There is a phrase we hear constantly in the community: "My hair just won't grow." It is a sentiment born of frustration. You look at old photos from two years ago and feel like your hair is the exact same length today. You buy the vitamins, you drink the water, but the tape measure doesn't move. It is easy to feel like your hair is defective, or that you have hit a genetic wall.
But here is the biological reality: unless you have a specific medical condition, your hair is growing. On average, human hair grows about half an inch per month. That’s six inches a year. If your hair is the same length in December as it was in January, the problem isn't your growth. The problem is your retention.
The "Growth Equation" is simple but unforgiving: Growth must be greater than Breakage.
If your hair grows half an inch this month, but the dry, brittle ends break off by half an inch, your net gain is zero. You are running on a treadmill—moving constantly but getting nowhere. To see real length, you have to stop focusing solely on the root and start obsessing over the ends.
The ends of your hair are the "elders." If your hair is shoulder length, those ends are likely three or four years old. They have survived hundreds of wash days, thousands of brush strokes, scorching summers, and freezing winters. They are chemically weathered and structurally weak. They are looking for any excuse to snap.
This is where Rooted Treasure Jamaican Black Castor Oil shifts from being a growth stimulant to a "preservationist." We often talk about applying it to the scalp (which is great for the "growth" part of the equation), but its role on your ends is arguably more critical for the "retention" part.
JBCO is a heavy, sealing oil. When applied to the last two inches of your hair—the "danger zone"—it acts as a cast. It binds the cuticle cells down, preventing them from lifting and snagging on your clothes or pillow. It provides the elasticity needed for the hair to bend rather than snap when you manipulate it.
A highly effective technique for retention is "bagging" your ends. It’s an intensive treatment for those hitting a plateau. Apply a small amount of water or water-based moisturizer to your ends, followed by a generous coating of Rooted Treasure. Then, cover just the ends of your hair with a small plastic sandwich bag or a shower cap secured with a hair tie for 30 minutes (or overnight). The "greenhouse effect" created by the body heat and the plastic forces the moisture into the oldest part of your hair, while the oil ensures it stays there.
When you take the bag off, your ends will feel sponge-like and plump, not like dry straw. Do this once a week, and you will stop seeing those tiny broken hairs on your shirt collar. And when you stop the breakage, the growth that has been happening all along finally becomes visible.
It requires a shift in mindset. We are trained to obsess over the new growth at the scalp, but long hair is built at the ends. By using Rooted Treasure to armor the oldest part of your hair against the elements, you finally tip the scale of the Growth Equation in your favor.