Ladies that grew out nape...GET IN HERE!!

[delitefulmane]

Ladies, please tell me how do I grow out my nape. It is the shortest part of my hair. I know if it starts growing the rest of my hair will jump on the band wagon!!!

 

[thegirltolove]

GET OUTTA MY HEAD!!!!! I was just thinking about that a little earlier. That is my problem area. The rest of my hair is growing out just fine, but I want to be able to pull my hair up in a smooth pony or bun and not have all these daggone hairs sticking out in the back!!!!

I see other ladies that have it all sleek looking and I want that sleekness too!!! I need to know where to start!

 

[Isis]

I grew mine out nicely by not relaxing it except for once each year and for less time than the rest of my hair. I believe my nape (and this may apply to others also) is a different hair type so I treat it differently. This and babying my nape continues to work very well for me.

 

[caribeandiva]

i moisturize it separately. that seems to work for me.

 

[2grlsandme]

Ooh keep it coming ladies I need help in this area too!! I have one spot that just seems like it it will never grow.

 

[MuslimahTresses]

I moisturized that area more than any other. I stopped relaxing that part first and I baggied it on a regular. That area totally transformed in a few months.

 

[sonce]

I used to have a nape that wouldn't get past 2 inches. The same techniques--gentleness, protective styling, good products--that grew out the rest of my hair, grew out my nape too...Oh, and not wearing any styles that required me to pull my nape tightly was a big help.

 

[mch5683]

I have recently had some nape trauma. I've been taking the time to really treat this area with extra care. I apply my MN concoction
I make sure I keep it moisturized and braid it up at night. I have seen some results. The progress is slow but sure!

 

[HWAY]

That area was moisturized more than the rest of my hair. I used MTG daily. I wore a silk scarf under my hat and another over my scarf. I deep conditioned my hair weekly.

 

[freshlikemoi]

o0h girl two winters ago my nape was a bald kitchen, from all of my winter scarves and hats. Now my nape is at the bottom of my neck. Whenever I would moisturize I would beast on that section. For example, if I was doing a deep conditioner I would use half of the tub just on my nape. (My left nape was the problem). Also, any chance I got I was moisturizing it. I would wake up in the middle of the night to pee and I would reach in my cabinet and slap some moisturizer on that nape, and take my behind right back to sleep.

All in all, I had to show it more love than anything. Even to this day I do the same, because I know that area is so sensitive for black women because there seems to be so much tension there from tight ponytails, relaxers, and braids....

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[locabouthair]

I agree with all of the above. I remember sistaslick saying that one of the reasons people have breakage in the nape area is because the nape area usually rests on the sink when the relaxer is washed out. and is not rinsed out properly. i hope i said that right.

 

[amwcah]

I learned alot of tips from JenniferMD in this area. You may want to check out her fotki.

I have been:

stretching my relaxers
moisturizing this area up to 3x per day
only comb on wash days
finger comb this area separate from the rest of my hair
protective styling-wigs or braids
no ponytails
scalp massages

 

[Misseyl]

I don't experience breakage in that area because of my clothing, but I do experience breakage because of overlapping. What I do is put the relaxer on that area last. Now my nape is growing in but not to hell will my front edges. I don't know what else to do. I'll continue to baby it and see if I even get an inch. In 6 months time, if it doesn't grow, I'll change my regime and incorporate some new products to see if that helps.

 

[Lavendar]

The biggest problem I had with my nape was friction at night. My bonnet would rub that area and it would be rough, tangled and break, besides the bonnet completely coming off at night. I then decided to wrap a large satin scarf around my head first (starting from the front, wrapping around the back, and back to front). Using a large scarf leaves excess on the sides for me to overlap and tuck-in around the sides of the nape area. Then I apply my bonnet. The extra cushion made a world of difference to my nape area and the knot in the front of my scarf holds my bonnet in place all night. My nape stays moisturized and is now past APL like the rest of my hair.

 

[hopeful]

Went natural, give it extra moisture and oil, leave it alone, keep it braided or twisted most of the time, be extra gentle with it.

 

[nappity]

Went natural, give it extra moisture and oil, leave it alone, keep it braided or twisted most of the time, be extra gentle with it.

Co-signing

 

[LynnieB]

Went natural, give it extra moisture and oil, leave it alone, keep it braided or twisted most of the time, be extra gentle with it.

Co-signing

me three

the extra moisture and keeping it in a PS really was key for me.

 

[Brownie518]

I had a bald spot on my nape earlier in the year. I had to relax it every other touch up, kept it well moisturized, and I would do overnight prepoos on that area only before wash day. I also became more careful about placement of my scarf knot to make sure it wasn't rubbing. It is now to my shoulders but I will baby that area till I die

 

[Sly]

Tie your scarves in the front (Aunt Jemima style). Many do not realize tying at the nape can be the culprit of breakage. Also try positioning ponytails or buns at the top of head, far left or far right behind ears* instead of at the nape.

* not too high or you may look 'slow'

 

[poookie]

I had a bald spot on my nape earlier in the year. I had to relax it every other touch up, kept it well moisturized, and I would do overnight prepoos on that area only before wash day. I also became more careful about placement of my scarf knot to make sure it wasn't rubbing. It is now to my shoulders but I will baby that area till I die

i have the same sort of problem. i accidentally shaved my nape bald about 8 years ago, and the shortest parts are still about 3 inches long.

how long did it take you to get your nape from bald to shoulder length?

 

[poookie]

* not too high or you may look 'slow'

i didn't know it was bad to wear high ponytails...

 

[Lavendar]

i didn't know it was bad to wear high ponytails...

Hey pookie! I don't think she meant the ponytails....I think she means don't wear the bun on top of your head!

 

[nappity]

Yeah ponytails cause traction cause it is the opposite of what your hair is doing in gravity and force againt gravity increase stress. (Let that be a life lesson to all of you STOP swanging form the Chandelier!!!!) A low pony causes less tension in your kitchen.

 

[Blessed_Angel]

When you go to the salon, you can put some conditioner on your nape before you get there, so that when they put the relaxer on that section, it won't affect it too much. And make sure that they rinse out that area really good after a touch-up. A lot of times it is left on the hair, and that causes the breakage.

 

[RosesBlack]

My nape is the thickest nappiest area of my hair. I used to get a lot of breakage before I realized it needs some special care.

I always -always- use extra moisturizer in that area. Also I noticed the hair there reacts far better to creamier heavier moisture. I started doing my sorta baggy as well and that has cut down on a lot of the breakage.

I detangle that area first and use my fingers before I use a wide toothed comb.

That's pretty much all I've done and I've retained a lot of growth there even though previously I rarely ever retained growth in that area.

 

[Gryphyn]

Mine was growing out fine after I went natural, then I went crazy with a hot comb for 3 months last year and I had almost no nape left . I grew mine back by putting it in 3 braids, and pinning it up under my puff so nobody would notice. It worked great! Soon I could do 2 braids. Those started getting too long around the time I started wearing cornrows daily during the summer. Now I wear buns everyday, buy I sometimes put my nape hair in a single twist and pin it under my bun to protect it.

By keeping my nap braided, I was able to grow most of it back in about 4 months.

 

[Starr1]

The hair on the nape and edges of a persons hair is slightly different than the rest of the hair on the head, it serves more of a transitional purpose between head hair and body hair and in many cases has a much shorter anagen phase (growth time) than the hair on your head and is much more fragile. It also serves as a physical barrier between your hair and the rest of the world and takes the brunt of environmental damage. Just as certain factors effect hair retention on the rest of your head, factors such as friction, diet, supplements, physical manipulation, and product application also effect these area. Some people will be able to grow their transitional hair out to great lengths and others will never retain more than a few inches, based on genetics, so the goal shouldn't be about length but about health.

Try using a silk or satin pillowcase to not only to greatly reduce friction breakage at night but also to prevent moisture loss, as cotton often absorbs moisture. If you don't have or can't get a satin pillowcase a good option is to safety pin a large silk or satin scarf to your regular pillowcase- it's a inexpensive option that gives you the same effect and eliminates any friction the elastic on a bonnet would cause. (Yes I know it's ghetto, but it's cheap) As mentioned before wrapping hair with a scarf will work if you can get the scarf to stay on your head all night without it being too tight on the nape and edge.

If you live in a cold area, or just like to wear hats, try to get your hats lined in satin to help cut down on friction during the winter months. If you can't afford to have it down professionally, then you can do it yourself, or if you're like me and can't sew worth a like you can simply cut the fabric to fit and adhere it with double sided fabric hemming tape.

Traction breakage from pulling the hair too tightly can as be a problem and can be remedied by loosening braids, ponytails, and buns. If the nape hair falls out then use coated bobby pins or clips to hold it in place.

Another thing is that moisture is key- if you moisturize your hair once a day then, then moisturize your edges and nape twice. If you relax you can also choose to not relax this area. HTH.

 

[beaux cheveux]

For me it kinda just happened. I justed stopped thinking about it and took general care of my hair and all of a sudden at my next touchup it was a good 2 inches instead of the normal beadies. Even after a few weeks it didn't revert back to the bb's like it normally did, ever since then it continued to grow.

 

[thegirltolove]

Tie your scarves in the front (Aunt Jemima style). Many do not realize tying at the nape can be the culprit of breakage. Also try positioning ponytails or buns at the top of head, far left or far right behind ears* instead of at the nape.

* not too high or you may look 'slow'

 

[delitefulmane]

. I would wake up in the middle of the night to pee and I would reach in my cabinet and slap some moisturizer on that nape, and take my behind right back to sleep.

Thanx for all your help ladies.. I am natural so it isn't short from a relaxer but it has to be from friction!!