The following question was submitted via a previous blogpost:
I have stopped putting perms in my hair in hopes of learning to wear it more naturally. It has stopped the breakage but how did/do you get the edges to grow back?
Response from "Barbaranaturallyspeaking":
Congratulations on your journey to wearing your hair naturally and congrats on success with stopping some of the breakage. First I want to say that my edges aren't perfect, but they're definitely a lot more wholesome than they ever were during my permed days. My edges started getting really sparse right before I finally decided to go natural. There are a few things that I realized as major causes of breakage:
1. Chemicals- My scalp burned so bad when I was getting perms that I figured I would stop perming to try to salvage my scalp and the remaining hair that I had around the edges and on the sides.
2. Pulling hair back in tight styles that cause tension on the scalp- In the past I wore cornrows that would be so tight that my scalp would tingle around the edges. I remember wearing a braided updo and the stylist joked ( I've been know to make a scalp bleed before she started braiding my hair). I was naive at the time and thought the tighter the better, and the longer the style would last. I even wore kinky twists for 2 days before I took them down because I believed that my hair couldn't take the weight and the tightness of the style. It was just to much for my scalp to take. I learned quickly that tight styles lead to breakage around the edges and in other places.
3. Wearing tight ponytails- Ouch the scalp just isn't made to take all of this abuse. It just wasn't good for my edges.
Since going natural I typically do scalp massages where I massage oils or rub my scalp most nights to stimulate circulation. I love to use coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter, and castor oil on the ends of my hair as well as to massage remaining oil into my scalp. I did a little research online and came across some information regarding scalp massage and natural oils. According to http://www.hairlossexpert.co.uk/Can-scalp-massage-stimulate-hair-growth.html scalp massage increases blood circulation to the hair follicles. This site also reported that certain oils can assist hair growth in different ways. Almond oil, sesame oil, and lavender oil were among the oils suggested for use as a scalp massage oil to stimulate hair growth. They also suggested that coconut oil slows down the hair shedding process and rosemary oil stimulates hair follicles and produces new hair growth. I would suggest choosing an oil that's effective for you to massage your scalp and to massage areas around the edges of your hair. Wear hairstyles that don't consist of pulling the hair tight. You can also further research what others are doing online to deal with this issue to locate additional tips. Also when using 100% essential oils like 100% pure rosemary oil or lavender oil, follow instructions for mixing with a carrier oil (for example: olive oil, almond oil ) before applying directly to skin and/or talk to your health food specialist to ensure that you're using the oils properly. I wish you the best and hope that some of these tips help and that you find what works for you. Thanks for reading and submitting a question.
(P.S. You can tell that I took several photos on 1 day while wearing my orange sweater . I had a moment to make this side bun before going to bed. Just having a little fun with my hair since it's shorter after my recent trim. I can even spot my coconut oil and olive oil in the background. I've never worn a side bun out, but I thought it helped to depict the issues with the edges. : )
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