There are so many gorgeous hairstyles available to try from short, medium, or long hair (I’ve had them all), but they all require one key element to work – healthy hair.
While there is no magic pill or elixir to give you healthy hair overnight, there are several things you can do to encourage growth, and I really recommend them.
Some of these tips will include lifestyle changes, such as diet changes, but most of them are easy enough to incorporate into your routine. Below are the top seven ultimate hair-growing tips for you to try today:
Scalp Massage
According to studies, scalp massage increases hair thickness and strength by stretching the cells of hair follicles. That is what stimulates the hair follicles to produce thicker hair.
Scalp massages also dilate blood vessels under the skin, encouraging hair growth and reducing stress. Many people thoroughly enjoy the physical sensation of a scalp massage, so consider it a small reward after a long day at work! I personally don’t, but I know it has major benefits.
Reduce Stress
High-stress levels often wreak havoc on your entire body – and your scalp and hair are not exempt.
Stress can lead to different types of hair loss or inhibit hair regrowth, causing the immune system to attack hair follicles. Stress can manifest in multiple ways, one of which is to cause an irresistible urge to pull one’s hair out.
Get your stress levels under control and you will likely find that you will lose less hair when combing or washing your hair. Shedding hair is perfectly natural, but when the shed exceeds 100 hairs daily, speak to your doctor.
Increase Protein Intake
Hair is made of protein (keratin) so upping your protein intake in your diet is crucial for growing strong and healthy hair.
If you do not consume enough protein, your hair will become dry and brittle, resulting in breakage. Extremely low protein diets may inhibit hair growth and even contribute to hair loss. Adequate protein consumption is critical to produce healthy hair.
Hair Care Products
Use products for healthy hair growth to combat dryness and make hair shinier. The right products will strengthen the hair and prevent future damage.
Providing your hair and scalp with the essential oils and nutrients they need to thrive will create an ideal environment for healthy strands to grow. Look for products that address your hair issues and tailor them to your unique hair texture and concerns.
Regular Trimming
As counterproductive as this tip may sound, regular trims are exactly what your hair needs to encourage and stimulate healthy growth.
While it will not make your hair grow faster, it will reduce the number of split ends. Split ends are damaged strands, and that breakage can travel up the hair shaft and cause untold hair issues such as minimised volume. Get rid of frizzy and damaged ends to make your hair look healthier.
This is something that I didn’t always do when I had really long hair, and the longer I went between cuts, the more frizzy and wild it looked. You definitely want to keep it looking as sleek as possible.
Use Heat Protection
Many men and women use heat-styling tools to tame their locks. To avoid damage during these processes, turn the heat-stylers down to the lowest setting viable for your hair type (if you can). Then, to shield your hair from heat damage, always use a heat protection cream or spray.
Heat protection products add a protective barrier to the hair, locking in moisture and helping to keep the hair cuticle smooth. The result is hair that looks shinier and feels silky and soft.
When drying your hair, stop when it is 80 or 90% dry and allow it to dry the rest of the way naturally. I always let it dry a bit naturally first too, so that it’s not soaking wet when I start hair drying it.
Limit Bleach
We all love to get our hair dyed and spruced up at the hairdressers, especially when it comes to highlights and balayage, but I’ve found that the more bleach you use, the worse the condition of your hair. I don’t know if this impacts the speed of growth, but I know it impacts how healthy it is, which is a problem.
Bleach dries out the hair a lot and gives it a rough texture, so try to limit this as much as possible and go for something like babylights if you love having blonder tones in your hair. I’m currently trying to grow mine out long again, and to its natural colour.
Perfect Pillowcases
Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase is better for your hair’s health than cotton ones. Cotton pillowcases absorb moisture from your hair’s strands and cause breakages and knotting.
While this tip does not necessarily speed up your hair’s natural growth process, it will mean less friction generated and your hair will have a softer surface to rest on each night.
Silk and satin pillowcases also reduce the tension and stress on your hair by gently allowing it to slide across the surface. It has the added bonus of being great for your skin too, that’s why I also use them.
To End
There are many ways to approach hair growth, so tap into this holistic approach above to cover all your bases and ensure that your hair is healthy and happy – and it stays that way for the rest of your life.
Take care of your scalp first. Just like good-quality soil is essential for growing beautiful flowers, a healthy scalp is the foundation for healthy hair growth.
What are you waiting for? It is time to say goodbye to bad bobs and embrace luscious and healthy locks! I’ve gone from having hair down to the bottom of my back to as short as just below my chin, and everything in-between. All of these tips work incredibly well and keep my hair healthy!
