I am sure all women like me care a lot for the hair and a good bit of time is daily spent on setting the hair. Hairs make a huge difference to our style and beauty, and it gives us an identity in appearance.
Even when a few extra strands of hair fall off, it makes me jittery and worried.
Everyone who is experiencing excess hair fall or with thin hair seriously wants to know how to grow hair faster.
Scientifically there is no healthy way to accelerate hair growth all of a sudden. But several proven solutions can effectively stimulate hair growth and reduce hair loss. The best treatment for hair growth is eliminating the specific cause that has stunted the regenerations of hair cells.
I have heard a few people say that trimming makes the hair grow faster. NO ways.
The hair grows from within the hair follicles under the skin.
In this article let us examine why hairs stop growing normally and how to make your hair grow faster.
Reasons For ‘Slow’ or ‘No’ Hair Growth
In a healthy person, the hair on the scalp grows about .3 to .4 mm/day or about 6 inches per year. The growth of a scalp hair lasts for 2 to 6 years (Anagen stage) and then it completely stops growing (catagen stage – lasts 2-3 weeks) and finally it rests and falls off (Telogen stage – lasts maximum 100 days).
In many individuals, the hairs stop growing at the normal rate because of various biological and external reasons. Understanding the specific reason for slow hair growth in the concerned individual is the first step in choosing the right remedy for faster hair growth.
Below given are the major reasons for ‘slow’ or ‘no’ hair growth:-
Chemical Treatments On Hair
Frequent use of chemical treatments or their application on hair, such as hair coloring, bleaching, hair styling gels, hair fixers, hair is relaxing, perming, etc., not only damages the hair but also gradually kills or destroys the hair follicles themselves.
Hereditary And Genetic Reasons
Hereditary factors are an important cause of hair loss especially the ‘pattern of baldness in men and women. The hair growth trends remain quite identical among members of the same family.
Nutrients Deficiency
Healthy hair growth is possible only when a sufficient amount of required vitamins and minerals reaches the hair follicles as nutrients for hair growth. Most of the hair growth problems are due to a lack of essential vitamins required for hair growth.
Certain Diseases And Medications
The medicines used as a treatment for a particular disease like diabetes, cholesterol, cancer, epilepsy, high blood pressure, thyroiditis, etc. stunt hair growth and give rise to increased hair loss.
Hormonal Changes
Hair growth becomes slow, and hair loss increases when there is a hormonal imbalance. This is particularly noticed in women during pregnancy, initial months of menopause, while on contraceptive pills or steroids, etc.
Physical And Mental Stress
Excessive physical and mental stress for a prolonged period creates a hormonal imbalance in the person. Excessive stress also reduces the life span of hair follicles as they enter the so-called resting phase early.
Sleep Deprivation
An adult person requires a minimum of 6-7 hours of daily sleep. It is during sleep hours that the body repairs and regenerates the body cells. Lack of sleep reduces the efficiency of the hair follicles to produce the cells that form the hair.
Addiction And Unhealthy Habits
The Excess amount of caffeine intake, heavy doses of nicotine from smoking, side effects of substance abuse, etc. has a direct effect on slowing down hair growth. Most of these addictions reduce the flow of blood to the hair follicles. They not only bring into the body the unhealthy elements that make the hair dry, thin, and split; but also weaken the hair follicles.
Environmental Pollution
People exposed to severe air and water pollution often experience a high rate of hair loss and slow growth of hair. Especially the water used bathing and drinking must pure and safe for the body.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Being physically active is very important for the health of the body and hair. The blood circulation to the tissues surrounding hair follicles become stagnant or blocked due to a lack of sufficient physical activities.
Wrong Hair Styles And Fashions
Many people, especially the youth, end up damaging their hair by following certain hairstyles and fashion trends. For example, excessive use of hair styling gels, hairpins, chemical hair colors, use of bad headgears, faulty threading of hairs, etc. leads to damage and loss of hair.
Processed Junk Foods
Processed junk foods often do not contain the essential vitamins required for the growth of hair. The bad cholesterol and sugar these foods bring into the body create fatal diseases that eventually lead to severe hair loss and stunted hair growth.
There are also several other reasons that lead to the slow growth of hair. If you can identify the exact reasons that are causing trouble to your tresses, then it will be easy to find a solution to the problem ‘how to make hair grow faster.’
For more info read also the article “How To Make Your Hair Grow Faster”
Solutions And Treatments To Grow Your Hair Faster
I have been researching a lot to find the most common and practical solutions that promote the speedy growth of hair and stop abnormal hair loss. In fact, I have come across a large number of remedies for faster hair growth, but let us look at only the most popular ones here.
1) Taking Good Care Of Your Hair Always
The hairs are delicate, and they need to be given gentle care to keep them healthy and strong. Just for example, regularly trimming the split ends, oiling, brushing, gently washing, using healthy organic hair masks, etc. are the ways to improve the health of the hair.
2) Healthy Intake Of Vitamins And Hair Protein
If you want to grow thick and beautiful hair faster, your body must receive an adequate amount of vitamins, nutrients, and proteins required for the nourishment of hair. You can have a look at the article on Vitamins for hair growth find details on the same.
3) Healthy Brushing Of The Hair
Brushing the hair twice or thrice a day is good for the hair, but excess brushing will damage the hair. It is enough to brush gently the hair for 2-3 minutes maximum at a time. Brush not only the hair but also the scalp as it will activate the blood vessels on the scalp.
Wet and tangled hairs should not be brushed forcefully as it will damage the hairs badly. To detangle the hair, make the hair dry and start brushing from the bottom of the hair. Do not use force as it may even hurt the hair roots and follicles as well.
4) Gentle Scalp Massage
It really good to gently massage your scalp for a few minutes especially while oiling or shampooing the hair. Use all your fingers to massage the scalp as it will help in increased blood flow into the scalp and hair follicles and also will allow the nutrients in the oil and shampoo (organic) to penetrate deep into the hair roots.
5) Protecting The Scalp
It is important to protect your scalp as all hair roots are embedded in the skin tissue layers on the scalp. Do not allow dust and dirt to clog the pores on the scalp. Avoid wearing rough and heavy helmets and headgears as they will damage hair in many ways.
Do not apply chemical-based conditioners or any hair gels and sprays on the scalp. All these should be applied only to the hairs’ length.
6) Oil Massage On Scalp And Hair
Massaging your scalp and hairs with mildly warmed pure and healthy plant seed oils (Aragon, coconut, olive, castor, jojoba, arnica, etc.) is good for faster hair growth.
Use the oil mask treatment for the hair at least twice a week to grow longer hair faster.
My favorite oils are coconut oil and castor oil as these twos have several natural ingredients good for the hair.
There is evidence showing that coconut oil for faster hair growth really works. The other good hair oil is castor oil which has specific nutrients required for the better growth of hair.
7) Hair Care While Sleeping
While sleeping it is better to avoid hair masks and hair caps/wraps. Let your hair loose and free while sleeping as it will help in healthy oxidization scalp and hair.
It is better to use silk pillowcases as it will reduce the hair friction on the pillows.
If you have long hair, you can conveniently spread your hair to one side of the bed before you sleep to avoid your getting pressed and rubbed between your body and bed.
8) Use Only Organic Conditioners And Shampoo
Chemical contents in the conditioner and shampoo can cause havoc to the hair in the long run. Most of the popular hair conditioners have chemical waxes and silicon that are bad for the hair follicles.
It is always healthy to use only good natural products for your hair-care needs. Shampoo and conditioner are good for making your hair look beautiful and shining, but at the same time do not use them more than twice or thrice a week.
9) Hair Growth Supplements
If you are unable to maintain a healthy and balanced diet with proteins and vitamins required for growing your hair, then you may have to use a good hair growth supplement. If you can find the exact reason for your hair loss, it is easier to choose the right hair growth supplement that fits your needs.
10) Cold Water Rinse For The Hair
It is NOT good for the hair if you regularly wash your hair with warm or hot water. The warm water shower makes your hair dry and removes the natural shine on hair.
The warm water also removes the good effects of the oil and conditioner from your hair as well.
Coldwater or a normal water shower helps in protecting the natural moisture of your hair.
11) De-stress Your Body And Mind
As we have mentioned earlier, stress and anxiety lead to a hormone imbalance that adversely affects the hair follicles. Several people lose hair and experience the slow growth of hair as they are physically and psychologically overstressed.
It is good to de-stress your mind and body through meditation, yoga, leisure activities, etc. to make your hair grow faster.
12) Take Precautionary Measures To Avoid Side Effects Of Medicines
Hair growth becomes stunted and hair fall increases with medications for certain diseases. It is good to discuss the matter with your doctor and find a suitable remedy that will erase the side effects of the medicine.
It is also good to take multivitamin pills along with medicines to minimize the side effects of the medicines.
Foods That Make Your Hair Grow Thicker And Faster
Are you wondering how to get thicker hair? Simple…Just eat nutritious foods daily.
As we have discussed earlier, food and diet matter a lot in promoting the faster growth of thicker hairs.
We should be eating verities of food diets that will supply the body with essential vitamins and nutrients required for the growth of hair. Include in your daily diet foods that are high in vitamins A, C, and D, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, and selenium. Vitamin B-complex (Biotin), in particular, is extremely important for making your hair grow faster.
If you are wondering how to get thicker hair, the first step you must be taking is to have a balanced diet daily. A healthy diet will supply essential vitamins and minerals for hair growth.
Make sure to have sufficient daily protein intake as good hair growth also requires protein.
Some of the best foods for hair growth are dairy products, red meat, fish, eggs, whole grains, salmon, spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage, grapefruit, avocado, parsley, oats, and alfalfa.
Flax seeds, walnuts, coconut oil, olive oil, winter squash, carrot, beetroot, and lettuce are also good for the hair.
Without these healthy diets, it is impossible to achieve faster growth of hair naturally.
It is also important to drink at least eight glasses of water daily to avoid dehydration. Lack of water intake will make your hair dry and also upset the regeneration of hair cells in the hair follicles.
Multivitamin Pills And Supplements For Hair Re-growth
If you cannot have access to a balanced diet with varieties of foods due to your particular living conditions, then you should start using multivitamin pills or hair growth supplements to meet the vitamins and nutrients needed for hair regrowth.
Usually, all the good-quality multivitamin pills include all those nutrients required for fast hair growth.
Most health experts do not approve of the prolonged use of multivitamins as it may cause certain side effects in the long run. It is better to opt for ‘Whole Food Multivitamins’ than the chemical ones.
The hair growth pills may not produce desired results if your hair loss problem is associated with other serious health issues.
There are also specially prepared hair growth supplements that contain all nutrients exclusively required for the growth of the hair.
The Bottom Line
I hope that the above-discussed hair growth tips have given you a definite answer to the question ‘how to grow your hair faster.’
The growth of hair depends on the internal care (vitamins & nutrients) and the external care you give to your hair.
Love your hair and care for it gently. We all begin to realize the value of hair in our life, only when we begin to lose them.
Do not run after all hair care products and try all sorts of chemical hair styling materials on your hair. Most of the hair care products will give only a temporary result but in the long run, you will be left with poor hair growth because of them.
The best tips for hair growth are a wholesome diet, cautious medication, and regular external care for your hair such as brushing, oiling, scalp massaging, etc. Strictly avoid all chemical-rich hair care products and opt for organic and natural shampoos, conditioners, and others.
Healthy and happy living with a lot of physical exercise and stress-free minds also adds a lot to the faster growth of hair.