How can i encourage my hair growth and enhance my curls after years of abuse?

I have very curly hispanic-afro hair...a combination of big waves and smaller curls, how can i make my hair grow past my shoulders (its been that length for ten years), and show some life rather than dull and puffy cause of humidity?

How can i encourage my hair growth and enhance my curls after years of abuse?

It sounds like you need to get your hair back into shape. Go to a salon and buy conditioning treatments to do at home 3 times a week. The treatments should have moisture and protein in them. Moisture makes your hair soft, shiny and healthy looking. Protein makes your hair stronger so it doesn't break. You can have too much protein in your hair and make it brittle and dry feelin because it gets too "strong". So make sure the only product that you use in your hair that contains protein is the conditioning treatment. At the salon also buy a moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing daily conditioner and a leave-in conditioner. Every time you shampoo use your daily rinse out conditioner and leave in conditioner.

Except when you do a conditioning treatment then just shampoo and do the treatment as follows:

1. Shampoo

2. Towel dry

3. Apply conditioning treatment

4. Gently comb/pick through your hair to get the tangles out

5. Let the treatment sit for at least 30 min (regardless of what the package says) or for as long as you want. I put my treatments in when I get home from work then by the time I go to bed it's crunchy/dry in my hair. I put my hair up on top of my head with a very SOFT FABRIC scrunchy then sleep with it in. In the morning rinse it out then style as usual.

I promise you if you do this your hair will get repaired and grow and look healthy and awesome.