The Best Products to Promote Hair Growth

Long locs of love. That's what you want. That's what a lot of women are seeking when they are
caring for their hair. Hair care companies know this and they market their products to you based on this. I'm sorry but I have bad news. I hate to break it to you but products do not make your hair grow longer. That's right! They are LYING TO YOU just to make a couple dollars. Aren't you so glad you found me?

As a scientist, I know the biology behind it. Growing up in a salon and having many years of natural hair care experience, I can tell you with all honesty that everyone's hair grows. The length it grows is determined by genetics. The hair follicle is genetically programmed to grow to a certain length before it sheds from the follicle or hair root. Most people shed 50-80 strands of hair per day. Yes. Biotin and other supplements do promote hair growth. TOTAL BODY hair growth. You may see more/thicker hair but if you're not taking care of it and yourself properly, the length will stay the same.

So why isn't you're hair getting longer? In my experience, people who feel like their hair isn't growing are probably experience breakage before it grows to it's maximum length. So, I have a few tips to maximize hair growth that doesn't include buying products....unless you'd like to buy Fancy Free products. I'm totally fine with that. LOL!

5 Tips To Grow Your Hair
1. Drink water

Dry hair is brittle. Brittle hair is more likely to break before it reaches maximum length. Yes, you can apply moisturizing products but water is the best moisturizer. Let it come from the inside. Take your weight and divide it in half. That's how many ounces of water you should be drinking daily. For example: If you weigh 150 lbs., you should drink 75 ounces of water each day. If drinking that much water is overwhelming, try drinking the bulk of it in the morning as soon as you wake up and sipping through out the day. I have taken to drinking flavored sparkling water to break up the monotony. Drink your water however you like but drink it. Your body and hair love it.

2. Take a multi-vitamin and eat right.

My morning routine along with the capsules

There may be nutrients that you aren't getting from your diet. Take a daily multi-vitamin. I have one that I prefer. The whole family takes it. Avoid processed foods. They are full of preservatives and lab experiments. If it doesn't grow from the earth or come from a butcher, avoid eating it. Jehovah has place everything we need on this earth. Processed foods tend to be high in calories and low in the nutrients that we need for our bodies to function properly. I try to get well rounded meals by using the
following guidelines:

• 4 servings of protein
• 4 servings of green vegetables
• 4 servings of fruit
• 3 servings of unprocessed carbs (sweet potato, corn, carrots, etc.)
• 1 serving of oil or grain (I use 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal in my morning smoothie to cover this)

Now, I'm not strict with this. I do have the occasional slice of cake or piece of candy but this is my guideline.

3. Let your scalp breathe.
Just like every living thing needs water to survive, it also needs oxygen. Shampooing your hair regularly cleanses the scalp of residue from products and sweat allowing oxygen into your hair follicles. If you like to wear weave, make sure you are getting to that scalp with a witch hazel swab or something. Avoid shampoos that dry the hair out because, remember, dry hair tends to break due to damage more often than moisturized hair. I recommend Apple Cider Vinegar rinse (Click HERE for ACV Rinse instructions) for the scalp, followed by a sulfate free shampoo (if you must shampoo), and/or a conditioner (Conditioners can be used in place of shampoo. They have cleansing properties without the drying effects). Make sure you read the ingredients of your shampoo before your buy it. Some products will claim "Sulfate free" on the front but the ingredients include a derivative of sulphate in them.

4. Keep your hair moisturized.
Yes. You are drinking half of your body weight in water daily. Now, we have to address the products. If you are using products that are oil based, like Fancy Free Shea Pomade, and other shea butter products or oils, these should only be applied to wet or damp hair. Why? Well, they are designed to seal moisture - aka water - into hair. When oil based products are applied to dry hair, it's just oil sitting on top of dry hair. Water based products, like Fancy Free Milk, have water in them and can be applied to dry hair as a moisturizer. Again, pay attention to the ingredients on products that you're buying. Ingredients like mineral oil and petrolatum are not designed to moisturize and can actually leave your hair feeling more dry than it did before you used it.

5. Use "low manipulation" styling techniques.
KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR HAIR!!!  I can't say this enough. Have a professional install your weave. Find a style and products that work for your hair so you don't have to re-twist or roller set your hair more than 2 times a week. Only detangle damp or wet hair. If you want super long hair, let your hair loc. Have you ever noticed that people with locs have the longest hair? That's because locs are low manipulations. You're only twisting the newest hair, at the roots. And those 50-80 strands that shed everyday? Well, they're literally loc'd in. So the hair appears to grow longer because those strands that would normally come out in the comb or brush are still attached.

All hair textures can grow long. I've seen it. I am a witness. It just takes learning your hair and sticking to your routine. One bad heat styling experience can ruin all of your hard work. It's like losing weight. You can diet and exercise but if you don't make the required lifestyle changes, the weight will begin to creep back on. Nourish your hair and it will grow long and flowing, no matter how kinky the coils are.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

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Started From The Bottom, Now We're....Still Kinda At The Bottom

I started selling Fancy Free Pomade for Hair & Skin in March 2015, it was on a whim. No business plan. No real plan for it at all. My goodt goodt girlfriend knows her stuff, after using it once, she said "Sell this." So I started selling it. That first year was a world wind of packaging, designing labels, solidifying vendors....or at least trying to solidify vendors, but that's another story. You know, just trying to figure it all out without having the slightest clue of what I was doing. What I did know was that I had something good. I had a great product with a great concept and as soon as people tried it, they were hooked.

When I saw what I looked at my profits from 2015, I thought "We might be on to something." If I had the right guidance, if I had the right influence, if I had someone to show me, step by step, how to run my business, this could really be big. But I had none of that. I didn't even have a real website. LOL! I talked to a few people but no one who could commit to really mentoring me the way I needed. I am a scientist, not a business woman. I was floating by in the first half of 2016. Taking my sweet time to get my website together. I mean, I was selling on Etsy and eBay, good enough. I had this HUGE project that I was working on at work. I had a baby in my belly. I had a lot on my plate. Then I got a call to for Shark Tank casting. Whaaaaaatttt??????? OMG! I was so nervous. I had to record a video. I didn't know what to say. My website wasn't finished. I didn't have a business plan. My numbers were pretty puny compared to the type of numbers I had seen from other businesses pitching on the show. But I went for it. Kicked in to high gear. Rushed to have a special box designed to send samples to California. I was not polished. I was all over the place. I had no experience shipping in warm temperatures, so I'm sure the product was melted when it was delivered. Fancy Free was not selected for the second phase of testing. But I did not get discouraged. I used that experience as a lesson. I took that lesson and got to work.

Fast forward to June 2016, a second Shark Tank casting. No call back. Then in August 2017, an application to pitch to Betamore at Beta City. Yes! Finally, I think this is going to be the one. I go to the workshop they have on creating a pitch. The presenter offered some great insight, maybe you don't need an investor, if you're profitable and small, your efforts can probably be "bootstrapped". No. It's not as secure as having a millionaire back your efforts. Yes. It will take longer. But why give away equity in your company when it's very possible that you can achieve your goals without having to. Needless to say, I did not get selected to pitch my business to an investor at Beta City but I was selected to become a member of iFundWomen's Maryland cohort.

iFundWomen is a platform for women entrepreneurs to encourage and support each other through raising capital to start or grow their businesses. Founded by Karen Cahn during the 2016 Presidential Election, iFundWomen has since raised $700,000 for 120 entrepreneurs. The mission of iFundWomen is to close the funding and confidence gap for female entrepreneurs by working with early stage companies on coaching, brand positioning, and sales strategies, to get them off the ground, and onto "Main Street". 

Living in the city, I see all of the disparities of Baltimore. My husband and I chose to purchase a house in the city because we know the solid community is the only thing that can reverse the effects of school to prison pipeline, drug addiction, absentee parents and other challenges our people are experiencing. We decided that we wanted to set an example and be the change in our city that we want to see. Our goal is to play a major role in rebuilding our city and the sense of community that we once held so near and dear to our hearts. With help for iFundWomen supporters, I will be able to do just that. 

I have a really hard time asking for help publicly, especially monetary help, but I realized that my project was bigger than me so I got over myself. I am offering rewards for every giving level. This is where building community begins. If you offer a helping hand, I am in a better position to help someone else because you helped me.