How to Make Curly Hair Grow Longer

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A guide to washing, styling, & caring for growing, curly hair

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Washing

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Styling

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Further Care

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Expert Q&A

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Curly hair demands different care than its straight or wavy counterparts. Because it's a little more finicky, curly hair is also more vulnerable to premature breakage, potentially making it hard to grow it out to longer lengths. But with the right care, even curly hair can grow long. Read on to find out how.

Things You Should Know

Wash your hair a few times each week. Then, apply a deep, rich conditioner to the ends of your hair.
Press your hair with a towel to dry it, instead of rubbing it. Avoid styling your hair with heat or pulling it back into tight ponytails to prevent breakage.
Apply hair oils like jojoba oil or castor oil to your hair to keep it moisturized. Then, trim the ends of your hair regularly to get rid of damage.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Washing

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1
Limit your washes. Don't wash your hair every day. Daily washing strips hair of its natural oils, and because curly hair is typically prone to dryness, daily washing can lead to drier hair that's more likely to break. Instead, wash every other day or a few times a week.
- The tighter your curls, the less frequently your hair may need to be washed. If you do need to wash your hair more frequently, you can use a dry shampoo in between those washes.
- Don't “wash, rinse, and repeat”--that style advice may work for people with straighter hair, but it's no good for those with curly hair. When you wash your hair, only wash it once, but make sure that it's a thorough wash so that all dirt and oil is removed from your hair.
- If needed, you can wash your hair with conditioner (called “co-washing”) in-between washes. That way you won't be harming your hair with sulfates, which are found in most shampoos.^{[1]XResearch source} Keep in mind that co-washing is great for retaining moisture but only mildly cleanses the hair.
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Wash and condition your hair in sections. Curly hair can be dense and unruly, sometimes making it difficult to reach all the parts of your hair. If you have particularly thick or curly hair, separate it into 4-8 sections and wash and condition your hair one section at a time.
- How large each section should be will depend on the density of your hair--the denser it is, the smaller you should make each section.
- Consider using a shampoo specifically targeted for curly hair; it may be more moisturizing and strip away less of your hair's natural oil.
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3
Use a rich, deep conditioner during every wash. You may even find it helpful to condition your ends between washes if they're particularly dry.
- You might also consider using additional moisturizing/protective products after or between shampooing. A number of oils and serums are available that will help “seal” your hair cuticle and help protect it from damage.
- Apply the conditioner starting from the bottom of your hair. Generally, you won't need to apply conditioner higher than halfway up the length of your hair unless hair is noticeably dry near your scalp.^{[2]XResearch source}

Part 2

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Styling

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1
Use a wide-toothed comb. Don't try to drag a fine-toothed comb or brush through your hair--it's only likely to cause pain, damage, and undue breakage. Instead, use a very wide-toothed comb (like a pick) to detangle your hair before styling.
- You can also start by running your fingers through your hair and then finish detangling with a wide-toothed comb.
- You should generally avoid brushing your hair, but particularly avoid brushing it when it's wet and thus more susceptible to damage.
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Press, don't rub, moisture out. When using a towel to dry your hair, don't rub the towel against your head--squeeze your hair gently with the towel instead. The friction of rubbing a towel against your hair will cause damage and lead to easy breakage.
- You can also try replacing a towel with a cotton t-shirt or microfiber cloth to dry your hair. Both are generally softer and less abrasive than towels, so they can be gentler to use on hair.
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Avoid heat-styling. This includes blow drying, curling, and straightening. Excessive heat changes the protein structure of hair, leading it to become more limp and less resilient (and thus more prone to breakage) over time.^{[3]XExpert SourceCourtney Foster
Licensed CosmetologistExpert Interview. 9 December 2019.}
- If you desire to use heat, use a heat protectant product beforehand to minimize the chances of getting heat damage.
- Although avoiding the blow dryer is optimal, sometimes it isn't practical. If you do need to blow dry your hair, do so with the dryer on a low setting and use a diffuser. You might also consider using a curl-styling cream before drying.
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Avoid wearing your hair in a bun or ponytail everyday. An occasional bun or ponytail won't cause irrevocable harm, but wearing a tight pulled-back style too frequently can cause wear and tear (ie, breakage).
- If you like wearing your hair in a bun or ponytail a lot, just make sure it's a loose ponytail or bun.
- If you do wear your hair back, be sure to use non-tangle hair ties. Avoid ties with metal pieces and definitely stay away from raw rubber bands.

Part 3

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Further Care

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1
Use protein or oil treatments. Protein and oil treatments are more intensively moisturizing and repairing, which means they help prevent breakage and keep hair healthy. Most people will benefit from using them anywhere from weekly to several times a month.
- If you choose to use a commercial protein treatment, it's often advisable that you balance it with a conditioning treatment afterward or hair may become stiff or vulnerable to breakage.
- Natural protein treatments, like using egg or mayonnaise, may work for those whose hair doesn't respond well to commercial protein treatments.
- Hair oils come in two major types: sealing and moisturizing. Sealing oils, like jojoba or almond oil, are meant to be used with damp hair to protect it and seal in moisture,^{[4]XResearch source} while moisturizing oils, like castor and avocado oil, are heavier and are meant for periodic deep conditioning.^{[5]XResearch source} Heating a moisturizing oil and gently massaging it into your scalp for between 5 and 20 minutes can also help moisturize hair and encourage hair growth.^{[6]XResearch source}
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Cover your hair at night. Protect your hair and prevent frizz by covering it with a silk or satin bonnet, a bandana, or a scarf before going to bed. The added protection will help prevent unnecessary damage and breakage.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Alternatively, you can spritz your hair lightly with water and then cover your hair with a shower cap just before bed to create a naturally warm, moist environment that can help keep your hair moisturized and protected.
- If putting on a hair cap doesn't appeal to you, you can also try sleeping on a silk or satin pillow, which will reduce friction against your hair.^{[8]XResearch source}
3
Get regular trims. Though it may seem counter-intuitive to trim your hair when you're trying to grow it out, untrimmed ends tend to accumulate damage that leads to breakage--ultimately making it harder to grow your hair.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Regularly trimming off dry, damaged, and split ends will improve your hair's overall health, helping it grow in healthier and more resilient.
- On average, most people's hair will grow about 1/2 an inch per month. If you're noticing that your strands are breaking more than 1/2 an inch from the end, it will indeed seem like your hair can't grow past its current length.^{[10]XResearch source}
- When going to a hair stylist, ask them to trim or cut your hair while it's dry--if they don't know to do so already. (Or, even better, before you even get this far, make sure the stylist you're seeing is experienced working with curly hair.) Because curly hair texture and length can differ significantly from wet to dry, dry cuts are best.
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Relax. Stress can have a significant impact on the health of your hair; when you're stressed, your hair becomes more vulnerable to breakage and can begin to fall out in larger-than-normal amounts. So if you want long, healthy hair, you're going to need to relax a little. Also you need to do yoga if you have stress.
- Try taking up meditation, yoga, or tai chi. All are great ways to reduce the kind of stress that can lead to hair loss and damage.
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Take care of your whole body. Hair responds not only to the kinds of nutrients you put on it, but to the kinds of nutrients that go into it. To keep your hair healthy, you also need to take care of your body by giving it good nutrition and enough exercise.^{[11]XExpert SourceCourtney Foster
Licensed CosmetologistExpert Interview. 9 December 2019.}
- Eat a generally healthy, well-balanced diet. Be sure you're getting enough protein, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are important to hair strength.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Drink lots of water every day.^{[13]XExpert SourceCourtney Foster
  Licensed CosmetologistExpert Interview. 9 December 2019.}
- Get regular exercise. You don't need to become a gym rat, but getting 15-20 minutes of moderate exercise several times a week will improve your body's overall function, including hair growth.

Expert Q&A

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Question
How can I grow my curly hair really fast?
Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist
Courtney Foster is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Hair Loss Practitioner, and Cosmetology Educator based out of New York City. Courtney runs Courtney Foster Beauty, LLC and her work has been featured on The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in East/West Magazine. She received her Cosmetology License from the State of New York after training at the Empire Beauty School - Manhattan.
Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist
Expert Answer
Unfortunately, your hair grows at the rate that it's going to naturally grow. You can take steps to ensure that your hair is healthy, but there are no unique products out there that will cause your hair to grow at a radical speed. Any product you come across that says it "could potentially increase hair growth" is probably not going to do much good.
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Question
What is the best way to let your hair grow out?
Arthur Sebastian
Professional Hair Stylist
Arthur Sebastian is the Owner of Arthur Sebastian Hair Salon in San Francisco, California. Arthur has worked as a hair stylist for over 20 years and received his Cosmetology License in 1998. He believes that the true work of a successful hair stylist comes from passion and a love for hairdressing.
Arthur Sebastian
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Answer
Trimming your hair adequately and consistently can actually help the hair grow a little bit longer, as it prevents the hair from getting to that split end stage. To help keep your ends healthy, you should also avoid using tight rubber bands when putting up your hair. These can break the ends of your hair due to the tightness and pressure of the rubber band. Opt for hair bands that are softer and gentler on the hair. You can also try using hot tools less and getting some deeper conditioning done by a professional or even by yourself.
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Question
Which oil is best for curly hair?
Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist
Courtney Foster is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Hair Loss Practitioner, and Cosmetology Educator based out of New York City. Courtney runs Courtney Foster Beauty, LLC and her work has been featured on The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in East/West Magazine. She received her Cosmetology License from the State of New York after training at the Empire Beauty School - Manhattan.
Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist
Expert Answer
Everyone's hair will respond a bit differently to various kinds of oils and treatments, so you may need to try out a few different types before finding the one that's best for you.
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Tips

It's a myth that some people can't grow hair beyond a certain length. What in fact tends to happen is people with delicate or vulnerable hair have more difficulty growing their hair out past a certain length because of breakage.^{[14]XResearch source}
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The curlier your hair, the drier it's likely to be because your scalp's natural oils can't travel down your strands as easily, resulting in drier-than-average ends.^{[15]XResearch source}
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It is true, however, that some people's hair grows faster than others'.
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Try this: get a medium jar and add Cantu Argan Oil, Omega 3, 6, 9 rescue-repair conditioner, and Garnier Damage Eraser. Mix before adding to curly hair to help it grow long, curly, and healthy.
A good tip is to brush your hair from bottom to top instead of top to bottom.

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