Eurocentric beauty standards are slowly fading off to be more inclusive of the versatile beauty of all ethnicities and races. After years of perming and taming, curly hair is finally receiving the attention and appreciation it deserves. While the increasing glamour of the natural twists and the twirls is rapidly increasing in the eyes of the public, it does not diminish the consequences of the years of scrutinizing judgments that precedented it. The curly-headed demographics of the population were suddenly baffled by the texture of their authentic keratin strands and incapable of taming it. In addition, the treatments to transform their hair into needle straight strands have caused severe damage to the scalp.

The confusion and fears of the aftermath were responded to by the money-greedy beauty and hair care corporations, to which hundreds of bottles filled with solutions and ointments of false promises were created.

So what is the truth, and how can one achieve a healthy mane of bouncy curls? We’ll discuss all that and more in the following article.

Understanding the hair growth cycle

You will need to have a basic understanding of the hair growth cycle in order to grasp the concept of hair care and the necessary building blocks for it.

The life cycle of a hair consists of three primary phases: the anagen phase, the catagen phase, and the telogen phase. The anagen phase is the phase of active hair growth. The length of the phase varies from one person to another according to genetic differences and nutrition. One the threshold of the anagen phase has been peaked, next comes the catagen phase is also known as the sedentary phase. During catagen, no further change in growth occurs, and follicular units begin preparing for telogen. Telogen is the unfortunate inevitable ending of a hair, where it finally departs with your scalp to be replaced with another hair.

Factors that affect the hair growth cycle

1- Nutrition

Vitamins and proteins are equal parts building blocks for the strands and guards for the cycle. Any deficiency or overdose in the essential vitamins will manipulate the cycle to be against your favor. In other words, brittle hair growth, shorter anagen, and catagen phases, and longer telogen phases.

It is always better to get your vitamins from natural foods, but if you are too busy with the rigors of family life, multi-vitamin pills are also an option. Track your vitamin levels every six months to prevent the adverse effects of their overdose or deficiencies.

2- Exogenous factors

After providing your hair with internal strength, exogenous care is the next aspect you should worry about. Hair is in essence, proteins, which means you should stray away from heat as it could lead to irreversible denaturation. Try not to go heavy on the products. The only two oils that are actually beneficial for your precious strands are Coconut and Argan oils. The two oils are capable of penetrating the strands and blocking gaps that would otherwise be occupied by harmful materials.

The most effective way to increase the volume of your hair

Now that we have been over the inefficiency of consumer products, we can shut the blinds on those for good. In addition to eating healthy and eschewing heat, there are a few treatments that can give your hair the boost it needs to grow.

1- Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a topical solution that can stop hair growth, and in some instances, increase hair growth. It also counteracts various alopecia forms including the notorious androgenic alopecia. It comes as a serum that stimulates blood circulation accentuating growth. Often applied twice per day, the treatment comes with a select few side effects such as dandruff-like flakes and itching.

2- PRP therapy

PRP therapy is an emerging treatment that gained worldwide approval in athletic medicine. The benefits of platelet-rich plasma therapy, surpassed expectations to exceed the limitations of its application.
New to the field of hair care and dermatology, PRP has already become a brand for success.

PRP is drawn from the patient’s blood and injected into their scalp where the boost of growth factors trigger proliferation speeding hair growth. Since the cells are your own, there should be no side effects.

In summary

To bring the glow and shine back to your beautiful curls, you have to incorporate a healthy diet and stay away from heat. To moisturize, resort to coconut oil or argan oil.

For more great family health tips, check out the other blogs on Cyber Parent.