Deciding to go on a long natural hair growth journey sounds exciting at first because most people think it’s easy, just follow the directions one time and your hair should grow from collar bone to waist length overnight.
Right? Does this sound familiar?
The problem with that thinking is that if you want to grow your hair long, it takes serious commitment.
Often one person will see another with long hair and think the hair growth process was easy for them, when in fact, it was not.
That is why there are people with long hair and people who struggle to grow their hair.
There are a ton of resources to help with growing afro hair, but they don’t always work for everyone.
So today, I want to share four ugly truths that people with long hair will not often share with you.
Before we get started, if you are not on a hair growth commitment journey, now is the best time to start. You can do so by checking out the image below.
1. LONG NATURAL HAIR TRUTH: MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIKE COMMITMENT
I hate to say this but being on a natural hair growth journey takes hard commitment.
Most people think it’s a one-time task, do this process and never touch your hair again.
Being on a hair journey is almost like a full-time job. You have to work at it every day.
There needs to be a plan in place on what you are going to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
Keeping a journal helps. It is good to set goals in a journal to make them stick.
Set goals that are achievable.
The people with long natural hair at some point were committed to one thing and it was getting to a certain length.
However, what they will never tell you is how they lived and breathe the hair growth process. They were obsessed with the idea.
They strategized day and night to ensure that their hair was growing.
It was their life goal, and although it may not seem like it now, trust me they had their struggle days.
2. LONG NATURAL HAIR TRUTH: NOT KNOWING YOUR HAIR TYPE
First, to treat something you must know what you are treating.
If the person with long hair which you have made your hair ‘god’ has 3b hair, and they talk about what they did to grow their hair but you have 4c hair, there is a problem.
There is no way what they are doing will work for you.
In fact, when they grew their hair they didn’t just copy someone with long hair, they identified their hair type and adjusted their regimen over time.
The only way to know what your hair type desires is to have the proper knowledge of different treatments that are proven to work on all hair types, and not just on one particular hair type.
3. LONG NATURAL HAIR TRUTH: NOT TARGETING THE RIGHT HAIR PROBLEM
The third truth is that most people have several common hair problem going one at the same time, it can be split ends, dryness, breakage, or hair fall.
However, most are not able to identify one for another due to lack of knowledge.
Increasing your knowledge and knowing your hair is the best way to grow your hair healthy and long.
The people with long natural hair will never tell you that they once struggled with split ends or hair shedding because they want you to believe that they just arrived at long hair with no problems.
That’s not the truth, and even now with having long hair they still experience some of the most common hair problems, but what they have mastered is how to cater to each one.
As you start your hair growth journey, choose to solve one hair problem at a time and treat the most severe hair problem first.
Once you tackle the toughness hair problem, then the other ones will become easier to tackle, and you will gain the confidence and momentum you need to grow your hair at a faster rate.
4. AND FINALLY: NO PASSION AND SUPPORT SYSTEM
The last a final truth is simply that you may not have a passion to grow your hair.
But, if you want to go on a hair journey to grow your hair long, you will have to develop a passion for it.
It may have to become your mission, well not really, but you get the point.
You have to be passionate about it.
Make it a hobby and make it fun.
One way to make it passionate and fun is to connect with other like-minded women who are honest about their hair growth journey.
You will want to connect with authentic people who will not compete with you if your hair grows one inch longer than theirs.
To find a trusted support system, you can join my hair newsletter where we share our hair journeys together.
And, as a licensed cosmetologist, I am always around to answer your questions.
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