The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Growing Long Natural Type 4 Hair

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Is it just me or did our mothers sorta fail us? (Love you mom!) But every last one of us could’ve had hair down our backs had our mothers known how to do our hair. Unfortunately because most black women do not know how to take care of their hair they cannot pass that skill onto their daughters. Many of us grow up thinking our hair is difficult (which it can be), unable to grow, and probably unattractive. This is simply not true! All of us can have long hair. We just have to learn how to care for our hair.

At 16 I was getting weaves, then half wigs before I eventually made my way over to full lace. Like every other young black girl I’ve tried just about every hair trend. From bleach to glue and everything in between. As covid started I decided it was an opportunity for me to learn my hair. Since everything was cancelled I figured it was okay if I was going to look rough because I would be in the comfort of my own apartment. So it began, my natural hair journey, A year and a half later here’s what I learned..

This was my starting point. As you can see I had a ton of heat damage, no curl definition, and overall my hair looked a mess. So one of the first things I did starting out was cut off all the straight damaged pieces. Yes, that did change my hair length significantly, but I figured the quicker I cut it the quicker it would grow back!

This was right after I cut off all the heat damage. My hair was super short and awkward. If it wasn’t for the pandemic I’m not sure I would have ever taken the time to give my hair the attention it required. Honestly it was kinda easy to stay consistent because there wasn’t much else to do, and I genuinely enjoyed the process.. still do. I knew my hair would grow if I was patient and consistent.

Anyway, I continued to cut off various pieces for the next few months or so until all of the hair on my head was curly.

This was my first time doing a wash and go. I still hadn’t figured out my porosity, so I didn’t know the exact products to use, but here I used leave-in conditioner, ecostyler gel, and allowed my hair to air dry. I always did the banding method to preserve my wash and go throughout the week.

Pro Tip: Let your hair air dry as much as possible without laying on it. I stupidly would have soaking wet hair then go to sleep smh. How your hair dries is how it will stay.

During these months I would alternate my hairstyles between twists and wash and go’s. My hair stayed in twists mostly because it was easy and I didn’t have to fix my hair daily. I took this comparison shot in July. It was the first time I started seeing any real difference.

Up until this point the only heat I used on my hair was with my heated cap which is considered beneficial heat usage. This was the first time having my hair straightened since starting this journey. This was the longest my hair had ever been in my life!

I like the look of my hair being straight every now and then, but because my focus is growing out my hair I hardly use heat on my hair. It’s August 2021 now, and I still have not straightened my hair since this. I definitely could straighten my hair more than I do, and maybe one day I will, but as of now I do not.

At this point I’m starting to feel like I have inches. ok?! I mean the shrinkage is real, but so is the length. Over these past few months I haven’t worn any weave with the except of braids every now and again. I have to say these days I feel my most beautiful embracing my natural beauty. It’s something very liberating I wish all black women could experience.

But in other news I didn’t change my products up too much. I’ve consistently used the LCO method over the last several months.

Since the beginning of 2021 I pretty much rotate the same few hairstyles while adding a new one every other month or so. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come within the last year and a half. Not sure if the pictures do it justice, but this is a realistic expectation of hair growth. I think it’ll take me about 2 more years to really get my hair where I would like it to be.

How to Grow Your Natural Hair

Before I go into details know that the most important part of this process is consistency. Every week I would wash (sometimes co-wash) my hair. I would also deep condition my hair with a heated cap weekly. Deep conditioning WITH heat was crucial in my hair growth. The sooner you start this in your routine the better. Growing long beautiful type 4 hair is certainly possible! Okay, now onto the good stuff..

What Your Hair Routine Should Look Like

Detangle/Pre-poo: I always start my washing process by putting my hair into 4 sections, wetting my hair, then going through each section with conditioner to detangle. Now that my hair has grown longer I don’t always do this step, but in the beginning this is how I always started
Shampoo or Co-wash: Tbh I hardly ever co wash. I normally just wash my hair weekly. I mostly focus the shampoo on my scalp. It’s super important our scalp is clean because that’s how we absorb all the goodness of our products.

Deep Condition: I generously use deep conditioner. I make sure it’s all over my roots and ends. I then put on a plastic shower cap and then my heated conditioning cap for about 30 mins to 1 hour.
Leave-in Conditioner: As soon as I rinse out the deep conditioner I like to put in the leave-in while my hair is soaking wet. I use to wait until right before I started my styling process to add leave-in. Now adding it while my hair is super wet has made a huge difference.
Oil: Right before I style my hair I put it into 4 sections and oil my scalp and strands. I sometimes use two different oils. On my scalp I like to use Almond or Coconut oil with some drops of essential oil like rosemary, lavender, ylang ylang, and beragmont. I like rosemary and peppermint because it stimulates blood flow which promotes hair growth. You’ll feel when it’s sinking in because your scalp will tangle. I then use coconut or a cream on my strands

Styling: the next product I use depends on the style I’m doing. Mostly I like use a curl cream like Mielle Curl Smoothie or SheaMoisture Curl & Style Milk

Products you’ll need

Shampoo (most kinds will work – don’t go out splurging on shampoo b/c it’s unnecessary. I like this one by Garnier b/c it smells good, is cheap, and sulfate & paraben free)
Conditioner (you’re going to need lots of different conditioners)
- Leave-in conditioner (this is probably the most important conditioner – I again love this Garnier one because it conditions well and is affordable)
- Deep conditioner (I love this conditioner so much! I buy the 3 pack and it lasts me 6 months. It’s only $14usd for all 3!)
- Regular conditioner (I mostly use regular conditioner to detangle. Before or sometimes after I shampoo)

Heated conditioning cap (please do not be foolish and skip this step. I promise you will see results using a conditioning cap. I use this one from Amazon. It’s microwaveable and only $15usd.
Hair clips (I put my hair into 4 sections every time I wash my hair. It’s easier manage. I brought my clips from the hair store, but these are basically the same)
Hair Oil (to seal in moisture – I would start off with a simple oil that seems to work for most hair like Coconut oil, then try and find a oil that is most suitable for your hair)