To really encourage length, you have to think of it in two steps: Stimulating growth and keeping the hair you do have healthy. The latter involves many of your standard hair care lessons, but the former takes a bit more work: You have to go internal. Here, seven science-backed tips to encourage hair growth—no matter your length goals:
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How To Make Your Hair Grow Faster: 7 Natural Hair Growth Tips
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1. Clean and stimulate the scalp.
If you're looking for hair growth, start at the source: the scalp. First off, a chronically inflamed scalp—caused by scalp tension, buildup, oxidative stress, and scalp conditions like dermatitis—can lead to hair loss or thinning. In fact, one study showed that inflammation caused by pollution and oxidative stress is one of the main causes of hair loss in adults.
This happens because the inflammation starts to close off the hair follicle, limiting growth and eventually leading to shedding. "This inflammation will affect the quality of your hair growth. It happens when you have product, dirt, and oil building up around your follicle opening—which is where your hair grows out of—and that buildup starts to slowly suffocate your hair root," says trained trichologist and hairstylist Shab Reslan.
First up, make sure you are regularly washing your scalp with gentle washes. "While shampooing, massage the scalp to increase the flow of blood, relieve stress, and stimulate hair follicles. It's a win-win!" says hairstylist Miko Branch. Additionally, regular massages have been shown to promote hair growth. Scalp massages encourage blood circulation to the area, which helps deliver vital nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicle. (Learn how to give yourself a tension-relieving scalp massage here.)
2. Take hair-growth supplements, like collagen and biotin.
These two ingredients help promote hair health and growth by providing the body with all the right nutrients. Hair is made of the protein keratin, which has an amino acid profile including cysteine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, and proline.
Both collagen and biotin supplements have high amounts of many of these amino acids, meaning the supplements provide the body with the building blocks of hair.* Research backs this up, too, as studies show taking these supplements supported hair growth.*
Biotin is perhaps most famous for its healthy-hair benefits, as it's one of the main actives in a lot of hair-growth supplements. "Thinning hair and hair loss are very common symptoms and can be supported with the addition of biotin.* This is especially true if you have low levels of biotin—which has been shown to lead to hair loss," functional medicine practitioner and mbg Collective member William Cole, D.C., tells mbg. You can get tested for biotin deficiencies by your doctor. "Additionally, biotin is believed to naturally promote healthy hair growth because it is involved in the production of keratin, the main component of hair.*"
As for collagen, it can further help hair growth by supporting the scalp in the same way that collagen can help manage skin health overall.* (The scalp is skin, after all.) Hydrolyzed collagen peptides encourage the body's natural production of collagen, which is then delivered to the rest of the body—including the scalp.*
3. Protect it from physical damage.
This doesn't necessarily encourage growth, but it does protect the hair length you already have. Physical damage—caused by daily wear and tear, harsh brushing, or the shower—leads to breakage. And while the occasional snapped strand is perfectly normal, having breakage-prone hair can make achieving your length goals nearly impossible.
A few things to consider when addressing physical damage: Too-tight hairstyles can cause friction and pulling, so consider using soft hair ties. You should also consider switching up your style regularly so you're not putting pressure on the same spot day in day out. For example, "You never want to repeatedly do the same thing to your hair," says hairstylist Levi Monarch. "Sometimes I see people with thinning at their part, or it might even look like the hairline is receding in that area, and one thing I always recommend is to flip the part. Not only is it healthy for your hair, but it will completely change your look and add volume."
Another way to protect it from physical damage is how you brush it: You should always brush from the tips up—starting from the root is a recipe for frayed ends. Finally, be mindful of how you are shampooing and showering as hair is most vulnerable when wet. If you wash too aggressively you can cause knots and tangles that are difficult to get out (learn how you should actually be washing your hair, here.)
Finally be mindful of how you wear it when you work out: Since most of us keep the hair out of our faces when moving, we often pull it tight. Too-tight hairstyles, as noted above, cause friction. Wear one of these styles—like a braid, for example—when working out to lessen damage.
4. Keep it moisturized.
"The hair on your head is probably the driest thing on the body, and if you are trying to grow it longer, you need to keep it moisturized," says hairstylist Anthony Dickey. "If your texture is naturally drier, it is even more essential to keep hair hydrated. Dry hair turns to brittle hair and brittle hair breaks."
The research as to why moisture is so important for hair is fascinating, too: If your hair is dry and brittle, you likely have open cuticles. "Your cuticle is your outermost layer of hair; it's the protective layer of your strand," says Monarch. When cuticles are open or lifted, it means they are not sealed down; this allows moisture and nutrients to escape easier. (Some people are just more prone to this, while others may have open cuticles from chemical treatments, like coloring). However, conditioning agents can actually help seal the cuticle down. This not only helps trap in water and your hair's nutrients, but a closed cuticle means less friction between the strands—which in turn, also means less breakage.
Everyone's hair needs are going to be different, of course, so for some a simple conditioner will do the trick, while others will need weekly hydrating hair masks and oil treatments.
5. Use antioxidants.
Hair ages just like the rest of your body: This is why people experience hair thinning as they get older. It also limits the speed at which your hair grows. One way that research has shown to help hair aging is antioxidants, as they manage oxidative stress and neutralize free radicals.* Make sure you eat foods high in antioxidants or add a vitamin-rich supplement to your diet.* "Your body needs adequate nutrients to support healthy hair," says registered dietitian Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN, "Vitamin C, for example, plays a really big role in promoting collagen production and that helps strengthen hair."*
You can also use topical antioxidants, in the form of hair oils, serums, or sprays, which is especially helpful with free radical damage that comes with UV rays or pollution. Just look for products that contain vitamins or other common antioxidants like vitamin E.
6. Wear protective hairstyles.
While any tip on this list is applicable for any hair type, those with textured, natural hair also likely need to wear protective styles from time to time. "The journey going from short to long hair can feel daunting," says Branch. "But protective hairstyles are wonderful for growing hair out, transitioning between two different hair textures (i.e., textured versus straightened), minimizing the daily hair routine, covering the ends of hair, and safeguarding natural hair against harsh seasonal elements and damaging environmental factors." A few examples she recommends: flat twists, cornrow ponytails, and box braids. "But switch these out every two weeks and give yourself breaks between them," she says to avoid scalp tension, which can lead to traction alopecia, a medical condition in which chronic too-tight hairstyles causes hair loss.
"Protective styles are simply those that help those with kinky, coily hair to prolong their time between wetting and re-styling so you aren't causing regular damage," says Dicky. He also notes that the prep is just as important as the style. For example, if you have a really tight texture, blow-dry the hair first and load up on leave-in conditioners so the hair is sufficiently hydrated. If you have a looser curl type you can style the hair while damp.
7. Give daily heat styling a break.
If you are looking to strengthen and grow your hair, you cannot use hot tools daily. Heat styling works by breaking down the hydrogen bonds in hair—that's how it restructures and restyles your hair pattern (be it straightening curls or adding curls to straight hair). And when you do this too much, it causes damage. One study found that regular styling with hot tools significantly decreased moisture content and increased breakage. If you do use a hot tool, make sure to use a heat protectant that can stand the heat: Look for something that will protect up to 400°F (how hot some blow dryers and irons can get) or if you use natural oils, the higher the smoke point, the better.
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