Do you dream of long, luscious locks that cascade down your back? Are you tired of your hair only growing a centimetre every month? If so, you have probably looked into various hair-growing methods that will speed up the process.
While there are many great ways to help your hair grow out, there are also a lot of myths out there, so it’s important to know what will work and what won’t. You don’t want to spend your time, money, and energy on a hair oil that claims to grow your hair a whopping six inches in one month! If you want to grow long hair quickly, you are in the right place – keep reading to learn the five best and worst methods.
Can You Actually Speed Up Hair Growth?
Let’s start with the all-important question – can you speed up hair growth? It’s a slightly tricky question to answer. While you cannot significantly speed up hair growth, there are ways to ensure your hair grows out more healthily, which will make it seem as though it’s growing faster. Any product that claims it can grow your hair multiple inches in weeks is best to be avoided, as that isn’t possible.
The 5 Best Methods for Growing Your Hair Quickly
If you are ready for healthy hair growth, here is how to grow hair quickly.
- Trim Your Hair Regularly
It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you regularly trim your hair, it can actually lead to what seems like faster hair growth. Don’t worry – you don’t need to chop inches off each time. Instead, perform a micro trim (or a dusting) that eliminates any split ends that linger around the bottom. You can even do this yourself from the comfort of your own home! Aim to trim your hair every eight weeks to keep your hair strands in tip-top shape. Then, once the hair grows out, you’ll enjoy a full head of thicker, more luscious locks.
- Massage Your Scalp
Did you know scalp massaging can stimulate hair growth? It’s true! It works by increasing blood circulation, which is good for the hair follicles and encourages more growth. Plus, you can make the scalp massage even more effective by also using a nourishing hair oil. Try to massage your scalp as regularly as possible – and, if you’re feeling fancy, you could go for a professional scalp massage!
- Eat a Healthy Diet
What you eat has an enormous impact on your appearance, especially when it comes to your locks. A healthy diet rich in all the essential nutrients will lead to luscious hair and will even help you grow your hair out faster. Protein, Vitamin D, and biotin are all essential for growing your hair, so include more foods like leafy greens, eggs, lean meats, and wholegrains in your diet.
- Protect Your Hair
Another way to encourage your hair to grow faster is to protect it from damage as much as possible. There are several ways to go about this. First, invest in a silk pillowcase, as this material is a lot kinder on your strands and will ensure your hair doesn’t encounter breakage while you sleep. If you use heat on your hair, always use a heat protectant so that the heat does not cause too much damage and get in the way of growth. You can also wear protective hairstyles that will limit exposure to damage and help you retain length.
- Use Rosemary Oil
One of the best oils you can use to encourage hair growth is rosemary oil. It’s a cheap, effective oil that you can massage into your scalp and leave on to enjoy longer, healthier-looking hair. There are even studies to back this up, with one study [1] looking at the efficacy of rosemary oil compared to minoxidil (a dedicated hair loss medication), with the results showing that rosemary oil can be just as effective at restoring hair growth! So, it’s definitely worth incorporating rosemary oil into your hair care routine to grow long hair quickly.
Trying all these five methods will help you grow your hair faster. You can use a hair track app to see how effective they are!
The 5 Worst Methods for Growing Your Hair Quickly
When wondering how to grow hair quickly, it’s worth knowing what not to do. Here are some methods to avoid.
- Using Hair Extensions
While hair extensions give the appearance of longer hair, they won’t help grow your hair out any faster. If you are serious about hair growth, ditch the extensions altogether, as they can even hinder your progress. The reason for this is that hair extensions tug at your scalp and strands and cause damage. In some cases, this can lead to traction alopecia, a form of hair loss that can be permanent.
- Using Products with Big Claims
If a product claims it can grow your hair six inches in one month, do not use it. While it might not be damaging to your hair, such wild claims show that you cannot trust the product, so you don’t know what’s being used. Instead, stick to high-quality hair care products and perhaps some rosemary oil.
- Using Damaging Products
Lots of products will actually damage your hair more. There are the obvious ones, such as using hair straighteners, curlers, and hair dryers, as the heat will cause excessive damage. Dying your hair too often can also lead to damage and breakage, which won’t help with growing out your hair. There are some other hair products to be aware of, too – for example, using too much toner can actually damage your hair, especially if you leave it on too long or use a toner that contains ammonia.
- Wearing a Tight “Protective” Style
While wearing a protective style was also listed in the best methods for how to grow hair quickly, you should also know that some protective hairstyles can do more damage. If your protective hairstyle is too tight, it’s no longer serving its purpose – instead, it will tug too much at the hair shaft and cause traction alopecia.
- Over Stressing
Stress can lead to hair loss, which will naturally hinder any progress you have already achieved. This is called telogen effluvium and can cause a person to lose between 30-50% of their hair. [2] To avoid this, try to live as stress-free as possible. It helps to identify your most common stressors and avoid them as much as you can. Some healthy lifestyle habits can also help eliminate stress, such as exercising more or meditation.
Are You Struggling with Hair Growth?
If you are struggling with hair growth even after using nourishing hair treatments, avoiding heat styling, and getting regular trims, you may feel frustrated. If this happens, it’s worth looking into what’s getting in the way of hair growth – it could be something like not eating a balanced diet, or perhaps a medical condition.
If you’re experiencing hair loss, it’s best to speak to a doctor or dermatologist about it, as they will help you figure out the root cause. Some of the most common causes of hair loss include androgenetic alopecia, traction alopecia, hormonal imbalances, and medications. In these cases, a hair loss treatment may be necessary to help give you back your long, luscious strands.
Solutions for Hair Loss
The good news is there are several solutions for hair loss, and the one that works for you will depend on the cause.
Hair Loss Medications: Hair loss medications like minoxidil and finasteride have been proven to encourage hair growth. You can get minoxidil over the counter, but finasteride is only available for men through a prescription.
Low Level Laser Therapy: Low level laser therapy is a hair restoration option that uses low level lasers to stimulate the hair follicles you have and promote healthy hair growth. As a result, new hairs will grow back through after several sessions.
Treating Nutritional Deficiencies: If a nutritional deficiency is causing your hair loss, the best solution is to treat the deficiency. For example, if you have an iron deficiency, your doctor will be able to prescribe iron supplements.
Hair Transplants: A hair transplant is a permanent solution to hair loss. It is best for those who have experienced severe hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia.
How Do I Grow My Hair Quickly? In Summary
As you can see, there are many great ways to encourage faster and healthier hair growth, including using rosemary oil, massaging your scalp, eating a balanced diet, and regularly trimming your hair. At the same time, some methods may hinder your growth, such as wearing tight hairstyles or stressing too much. Use the five best methods to encourage hair growth as much as possible.
If your issue is not how to grow hair quickly but rather how to grow hair at all, you may be looking for a hair restoration solution. If so, we can help – get in touch today or check out our patients gallery to see what our expert hair experts can achieve.
Sources:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/
- https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2009/0815/p356.html