outside of private conversations. We listen to podcasts, watch YouTubers, read all the social commentators, but rarely is black men's hair ever spoken about. I think since Black Panther came out and Michael B. Jordan had those short dreads that lean forward, I've seen a lot of people around me who are going for that style, which suggests there's a bit of a trend. But obviously, with everything that's going on at the moment, I think a lot of people are questioning their identity just like I did all those years ago, and have come to the same conclusion that growing your hair out is a way of owning your identity, so it's a trend that has weight."

24, rapper, singer and songwriter

"I've had every single kind of hairstyle, to be honest. From birth, I didn't cut my hair. I used to have dreadlocks until I was about six or eight years old, then I started getting cornrows. I cut my hair in year seven, because my mom wanted me to, since I was going to secondary school. I said no, but then she convinced me with a pair of K-Swiss trainers. Then, in year nine or ten, I started to grow it again and had a high fade. At college, I started growing my locs. Then I bleached it – I had a phase where I had blonde twists and locs. Now, I'm back to black and next, I'm going to go bald. 

"For me, it's always been a way for me to express myself. I'm a rock star, man. Growing up, with my homegrown locs, I was a little rock star. I'm always going to push the boundaries. Before, my friends would say, ‘You can do it, but I wouldn’t do it' about my hair, but I think we've all got long hair now. Every single one of us is going through a phase right now, just flicking our hair left, right and centre while we're talking to each other.

"Your hair is your identity. That's what it is, really and truly, for me. We all have different textures of hair. It's who you are and I feel that we should be proud of it. I need an Afro comb for my hair, you ain't gonna come near my hair with a brush. I used to only want my mum to do my hair, because I hated the way other people would do it. It was never a thing where I didn't like the way it looks or feels, it just hurt my head. Now, I sit back and laugh at how they used to comb my hair and how tough it was. Now, I love it. 

"Whatever you do in life, whatever hairstyle you have, however you dress, it's going to come with somebody saying something. It may come with a stereotype, it may come with whatever. As long as you stay true to yourself and you know who you are, that will always show more than anything else. When I'm changing my hair, I'm changing it for me. I don't ever think about how I'm going to be perceived.

“To anyone thinking about growing their hair, I'm going to say do it, man. Forget the doubting and forget the second guessing, because if you grow it out, you can always cut it anyway.”

The best protective braid styles to keep your hair looking fresh all winter

Best products for black men’s haircare

How to master these 4 afro hair trends

By Heidi Quill

By Jack King

By Daniel Riley

By Zach Baron

By Ben Allen

Titans first-round pick JC Latham's journey an example of ability to embrace change

JC Latham was born to do this.

Just the sheer size of the man, 6-foot-6 and 342 pounds, suggests the Tennessee Titans' first-round NFL draft pick of 2024 is ready for whatever is thrown his way.

A physically imposing offensive tackle with powerful, long arms and a mean streak, Latham was the overall No. 7 selection, and the Titans are confident he can stabilize an offensive line built to protect its franchise quarterback, Will Levis.

No pressure.

Latham has dealt with that since he was a freshman defensive end at Catholic Memorial in Milwaukee. He was handling some of the nation's best high school defensive linemen as a first-time offensive lineman at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, 1,300 miles from home. He was mauling the SEC's top defenders in three seasons at Alabama.

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

"The journey has been incredible to watch," Jerome Latham, JC's father, said. "We're blessed that it gets to continue."

JC Latham had to leave to grow

JC Latham, accompanied by his family, was smiling Friday during his introductory news conference at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, the culmination of his decision to leave Catholic Memorial for IMG after winning a state championship in 2018.

"Everywhere I've been, my whole family has been able to be a part of it," he said. "Being able to celebrate the biggest moment of my life was very special to me."

The separation was not without its stress. JC Latham was right at home in Bradenton despite being more than 1,300 miles away — more at ease at IMG Academy than his family was at letting him go. He was a 16-year-old living the life reserved for college students, still two years from joining coach Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.

Langston Latham, 18 months younger, decided it was easier for him not to call his brother too much. While JC was thriving at IMG, Langston was missing his best friend.

"He asked me what I thought he should do when he was deciding on whether to stay or go to IMG," Langston said. "I told him he could take his game to the next level. You have to go. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to say to anyone."

JC, who was born in Meridian, Mississippi, moved to Milwaukee when he was 5 and lived with his father and brother. JC's mother, Monique Pruitt, lived in Chicago, so family has been at the center of JC's life. When he arrived at IMG Academy in 2019, though, he adapted quickly.

"His adjustment was incredible," said former IMG coach Bobby Acosta, who coached Latham for one season.

Latham's family had a harder time adjusting to his departure. Langston Latham was a freshman, JC a sophomore when Catholic Memorial won the Division 3 Wisconsin state title. Langston, a linebacker, thought they'd stack up titles together for years.

"I thought that'd continue forever," Langston said. "Then he was gone."

JC Latham thrives in journey

Pruitt admitted there was some trepidation with her son so far away.

"When you're sending a 15- or 16-year-old child away, it's like sending him away for college . . . early," she said. "I believed he could do it. I was pretty sure he could do it, but it's like . . . what if?"

While Langston went on to win two more state titles at Catholic Memorial, JC's IMG Academy team finished the 2020 season as the No. 1-ranked team by USA TODAY Super 25.

"JC has always pushed himself," Jerome Latham said. "He's self-motivated. He wanted to challenge himself after Catholic. I told him if he wants to be the best, he has to play against the best."

As soon as Latham shifted from defensive end to offensive line at IMG, he was dominating four- and five-star defensive linemen on the team.

"He would just swallow them up," Acosta said.

ESTES Tennessee Titans drafted a project in JC Latham because of trust in Bill Callahan

Latham got to Alabama and was named second-team All-American by USA TODAY, starting every game at right tackle for the Crimson Tide. He allowed only two sacks in more than 400 passing attempts last fall and is slotted to play left tackle for the Titans . It shouldn't be a problem for a guy who played left and right tackle as well as guard at IMG.

Latham's easy demeanor shapes his character

But what kept Latham grounded was his fun-loving nature.

"He's a jokester," Jerome Latham said.

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called JC Latham's name Thursday in Detroit, the new Titans player with the 35⅛-inch arm length wrapped Goodell in a bear hug and lifted him clear off the stage floor.

"That's JC," Kate Meyers, Jerome's former girlfriend who helped raise JC with Jerome and Monique, said with tears welling in her eyes. "It was emotional for sure because he's such a great man, and a great player. No one deserves this more. We're all proud."

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.  

• 2024 Commits
• FanNation FanNation FanNation
• SI.COM SI.COM SI.COM
• SI SWIMSUIT SI SWIMSUIT SI SWIMSUIT
• SI Sportsbook SI Sportsbook SI Sportsbook
• SI Tickets SI Tickets SI Tickets
• SI Showcase SI Showcase SI Showcase

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bo Nix Teases Exclusive Journey To NFL: How To Watch New DocuSeries

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix's new docuseries is poised to be must-watch. The trailer includes Oregon football coach Dan Lanning and Nix's family.

• Author: Bri Amaranthus

In this story:

Quarterback Bo Nix is the star of a new docuseries , that will premiere on May 1st at 8pm ET.

The series promises for an inside look into Nix's journey from being benched at Auburn, to star quarterback at Oregon , the most-accurate passer in college football history and now, the newest member of the Denver Broncos.

Nix released the official trailer of "Grit & Glory: Journey To The Draft” on Bolt Tv.

From the trailer, it appears that Bo Nix, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Nix's family will have have a major role in the docuseries. Will adopted brother and current Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson make an appearance?

In the trailer, a voice that sounds like Nix's mom reveals that as a child, Bo's goals was not to make the NFL, but instead to be the quarterback of the Auburn Tigers and to play Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

"Sometimes the best in store for you, is not always what you think," says Bo Nix in the trailer.

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (QB07) during the 2024 NFL Combine at

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After facing intense scrutiny at Auburn, Nix transferred to Oregon, seeking a fresh start. He experienced a significant resurgence. Over 12 games, he threw for an impressive 3,384 yards and 27 touchdowns, with a completion rate of 71.4 percent. His running game remained strong, with 507 yards on 87 carries. 

"The way that he steps in the building early in the morning, to the time he spends late at night.. Him being a coach on the field for us has really been a difference in our success," A voice that sounds like Lanning said on the premiere.

Lanning traveled to Alabama to be with Nix during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. When Nix got the draft call from the Broncos, coach Lanning beams in the background as Nix celebrates with his family.  The Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick.  It's the first time ever Broncos coach Sean Payton drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft in his career.

The Russell Willson era is over in the mile high city and the  Bo Nix Era is just beginning.

"Always train harder. There is something that you can do better." said Nix in the premiere.

Sean Payton Reveals Why Denver Broncos Drafted 'Super Intelligent' Bo Nix

Latest Ducks News

Ryder Lyons Has Strong Interest in Oregon Early On

PODCAST: Which Position Group Will Grow the Most in Spring Football?

Oregon a 'Top Priority' for Noah Mikhail Following Visit

How Well Do You Know Big Ten Athletic Directors?

'He's ready now;' WR Jurrion Dickey Trending Toward Larger Role in 2024

• About WordPress
• Get Involved
• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Learn WordPress
• Spring 2024 Posts
• Opportunities for Growth: The Librarian’s Role in the Software User’s Journey

For Software Users, special libraries and information centers can create learning and programming opportunities by fostering opportunities to connect with people in other roles across the library’s patron network, as well as by providing basic and advanced resources to teach about how to use the software.

Depending on the complexity of the software, this can be in the form of knowledge management centers or videos, or it can be in the form of lectures/trainings on a given software and its uses. For example, the Gail Borden Public Library & Public Library Association created the DigitalLearn website (2017) where a person can learn how to complete basic tasks using a computer. Similar interactive resources can be created for other software programs to walk a new user through the software. Additionally, librarians can moderate knowledge management centers to help increase user trust through the attitudes identified by Lai, Chen & Chang (2014).

Special libraries and information centers can help software users by teaching information literacy skills. Bebbington & Vellino observed that Minecraft players seem to instinctively know how to create a search query (by posting in a forum) and refine it based on the answers provided (2015). However, Arya, Guo & Robillard observed that users who are completely new to a software and its terminology struggle to find resources when searching the web, and are more likely to rely on (and get lost in) the software’s in-app help (2022). This causes frustration with the search results, and the software. Special libraries and information centers can address these needs by teaching users how to navigate the in-app help of various softwares, and make recommendations to improve the information architecture of those software help sites. They can even offer ongoing lecture opportunities on refining search cues and improving information literacy—thus addressing Lippincott’s recommendation that information literacy classes should not be offered solely at the freshmen level of college, but throughout an entire college career (2015) and beyond!

Bibliography

Arya, D. M., Guo, J. L., & Robillard, M. P. (2022). How programmers find online learning resources. Empirical Software Engineering , 28 (2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-022-10246-y

Gail Borden Public Library, & Public Library Association. (2017). DigitalLearn Training . DigitalLearn. https://www.digitallearn.org/courses

Lai, H.-M., Chen, C.-P., & Chang, Y.-F. (2014). Determinants of knowledge seeking in professional virtual communities. Behaviour & Information Technology , 33 (5), 522–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2013.864709

Lippincott, J. K. (2015, March 3). The future for teaching and learning . American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/02/26/the-future-for-teaching-and-learning/

blog5 info200 software users

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The act of commenting on this site is an opt-in action and San Jose State University may not be held liable for the information provided by participating in the activity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

• Similarities between Professional and Leisure Software Users
• Foraging for Information: Berrypicking and Software Users
• Software Users as an Information Community
• My Favorite Information Community: Write the Docs!

Recent Comments

• February 2024
• January 2024
• Entries feed
• Comments feed

© 2024 Qhianna's MLIS Journey

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Share Podcast

Lessons from Amazon’s Early Growth Strategy

If you’re interested in strategies for scaling start-ups, this episode is for you.

• Apple Podcasts

So much has been written about Amazon’s outsized growth. But Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta says it’s the company’s unusual approach to strategy that has captured his scholarly attention. Gupta has spent years studying Amazon’s strategy and its founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos.

In this episode, Gupta shares how Amazon upended traditional corporate strategy by diversifying into multiple products serving many end users, instead of having a narrow focus.

He argues that some of Amazon’s simplest business strategies — like their obsession with customers and insistence on long-term thinking — are approaches that companies, big and small, can emulate.

Key episode topics include: strategy, innovation, leadership, scaling, Jeff Bezos, long-term thinking, customer focus.

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the full HBR IdeaCast episode: How Jeff Bezos Built One of the World’s Most Valuable Companies (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business.

So much has been written about Amazon’s outsized growth. But Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta says it’s the company’s unusual approach to strategy that has captured his scholarly attention.

Gupta has spent years studying Amazon’s strategy and its founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos.

In this episode, Gupta shares how Amazon upended traditional corporate strategy by diversifying into multiple products serving many end users instead of focusing more narrowly.

And he argues that some of their simplest business strategies – like their obsession with the customer and insistence on long-term thinking – are approaches that companies, big and small, should emulate.

If you’re interested in innovation strategy, this episode is for you. It originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in November 2020. Here it is.

ALISON BEARD:  Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review.  I’m Alison Beard.

If you had to name the most successful business leader alive today, who would you say?  I can’t hear you from my basement podcasting room, but I would bet that for many of you, the answer is Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.  This is a man who over the past 25 years turned his online bookstore startup into a diversified company currently valued at $1.6 trillion.

Amazon is a digital retailing juggernaut, it’s also a web services provider, media producer, and manufacturer of personal technology devices like Kindle and Echo.  Oh, and Bezos also owns the Washington Post and Blue Origin, a space exploration company.  Forbes tells us he is the richest person in the world.

How did he accomplish so much?  How did he change the business landscape?  What mistakes has he made along the way?  A new collection of Bezos’s own writing, which full disclosure, my colleagues at Harvard Business Review Press have published, offer some insights.  Here’s a clip from one speech that’s included.  The book is called Invent and Wander.

And our guest today, who has spent years studying both Amazon and Bezos, is here to talk with me about some of the key themes in it, including the broad drivers of both the company and the CEO’s success.  Sunil Gupta is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and cochair of its executive program, and cochair of its executive program on driving digital strategy, which is also the title of his book.  Sunil, thanks so much for being on the show.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Thank you for having me, Alison.

ALISON BEARD:  So Invent and Wander.  I get that Bezos is inventive.  You know, he created a new way for us to buy things – everything.  How is he also a wonderer?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So he’s full of experiments.  His company and his whole style is known for experimentation, and he says that in so many words that if you want big winners, then you have to be willing to have many failures.  And the argument is, one big winner will take care of a thousand failed experiments.  So I think that’s the wandering part.  But also his experiments are not aimless.  There is a certain thought and process behind what experiments to do and why they will connect to the old, old picture of what Amazon is today.

ALISON BEARD:  And your expertise is in digital strategy.  How does he break the traditional rules of strategy?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So for the longest time the way, at least I was taught in my MBA program and the way we teach to our MBA students and executives, is strategy is about focus.  But if you look at Amazon, Amazon certainly doesn’t look like it’s focusing on anything, so obviously Jeff Bezos missed that class, otherwise it’s a very, very different thing.

And then you’d say, why is it that so called lack of focus strategy seems to be working for Amazon?  And I think the fundamental underlying principle that he’s guiding his whole discussion of strategy is, he’s changed the rules of strategy.  So the old rules of strategy were, the way you gained competitive advantage is by being better or cheaper.  So if I am selling you a car, my car is better of cheaper.  But the inherent assumption in that strategy statement is, I’m selling one product to one customer.  And what Amazon is basically arguing is, the digital economy is all about connection.  We have got to connect products and connect customers.  Let me explain why that is so powerful.

So connecting products, here the idea is, I can sell you, this is a classic razor and blade strategy.  I can sell you a razor cheap in order to make money on the blade.  So I can sell you Kindle cheap in order to make money on the ebooks.  Now, at some level you might say, hey, razor and blade have been around forever.  What’s so unique today?  I think unique today is razor could be in one industry and blades could be in completely different industrys.

So for example, if you look at Amazon’s portfolio of businesses, you sort of say, not only Amazon is an e-commerce player, but also is making movies and TV shows, its own studio.  Well, why does it make sense for an e-commerce player, an online retailer to compete with Hollywood.  Well, Walmart doesn’t make movies.  Macy’s doesn’t make movies?  So why does it make sense for Amazon to make movies?

And I think once you dig into it, the answer becomes clear that the purpose of the movies is to keep and gain the Prime customers. Two day free shipping is fine, but if  you ask me to pay $99 or $119 for two day free shipping, I might start doing the math in my head, and say, OK, how many packages do I expect to get next year?  And is the Prime membership worth it or not?

But once you throw in, in addition to the two-day free shipping, you throw in some TV shows and movies that are uniquely found only on Amazon, I can’t do this math.  And why is Prime customers important to Amazon?  Because Prime customers are more loyal.  They buy three or four times more than the non-Prime customers, and they’re also less price sensitive.

And in fact, Jeff Bezos has said publicly that every time we win a Golden Globe Award for one of our shows, we sell more shoes.  So this is, and he said it in your book, Invent and Wander, also, that we might be the only company in the world which has figured out how winning Golden Globe Awards can actually translate into selling more products on the online commerce.

So this is a great example of the razor being in a very different industry and blade being in another industry.  Take another example.  Amazon has a lending business where they give loans to small and medium enterprises. If Amazon decides to compete with banks tomorrow, Amazon can decide to offer loans to the small merchants at such a low price that banks would never be able to compete.  And why would Amazon be able to do that?  Because Amazon can say, hey, I’m not going to make money on loans, as much money on loans, but I’ll make more money when these businesses, small businesses grow and do more transactions on my marketplace platform.  And I get more commissions.  So again, loan can become my razor in order to help the merchants grow and make money on the transaction and the commission that I get from that.  The moment I make somebody else’s, in this case the banks, core business my razor, they will make a very hard time competing.  So I think that’s the key change, the fundamental rules of strategy and competition in that direction.

The second part of connection is connecting customers, and this is the classic network effect.  So marketplace is a great example of network effects.  The more buyers I have, the more sellers I have.  The more sellers I have, the sellers I have, the more buyers I get, because the buyers can find all the items.  And that becomes flywheel effect, and it becomes a situation where it’s very hard for a new player to complete with Amazon.

ALISON BEARD:  In this diversification that Amazon has done, how have they managed to be good at all of those things?  Because they’re not focused.  You know, they’re not concentrated on an area of specific expertise.  So how have they succeeded when other companies might have failed because they lacked that expertise, or they were spreading themselves too thin?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think it depends on how you define focus.  Most of us, when we define focus, we sort of define focus by traditional industry boundaries, that I’m an online retailer, therefore going into some other business is lack of focus.  The way Amazon thinks about is focus on capabilities.

So if you look at it from that point of view, I would argue that Amazon had three fundamental core capabilities.  Number one, it’s highly customer focused, not only in its culture, but also in its capability in terms of how it can actually handle data and leverage data to get customer insight.  The second core capability of Amazon is logistics.  So it’s now a world class logistics player.  It uses really frontier technology, whether it’s key word, robotics, computer vision, in its warehouse to make it much more efficient.

And the third part of Amazon’s skill or the capability is its technology.  And a good example of that is Amazon Web Services, or AWS.  And I think if you look at these three core capabilities, customer focus and the data insight that it gets from that, the logistics capability, and the technology, everything that Amazon is doing is some way or the other connected to it.  In that sense, Amazon, and there’s no lack of focus, in my judgment on Amazon.

Now, if he starts doing, starts making cream cheese tomorrow or starts making airplane engines, then I would say, yes, it’s got a lack of focus.  But one of the other things that Jeff Bezos has said again and again is this notion of work backwards and scale forward.  And what that means is, because you’re customer obsessed, you sort of find ways to satisfy customers, and if that means developing new skills that we don’t have because we are working backwards from what the customer needs are, then we’ll build those skills.

So a good example of that is, when Amazon started building Kindle, Amazon was never in the hardware business.  It didn’t know how to build hardware.  But Bezos realized that as the industry moved, people are beginning to read more and more online, rather, or at least on their devices, rather than the physical paper copy of a book.  So as a result, he says, how do we make it easier for consumers to read it on an electronic version?  And they’re spending three years learning about this capability of hardware manufacturing.  And by the way, Kindle came out long before iPad came out.  And of course, that capability now has helped them launch Echo and many other devices.

ALISON BEARD:  Right.  So it’s the focus on the customer, plus a willingness to go outside your comfort zone, the wander part.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Exactly.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  How would you describe Bezos’s leadership style?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think there are at least three parts to it.  One is, he said right from day one that he wants to be a long-term focus.  The second thing is being customer obsessed.  And many times he has said that he can imagine, in the meetings he wants people to imagine an empty chair.  That is basically for the customer. And he says, we are not competitor focused.  We are not product focused.  We are not technology focused.  We are customer focused.  And the third is, willingness to experiment.  And fail, and build that culture in the company that it’s OK to fail.

ALISON BEARD:  What about personally, though?  Is he a hard charger?  Is he an active listener?  What’s it like to be in a room with him?

SUNIL GUPTA:  Oh, he’s certainly a hard charger.  I mean, he’s also the kind of guy, when he hires people, he says, you can work long, hard, or smart.  But at Amazon, you can choose two out of three.  And I think this is similar to many other leaders.  If you look at Steve Jobs, he was also a very hard charging guy.  And I think some people find it exhilarating to work with these kind of leaders.  Some find it very tough.

ALISON BEARD:  Do you think that he communicates differently from other successful CEOs?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So the communication style that he has built in the company is the very famous now, there’s no PowerPoints.  So it’s a very thoughtful discussion.  You write six-page memos, which everybody, when their meeting starts, everybody sits down and actually reads the memo.

In fact, this was a very interesting experience that I had.  One of my students, who was in the executive program, works at Amazon in Germany.  And he is, he was at that point in time thinking of moving to another company and becoming a CEO of that company.  So he said, can I talk to you about this change of career path that I’m thinking about?  I said, sure.  So we set up a time, and five minutes before our call, he sends me an email with a six-page memo.  And I said, well, shouldn’t he have sent this to me before, so I could at least look at it?  He says, no, that’s the Amazon style.  We’ll sit in silence and read it together.  And so I read it together, because then you’re completely focused on it.  And then we can have a conversation.  But this discipline of writing a six-page memo, it’s a very, very unique experience, because you actually have to think through all your arguments.

ALISON BEARD:  You also mentioned the long term focus, and that really stood out for me, too, this idea that he is not at all thinking of next year.  He’s thinking five years out, and sometimes even further.  But as a public company, how has Amazon been able to stick to that?  And is it replicable at other companies?

SUNIL GUPTA:  I think it is replicable.  It requires conviction, and it requires a way to articulate the vision to Wall Street that they can rally behind.  And it’s completely replicable.  There are other examples of companies who have followed a similar strategy.  I mean, Netflix is a good example.  Netflix hadn’t made money for a long period of time.  But they sold the vision of what the future will look like, and Wall Street bought that vision.

Mastercard is exactly the same thing.  Ajay Banga is giving three year guidance to Wall Street saying, this is my three-year plan, because things can change quarter to quarter.  I’m still responsible to tell you what we are doing this quarter, but my strategy will not be guided by what happens today.  It will be guided by the three-year plan that we have.

ALISON BEARD:  There are so many companies now that go public without turning any profit, whereas Amazon now is printing money, and thus able to reinvest and have this grand vision.  So at what point was Bezos able to say, right, we’re going to do it my way?

SUNIL GUPTA:  I think he said it right from day one, except that people probably didn’t believe it.  And in fact, one of the great examples of that was, when he was convinced about AWS, the Amazon Web Services, that was back in the early 2000s, when a majority of the Wall Street was not sure what Jeff Bezos was trying to do, because they say, hey, you are an online retailer.  You have no business being in web services.  That’s the business of IBM.  And that’s a B2B business.  You’re in a B2C business.  Why are you going in there?

And Bezos said, well, we have plenty of practice of being misunderstood.  And we will continue with our passion and vision, because we see the path.  And now he’s proven it again and again why his vision is correct, and I think that could give us more faith and conviction to the Wall Street investors.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Oh, absolutely.  And he’s one of the persons who has his opinion, and you always surround yourself with people better than you.

ALISON BEARD:  How has he managed to attract that talent when it is so fiercely competitive between Google, Facebook, all of these U.S. technology leaders?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So a couple of things I would say.  First of all, it’s always good fun to join a winning team.  And all of us want to join a winning team, so this certainly is on a trajectory which is phenomenal.  It’s like a rocket ship that is taking off and has been taking off for the last 25 years.  So I think that’s certainly attractive to many people, and certainly many hard charging people who want to be on a winning team.

And a second thing is, Amazon’s culture of experimentation and innovation.  That is energizing to a lot of people.  It’s not a bureaucracy where you get bogged down by the processes.  So the two type of decisions that we talked about, he gives you enough leeway to try different things, and is willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into things that may or may not succeed in the future.  And I think that’s very liberating to people who are willing to take on the ownership and build something.

ALISON BEARD:  But don’t all of the tech companies offer that?

SUNIL GUPTA:  They do, but if you think about many other tech companies, they’re much more narrow in focus.  So Facebook is primarily in social media.  Google is primarily in search advertising.  Yes, you have GoogleX, but that’s still a small part of what Google does.  Whereas if you ask yourself what business is Amazon in, there are much broader expansive areas that Amazon has gone into.  So I think the limits, I mean, Amazon does not have that many limits or boundaries as compared to many other businesses in Silicon Valley.

ALISON BEARD:  So let’s talk a little bit about Bezos’s acquisition strategy.  I think the most prominent is probably Whole Foods, but there are many others.  How does he think about the companies that he wants to bring in as opposed to grow organically?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So some acquisitions are areas where he thinks that he can actually benefit and accelerate the vision that he already has.  So for example, the acquisition of Kiva was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems that he already put in place in his warehouse.  And logistics and warehouse is a key component or key part of Amazon’s business, and he saw that Kiva already was ahead of the curve in technology that he probably wanted to have that in his own company.  So that was obvious acquisition, because that fits in the existing business.

Whole Foods is kind of a slightly different story, in my judgment, because I some ways, you can argue, why is Amazon, an online player, buying an offline retail store, Whole Foods?  And in fact, they bought it at 27% premium.  So that doesn’t make sense for an online retailer commerce to go to offline channels.  And I think, in fact, part of the reason in my judgment is, it’s not just Whole Foods, but it’s about the food business, per se.  And why is Amazon so interested in food?  In fact, Amazon has been trying this food business, online food delivery for a long period of time without much success.  And Whole Foods was one, another way to try and get access to that particular business.  And why is that so important to Amazon, even though you could argue, food is a low margin business?

And I would say, part of the reason is, food is something, grocery is something that you buy every week, perhaps twice a week.  And if I, as Amazon, can convince you to buy grocery online from Amazon, then I’m creating a habit for you to come onto Amazon every week, perhaps twice a week.  And once you are on Amazon, you will end up buying other products on Amazon.  Whereas if you are buying electronics, you may not come to Amazon every day.

So this is a habit creation activity, and again, it may not be a very high margin activity to sell you food.  But I’ve created a habit, just like Prime.  I’ve created a loyal customer where you think of nothing else but Amazon for your daily needs, and therefore you end up buying other things.

ALISON BEARD:  And Amazon isn’t without controversy.  You know, and we should talk about that, too.  First, there are questions about its treatment of warehouse employees, particularly during COVID.  And Bezos, as you said, has always been relentlessly focused on the customer.  But is Amazon employee centric, too?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think there is definitely some areas of concern, and you rightly said there is a significant concern about the, during the COVID, workers were complaining about safety, the right kind of equipment.  But even before COVID, there were a lot of concerns about whether the workers are being pushed too hard.  They barely have any breaks.  And they’re constantly on the go, because speed and efficiency become that much more important to make sure customers always get what they are promised.  And in fact, more than promised.

Clearly Amazon either hasn’t done a good job, or hasn’t at least done the public relations part of it that they have done a good job.  Now, if you ask Jeff Bezos, he will claim that, no, actually, they have done things.  For example, they offer something called carrier choice, where they give 95% tuition to the employees to learn new skills, whether they’re relevant to Amazon or not.  Pretty much like what Starbucks does for its baristas, for college education and other things.  But I think more than just giving money or tuition, it requires a bit of empathy and sense that you care for your employees, and perhaps that needs, that’s something that Amazon needs to work on.

ALISON BEARD:  And another challenge is the criticism that it has decimated mom and pop shops.  Even when someone sells through Amazon, the company will then see that it’s a popular category and create it itself and start selling it itself.  There’s environmental concerns about the fact that packages are being driven from warehouses to front doors all over America.  And boxes and packaging.  So how has Bezos, how has the company dealt with all of that criticism?

SUNIL GUPTA:  They haven’t.  And I think those are absolutely valid concerns on both counts, that the small sellers who grow to become reasonably big are always under the radar, and there are certainly anecdotal evidence there, small sellers have complained that Amazon had decided to sell exactly the same item that they were so successful in selling, and becoming too big is actually not good on Amazon, because Amazon can get into your business and wipe you away.  So that’s certainly a big concern, and I think that’s something that needs to be sorted out, and Amazon needs to clarify what its position on that area is, because it benefits from these small sellers on his platform.

And your second question about environmental issues is also absolutely on the money, because not only emission issues, but there’s so many boxes that pile in, certainly in my basement, from Amazon.  You sort of say, and it’s actually ironical that Millennials who are in love with Amazon are extremely environmentally friendly.  But at the same time, they would not hesitate to order something from Amazon and pile up all these boxes.  So I think Amazon needs to figure out a way to think about both those issues.

ALISON BEARD:  And at what point will it have to?  I mean, it seems to be rolling happily along.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Well, I think those issues are becoming bigger and bigger, and it’s certainly in the eye of the regulators, also, for some of these practices.  And not only because it’s too big, and there might be monopoly concerns, but these issues will become larger, and any time you become a large company, you become the center of attraction for broader issues than just providing shareholder value.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  So those are weaknesses possibly for the company.  What are some of Bezos’s personal weaknesses that you’ve seen in studying him and the company?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think one thing that stands out to me, and at least in the public forums, I have not seen any empathy.  And it’s, I mean, we talk about that the leaders have, should have three qualities.  They should be competent.  They should have a good character.  And they should have compassion.  So he’s certainly very competent.  I mean, he’s brilliant in many aspects, right, from the computer vision and AI and machine learning, to the nuances of data analytics, to the Hollywood production, etc.  He also seems to have good character, at least I have not heard any personal scandals, apart from his other issues in his personal life, perhaps.

Those characteristics of competence and character make people respect you.  What makes people love you is when you show compassion, and at least I haven’t seen compassion or empathy that comes out of him.  I mean, he certainly comes across as a very hard charging, driven person, which probably is good for business.  But the question of empathy is perhaps something lacking right now.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  The other issue is his just enormous wealth.  He did invent this colossally valuable company, but should anyone really be that rich?

SUNIL GUPTA:  Well, I guess that’s, you can say that’s the good or the bad thing about capitalism.  But I think, and again, my personal view is there’s nothing wrong in becoming rich, if you have been successful and done it with hard work and ingenuity.  But how you use your wealth is something that perhaps will define Jeff Bezos going forward.  I think Bill Gates is a great example how he actually has used his wealth and his influence and his expertise and his brilliance into some certain thing that actually is great for humanity.

Now, whether Jeff Bezos does that down the road, I don’t know, whether his space exploration provides that sort of outlet which is both his passion as well as good for humanity, I don’t know.  But at some point in time, I think it’s the responsibility of these leaders to sort of say, my goal is not simply to make money and make my shareholders rich, but also help humanity and help society.

ALISON BEARD:  If you’re talking to someone who’s running a startup, or even a manager of a team at a traditional company, what is the key lesson that you would say, this is what you can learn from Jeff Bezos?  This is what you can put to work in your own profession?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I would say two things that at least I would take away if I were doing a startup.  One is customer obsession.  Now, every company says that, but honestly, not every company does it, because if you go to the management meetings, if you go to the quarterly meetings, you suddenly go focus on financials and competition and product.  But there’s rarely any conversation on customers.  And I think, as I mentioned earlier, that Jeff Bezos always tells his employee to think of the imaginary chair in which a customer is sitting, because that’s the person that we need to focus on.  Howard Shultz does the same thing at Starbucks, and that’s why Starbucks is so customer focused.

So I think that’s the first part.  And the argument that Bezos gives is, customers are never satisfied.  And that pushes us to innovate and move forward, so we need to innovate even before the rest of the world even sees that, because customers are the first ones to see what is missing in the offering that you have.

And the second I would say that I would take away from Jeff Bezos is the conviction and passion with what you do.  And many times that goes against the conventional wisdom.  And the Amazon Web Services is a great example of that.  The whole world, including the Wall Street Journal and the Wall Street analysts were saying, this is none of Amazon’s business to do web services.  But he was convinced that this is the right thing to do, and he went and did that.

And part of that conviction may come from experiments.  Part of that conviction comes from connecting the dots that he could see that many other people didn’t see.  I mean, that’s why he went, left his job, and went to Seattle to do the online bookstore, because he could see the macro trends as to what the Internet is likely to do.  So, I think that’s the vision that he had.  And once you have the conviction, then you follow your passion.

ALISON BEARD: Sunil, thanks so much for coming on the show.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Thank you for having me. Alison.

HANNAH BATES: That was Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta, in conversation with Alison Beard on the HBR IdeaCast .

We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about business strategy from Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review.

And when you’re ready for more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos with the world’s top business and management experts, find it all at HBR.org.

This episode was produced by Mary Dooe, Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. And special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Nicole Smith, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.

• Subscribe On:

Latest in this series

This article is about strategy, partner center.

Thoma Bravo To Acquire Security AI Pioneer Darktrace For $5.3B

The AI-focused cybersecurity vendor is slated to join a private equity portfolio that includes numerous security industry companies. Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson says the deal will enable ‘the next stage in our growth journey.’

Thoma Bravo has reached an agreement to acquire AI-powered security trailblazer Darktrace for $5.32 billion, as the private equity firm looks to add another major cybersecurity vendor to its portfolio.

In a comment included as part of a regulatory filing, Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson said the proposed acquisition—which would constitute taking the company private—will provide support for “the next stage in our growth journey.”

[Related: The 20 Hottest AI Cybersecurity Companies: The 2024 CRN AI 100 ]

Darktrace noted in the filing that its board believes that the company’s “operating and financial achievements have not been reflected commensurately in its valuation with shares trading at a significant discount to its global peer group.”

Founded in 2013, Darktrace was early to the idea that AI/ML could be used for improving detection of cyberattacks. The Cambridge, U.K.-based company went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, but by the following year was in talks with Thoma Bravo over an acquisition deal. The negotiations reportedly fell apart over price disagreements.

The deal that has now been reached offers Darktrace shareholders a 20 percent premium over the closing price Thursday for shares in the vendor. The deal is subject to approval by shareholders.

Thoma Bravo has been a prolific acquirer of cybersecurity vendors in recent years, with a portfolio that currently includes Proofpoint, Sophos and SailPoint, along with significant stakes in a number of other security vendors.

The private equity firm also owns Ping Identity, which the firm combined with another identity security vendor, ForgeRock, in August.

In a statement included in the regulatory filing, Thoma Bravo Partner Andrew Almeida said that Darktrace is “at the very cutting edge of cybersecurity technology.”

“We have long been admirers of its platform and capability in artificial intelligence,” Almeida said in the comment, adding that “we will bring to bear the full range of our platform, operational expertise and deep experience of cybersecurity in supporting Darktrace’s growth."

Along with detection, Darktrace has expanded its self-learning AI technology to include attack prevention, response and remediation—spanning cloud, applications, email, endpoint and network environments. Last summer, the company unveiled a new product, Heal, that leverages AI to assist with cyber incident response.