You may already be practicing some of these measures, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure you’re doing everything you can to steer clear of hair-damaging habits.

1. When washing your hair, focus on cleansing the scalp. Let the water remove dirt from your strands.

2. Condition after every shampoo. Black hair needs to be hydrated since it is often dry.

3. Don’t rub your hair with the towel. Simply wrap your head so the water is absorbed.

4. Gently detangle hair with a wide-tooth comb; don’t pull or tug tresses.

5. Limit heat on hair to once each week at the most. (Reminder: Use a heat protectant.)

6. Don’t use a curling iron each day; wrap or set hair on satin-covered rollers.

7. Pulling the hair too tightly is a no-no. Many people end up with no hairline or thinned-out tresses because of this practice.

8. If you rock weaves or extensions, opt for install methods that don’t pull on the hair.

9. To preserve length and avoid shrinkage of natural hair, spray hands with water and run lightly over tresses instead of directly misting your mane.

10. Don’t comb your hair if you’re in a hurry. Simply pull that bad boy back and deal with it when you have more time.

As one popular naturalista said on YouTube, consistently observing some or all of these little habits can help to prevent breakage, preserve your hair’s length and encourage your tresses to grow.