How To Regrow And Protect Your Edges

HOW TO REGROW AND PROTECT Y0UR EDGES

April 08, 2022

We make beautiful art with our edges, slicking, laying, painting cursives, and then suddenly there are no more edges to slay.

Often times this leaves us feeling insecure and unwilling to wear our curls out. We flounder, searching for ways to disguise our loss. Below are steps to restore those edges and mistakes to avoid if you are not at this point yet.

5 Mistakes Causing Damage To Your Edges

Damage to edges can come in the form of hair loss, characterized by visible thinning of hair and bald spots at the edges or hair breakage of which hair at the edges keeps getting shorter till nothing is left. Therefore it becomes crucial to understand and address the cause of damage. Most damage to edges is from hair practices and diet, which include;

1. Tension from Hairstyles

High ponytails, slick buns might look great and that paracetamol might have relieved the headache from those teeny-tiny box braids but all that tension on your edges can lead to Traction alopecia (Hair loss resulting from too much pressure and tension on the scalp and hair strands), thinning out the hair on your edges, and leaving bald spots.

2. Certain Hair Tools and Styling Products

Pulling hair bands on and off, brushes with hard brittles used to smooth and slick down edges, elastic bands on hair bonnets, all these cause harmful friction on the delicate hair strands of your edges that lead to breakage. Also, indiscriminate use of gels and edge controls constantly contributes to these damages too.

P.S - some breakouts on your foreheads are actually from edge controls

3. Dry Edges and Scalp

Oftentimes, in a bid to retain our hair lengths we pay maximum attention to our ends only while deep conditioning and moisturizing. This is not wrong but our edges are just as delicate as our ends and need all of that care to prevent breakages.

4. Heat and Chemical Treatments

Avoid applying direct heat to your edges as much as possible, they are the most fragile hair strands, and excessive heat, especially without an effective heat protectant will cause breakage.

Chemical treatments such as bleaching or relaxing your edges, especially without professional help, increase its fragility and it becomes more susceptible to breakage.

5. Unhealthy Diet

A diet deficient in vitamins, iron, and protein can lead to hair loss, as these are important for hair growth. As these are the building blocks for the hair follicles and hair strands.

Genetic Factors and Hormonal Changes also play major roles in hair loss at your edges. And these can be stopped once the underlying condition is resolved. For hormonal and medical conditions, it's advised to see a doctor.

Steps To Regrow and Maintain Your Edges

By now your know what you did or doing wrong, so stop, and let's get on to recovering those babies and keeping them this time.

1. Moisturize and Seal up your ends at least thrice a week with these steps;

Spray a little water directly to your edges with a spray bottle.
Apply a moisturizing leave-in to edges and smooth backward.
Massage oil to seal in stroking motion.

2. Avoid tight hairstyles. Protective styles should actually protect and ensure that you or your stylist does not pull tightly on your edges during braids. Also, take a break from tight hairstyles and keeps your puffs as loose as possible.

3. Be Gentle on your edges while brushing and slicking them down by using brushes with soft bristles or even a toothbrush together with gentle styling products that will nourish and strengthen edges while giving that laid look such as the moisturizing and strengthening Curls Unleashed hibiscus and flaxseed curling custard.

4. Eating Healthy meals has a direct effect on our hair follicles and strands. Hair follicles from which the hair strands grow are made up of proteins, a protein-rich diet will restore new growth to your edges, while leafy greens such as spinach are high in beta carotene and vitamin A will prevent hair loss.

5. Massage the scalp at your edges regularly with essential oils; Rosemary oil, and peppermint oil which studies have proven to stimulate growth, tea tree oil for its antibacterial properties. Which are all present in the Growth Burst Serum.

6. Use Satin headbands and ensure that the elastic band of your hair bonnets is not rubbing or laid on your edges. Or better still get a satin sleeping cap with ties.

If hair loss is caused by hormonal changes from childbirth, menopause, or caused by medical conditions, seeking professional help is advised.