5 Types of People Who Should be Obsessed With Length Checks

 One of the top goals which many of us set for ourselves when we start a healthy hair journey is to have long hair. While long hair can be an easy goal for many, growing one's hair long within a limited time frame can be very challenging and frustrating for someone with slow growth and low retention rate. It is this frustration that has led many of us to engage in unconventional hair growth aides such as the inversion method, ingesting hair growth pills, protective styling 24/7, applying layers of hair growth products and anything else that's known to grow one's hair FAST.

Many naturals have even decided to forego all these methods by solely focusing on the health of their hair with the hopes of achieving long hair in the long run. Like hair typing, length checks is almost becoming a taboo in the natural hair community where many naturals are condemning length checks because they believe the main goal should be on the health of the hair, not length.
Contrary to this popular belief, I strongly believe in a healthy length check which is done at a spaced out interval mostly because long hair doesn't come easily to many of us and this is the only way we can ensure that we're achieving our hair goals.

So, who should be obsessing over length? I would obsess over length and retention rate if I fall under any of the 5 categories below.

slow growth low retention rate

1. Newbies - This includes someone who recently did the big chop and is on a healthy long hair journey , it also includes someone who is transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. A newbie is also someone who has had natural hair for a while and would now like to achieve better and healthier results than what they've experienced in the past.

The reason why this group should be length conscious is because they are more likely to try out different hair styles, products, techniques, concoction, pills and other measures which are meant to help their hair grow long. However, if care isn't taken, the hair can easily break off due to over manipulation and experimentation.

2. Fine Hair - Hair that is fine lacks the inner most layer called the medulla, an important structure which provides medium to thick/coarse hair strength and the ability to better withstand physical and environmental manipulation. This is why it's always recommended that those with fine hair should wear protective styles more often so that the individual fine strands can find strength in a greater multitude. What I mean by this is that 200 pieces of twisted hair is much stronger and better able to hold on to moisture much longer than individual hair strands which is left loose. 

3. On a Diet- What we put in our body is more important than what we put on it, as this is the only way we can determine the outcome of new hair growth. A diet which is lacking key hair nutrients such as protein, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids can result in limp dry hair or retarded growth. If you find that your hair isn't growing, I would recommend adding any one of these 10 food items to your diet.

4.  On Special Medication - Similarly, certain medications that we take can affect our hair growth cycle and the overall health of the hair. So if you are on a medication which is affecting your hair growth and length retention, I would advice that you either seek medical help or wear protective styles more often so that you can retain the length that you currently have. You should not  under any circumstance try to counter the effect of your medication with a hair growth vitamin or pill without talking to your doctor first.

5. Highly Porous and/or chronically dry hair - one of the main issues which many coily haired women struggle with is dryness and breakage. Hair which is worn in a loose hairstyle such as a twist out is more likely to become dry very quickly in comparison to hair which is left in twists or in another bounded hairstyles. To retain length, I suggest using thick hair creams and butters to ensure that moisture stays in the hair for a longer period of time.

In conclusion, it's okay for you to be length conscious if you are a newbie, on a diet, taking medications, or if you have fine and/or highly porous hair. So don't be shy to whip out your tape measure to measure your hair every month or two if you have to.

Do you have a hard time retaining length? Have you decided to stop doing length checks due to past disappointments? If you fall under one or more of these categories, do you find yourself obsessing over length because long hair doesn't come easily to you?