Glamazons,
Every day I wake up and pray for my edges. Every single morning. “Keep my loved ones safe and in good health, order my steps according to your will, and please send your angels to keep watch over my edges. Protect them with the full armor of God. Amen.” Snatched edges are an epidemic.
Think I’m being dramatic (and I do realize I am…just a little bit)? Look at this. Just look at it! And she is not alone. Most of us have experienced some thinning around our hairline, and the frustration that comes with it. It feels like our edges are running from us at Usain Bolt speed and there’s little you can do to stop them. But you CAN hold onto your edges. A few changes in your hair routine, and the right products, can help your edges grow back thicker and stronger.
I noticed my edges thinning recently and after doing some research, I know exactly why.
My edges are still there (thank you God!) but I’m determined to make them thicker and stronger.
So before I get into the solution, let’s start with the problems that lead to thinning edges in the first place:
-Heavy brushes.
They’re a culprit. If you are wearing your hair pulled back or in updos, you should opt for a soft bristle brush, and brush your hair lightly. Your edges are a delicate flower: be gentle with them.
-Always wearing your hair back.
Speaking of updos and slicked back hair, wearing those hairstyles all the time will weaken your edges. Switch it up! Occasionally wear your hair down or forward to take the pressure off your hairline.
-Gel.
Listen, Linda! Even before I was natural, I’d put a ton of gel on my hair and slick it back into a ponytail. Most gels contain alcohol, which is drying to your hair and making your edges more susceptible to damage.
-Wigs.
The wig craze is real: it’s the perfect protective style because you can blend your hair easily with it for day and take it off to tend to your hair at night. But wigs can wreak havoc on your edges. Your hair needs to breathe, and wigs suffocate the scalp and hairline, which strips it of moisture. Leaving your edges out when you wear half wigs goes a long way in keeping them from thinning and breaking.
-Tight styles like extensions and braids.
It’s not just a headache you’re battling when you get your braids done or extensions installed, and it’s so tight you literally can’t move or think for the first few days. You’re hurting your edges! If your hairstyle is so tight that your head is pounding, can you imagine what it’s doing to your hair? *Shivers* This is a huge culprit in the battle against edges. Now, when I get braids, I ask that they’re not braided too tight in the front. As for extensions, I let my edges flourish by leaving them out completely.
Loved wearing my Senegalese twists in an updo but the style wasn’t kind to my edges.
Alarming, right? Now, for the solution. Here are the products I’m using to grow my edges out:
-Jamaican Black Castor Oil
It stimulates hair growth and moisturizes, nourishes and thickens the hair. Get some here.
-ORS Temple Balm
It promotes circulation and facilitates the blood flow to the hair follicles, which promotes growth. Apply the balm (a blend of horsetail, menthol, and juniper) to your temples, scalp and areas with thinning hair. Shop here.
-Optimum Amla Legend Billion Dollar Potion
The potion’s key ingredients (amla oil, arginine and ceramides) help nourish and revitalize the scalp and hair fibers. The amla oil promotes thicker hair growth, ceramide repairs hair damage and the arginine increases blood flow to the scalp to promote hair growth. Pick it up here.
-Deep Conditioner
Keeping your hair moisturized on a regular basis will help prevent breakage and thinning. I deep condition on Sundays and sit under the dryer with a detachable hood (using moderate heat) so the conditioner deeply penetrates the hair shaft.
-Stop the damage.
Switch up your hairstyles. Leave your edges out when wearing extensions or wigs. Never, ever let your hair get braided or pulled too tight. Your edges won’t grow as long as you’re treating them badly.
Glamazons, how are you protecting your edges?
Kisses,
Glamazon Jessica
