Washington, DC experienced a couple of Code Orange days over the last couple of weeks, so I decided to get a haircut.  I must have been feeling pretty radical, because I decided to cut all of my hair.  As a result, I was able to donate a 13 inch ponytail to Locks of Love.

I was quite excited with this accomplishment, so I decided to share this story with family, friends, and brides.  Much to my surprise, I received messages from people asking me, “how I was able to grow my hair so long.”

Okay, here is the deal.

I have no idea how I grew out my hair, so I asked my sister Shina (the Howerton family stylist!) for the answer to this question.  This is what Shina said:

1. First and foremost, your DNA plays a huge factor in your hair growth. Talk to your mom, dad, aunt(s), grandma, and ask them how they were able to grow out their hair. Whatever worked for them will most likely work for you.
2. Start with healthy hair. Before you can begin the process of growing out your hair, you must trim off the damaged hair and the split ends.  If you don’t, your ends will continue to split and your hair will be somewhat long, frizzy and not worth your time.  You should also trim your hair every 4-6 weeks to ensure that you minimize your split ends
3. What’s on the inside shows up on the outside. So take your vitamins and try to eliminate foods that are high in fat and sugar (I know, a big ol’ drag).  You will also be surprised to know that smoking, caffeine and carbonated sodas can slow down your hair growth.
4. Stress affects your hair growth. Well, isn’t that a catch 22!?! No matter how organized you are, your wedding planning (or your future in-laws) can be stressful.  To add to that, I must tell you that your wedding planning stress can affect your wedding hair growth!  It’s a vicious cycle!  My advice – Give yoga a try.  I swear by it.
5. Get your beauty rest. A good night’s rest doesn’t just help minimize your wrinkles and the bags under your eyes bags; it helps you maintain a healthy head of hair too.
6. Be consistent in your hair care. Shina tells me that this is not the time to beauty shop hop.Stylists have different hair care methods and they use different hair products, and that can affect your hair growth.  Also, openly communicate your desire to grow your hair long with your stylists.  They can provide you with the best advice regarding your hair growth journey.
7. Get a weekly scalp massage to stimulate the hair follicles. You don’t have to go to the spa or the salon for this – This can be a fun little “something” that you do with your fiancé (know what I mean?).
8. Make sure that you get a weekly hot oil treatment. Brushing, blow-drying, and pulling can cause your hair to break easily. A hot oil treatment keeps it moist and protects your hair’s shaft.
9. Be patient. Long hair doesn’t come overnight. The maximum growth rate for hair is about 6 inches per year. If you are sporting a chin-length bob and are thinking, “It sure would be nice if I had long hair for my wedding,” then you are going to have about a two-year wait.
10. Consider buying some hair. Let go of all of this hair growth stress and buy yourself some hair!Everyone is doing it and I must tell you that extensions get better and better each year.  Again, talk to your stylist – she can advise you regarding the best options for your hair.

By the way, here is my ponytail! Good luck! Love & Soul Always, Kawania