As a life long lover of all things "self-improvement", sometimes I sit back and marvel at the various challenges I have put myself up to over the years. Whether it was "learning to be a doctor" at 7 years old by reading the unintelligible passages under the "How Your Heart Works" section of my hardbound encyclopedias, or learning how to do my own french manicure at age 13 after purchasing the "Kiss French Acrylic Nail Sculpture Kit" at CVS, I've come to realize that my do-it-yourself, project tackling mania is simply a part of my DNA.Although most of my adolescent undertakings have since fallen by the wayside, one "project" that has managed to survive the last 7 years of changes is (and perhaps always will be) my devotion to growing long, strong, healthy hair. Spurred by a two year disaster with relaxers that had turned my long, thick locks into a see-through, broken mess, my quest for longer, healthier hair started at age 15 after sneaking downstairs into the family room of my childhood home and googling "grow black hair long" into the wee hours of the morning. Notwithstanding the fact that I emerged tired and barely able to keep my eyes open in school the following day, I look back on that fateful night fondly as it was the day I decided to go natural and take better care of my hair.

Being the zealous person that I am, however, I was not satisfied until I tried every natural hair product, technique, and regimen known to man. Although the health of my hair improved immediately as I had ditched the relaxer and was heat styling less frequently, I was unable to get the length I have now until recently. In other words, for the 7 -8 years that I have been natural, the first 5-6 years of my hair journey were spent at about shoulder length, which was the length of my hair when I had a relaxer. I have only reached APL within the last year or so. What has been the differentiating factor, you ask?Easy: In the last year or so, I have been a stickler for keeping things simple.I almost feel silly writing a whole post on this because I feel like simplicity is the golden rule that most naturals should already know. For all of the "natural hair celebs" on various blogs and YouTube channels, the majority of them promote a simple hair care routine because...well..."keeping it simple, sister" works! Kimmaytube, Naptural85, and LeobodyC5 are all great examples of natural YouTubers who have seen great success in keeping their regimens paired down.While your mileage may vary, here are a few "simple rules" that I've incorporated in my routine that I've had great results from:1. Rinse (Wash) Hair More OftenLet me first say that my definition of washing doesn't necessarily include shampoo or even a cleansing agent. The point here is to (1) keep the scalp free of debris and (2) keep the actual hair at an adequate moisture level. Dry hair breaks off and, as we all know, the only true moisture that exists for anything is plain water. Keeping my hair hydrated through regular rinsing/washings has kept it from drying out and breaking off, thus I retain length. Also, moisturized hair it much more pliable, which means I am able to manipulate/style it when necessary without incurring additional breakage.As a person whose scalp feels like it's on fire 3-4 days after a wash, I am surprised it took me so long to get into this habit. In addition to the softer, more moisturized hair, I really enjoy the feeling of a fresher, not-so-itchy scalp.2. Trim less oftenThis might be quite controversial for some naturals, but yes, I retained much more length when I stopped trimming so often. Let me first state that I acknowledge that worn down ends are more likely to split and break off, thus it is necessary to trim hair at some point in order to avoid breakage. The issue for me was never should I trim my hair but rather how often and how much.My problem was (1) I didn't want my ends to look "raggedy" and (2) I was scared my raggedy ends would break off, further stunting my hair growth. At the time, it made more sense to me to have consistently even (i.e. trimmed) ends as I believed that uneven ends were the cause of my breakage.My epiphany came when I realized that (1) I was trimming off more hair than I was retaining every month and (2) my "raggedy" ends were not the cause of my breakage. What I was identifying as "raggedy" was just the normal, uneven growth pattern of my hair. As for the ends that were indeed raggedy (i.e. split), they were caused by poor hair care practices (like going a week without moisturizing) and I was cutting off way more than what was necessary in the name of even-looking hair. What I had to get over was that as a person with curly, kinky hair, by design my ends will never look perfectly even unless I constantly cut them that way. Lucky for me everyone, perfectly even hair is not a prerequisite for length retention. Once I put the scissors down and let my otherwise healthy hair be as it was, my length retention began to take off.3. Reduce Manipulation and Stress on the HairThis "rule" was easy for me to abide by because I can get real lazy with my hair. The last thing I want to do is spend hours every night and/or morning styling it just to get it to look presentable. Hence, low manipulation/protective styles are my go to looks. In addition to simply being easier to do and maintain, low manipulation/protective styles are helpful in actually keeping the ends of your hair on your head, which leads to length retention. Some of my favorite styles are braid/twist outs and mini twists.***While I'm sure there are more detailed things one can do to keep things really simple with their hair care, the above tips serve as the anchor to my routine. Is simplicity serving your hair well? Why or why not? Share in the comments section.