Hair not growing

I am a 20 yr old Black male. my hair is 4b i think which is nappy / coarse. I been growin my hair for bout 1 year now puttin it in cornrows since it got long enough to braid. but i still got no hangtime after 1yr. I have the following questions im hoping you peeps can answer.

I get my hair braided every 3 weeks, how should i be taking care of it during those 3 weeks when its in cornrows.. Plz be detailed like wat products to use how frequently to use them  and what not to do etc. I havent been doing anything betweeen those 3 weeks but washing my hair like every 4 days in the shower with a du rag on.

When i get my braids taken out, i get my hair washed, blowdried then rebraided again. Is this bad? I heard i should leave the hair out for a couple days. Also if I should leave it out then how do i maintain it while its in the fro?

i hear about indian hemp oil castor oil all kinds of other stuff. I'm not too knowledgable on those things so what are simple products i can use t o increase my growth and healthy hair.

I hope someone can answer my questions because after 1 yr of growing this i should have some hangtime, im real frustrated like my hair aint growing.

Thanks, all help appreciated. feel free to pm me with more advice.

First of all, you need to make sure your hair is moisturized.  Your hair is growing.  It's just probably breaking off at a faster rate than it is growing.  Since your hair is 4b, it's probably very dry.  You should try deep conditioning your hair at least once a week.  All you have to do is mix conditioner and oil (castor oil is fine, you also may want to try Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Virgin Coconut Oil), apply it to your hair for about an hour, then rinse it out.  Hair needs moisturization to be elastic so that it won't break.  Also, try using a leave-in conditioner to keep your hair moisturized througout the day.  Of all things remember this:  Whatever you take out of your hair, put back into it.  Blowdrying your hair is very drying, so make sure you keep your hair moisturized.  By being gentle with my hair and keeping it moisturized it's grown about 4 inches in 5 1/2 months.  I think your hair will grow, as well.  I hope this helped

Edited by ccmuffingirl - September 23 2007 at 12:39am

great advice ccmuffingirl