The struggle to grow back my edges has been a battle; for the last couple of years, I’ve paid special attention to them.
The first question I had to ask myself was, “How did they get so thin in the first place?” I didn’t need a dermatologist or trichologist to tell me the answer because it was simple. I have Traction Alopecia.
As a young adult, I experimented with color, relaxers, braids, tight ponytails and bleach. In turn, it made my fine, curly hair weak and damaged. It started breaking off, and rather than doing a big chop, I wore a sew-in weave to transition. I left out my hairline area and a horseshoe part in the front of my head (for blending purposes”>.
However, my weave was a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because every time I would get a ‘touch up’ I saw massive growth. My hairstylist was great about giving me frequent trims, removing build-up, and deep conditioning my hair before installing a fresh one. The curse came for not giving my hair a break. I was persistent on wearing a weave until all of my dead ends were gone–big mistake. The tension and weight of my extensions slowly destroyed my edges leaving me with long hair and a disappearing hairline.
3 Edge Growth Remedies I’ve Tried
Although the health of my hair has dramatically improved, I’m still on the hunt for the perfect edge growth remedy. Here’s what I’ve tried so far…
Organic Root Stimulator Fertilizing Serum (ORS”>
To this day, I haven’t found anything to be as effective as this formula. This lightweight serum stimulates the scalp, promotes growth and exfoliates clogged follicles. One of the biggest benefits was that I could apply it twice a day without weighing down my curls. The other was that, it works! I saw edge growth quickly and the effects lasted months after I stopped using it.
The ORS Fertilizing Serum contains powerful extracts from garlic, horsetail, nettle, aloe vera and stimulating paprika extract. Buyer beware: Wash your hands after applying it! It does sting if you get it near your eye area (first-hand experience”>.
Essential Oils
Sometime last year, I watched a YouTube video from SunKissAlba about hair growth. In the video, she mentions adding certain essential oils to her hair products. It sounded like a genius idea, so I started doing it too. Some of my favorite essential oils to include in my shampoos, conditioners and leave-in conditioners, are:
- rosemary
- peppermint
- tea tree oil
These essential oils are effective at stimulating the hair follicles and increasing blood flow to the scalp.
Scalp Massages
Every night before bed, I treat myself to a 3-5 minute scalp massage. It increases blood flow to the scalp; normally I include an additional form of treatment while I do them. For a few months, I massaged the SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Hair Serum on my scalp. But because I consider myself an at-home chemist, I’ll add some drops of rosemary and peppermint for extra stimulation. I’m currently also trying Tropic Isle Living Strong Roots Red Pimento Hair Growth Oil as another alternative.
Watch: Edge Growth Update | Tropic Isle Living Red Pimento Hair Growth Oil
What are your favorite remedies for edge growth? Share with us down below in the comments.
