Found the perfect hairstyle, but man did you just have your haircut? You’ll probably have to wait then. Or should you?
We all know there are many products out there claiming your hair to grow faster than half an inch every month. You know what, don’t waste your time on them. There are many things that slow down hair growth so avoid them as much as you can.
According to trichologist Philip Kingslip, the human hair has “the second fastest-growing cells in your body – intestinal cells being the first.” The scale has approximately 12,000 hairs that grow at any point.
There’s a lot going on under your hair, but since it’s neither an essential tissue nor a vital organ, your hair has the least nutritional needs which we hardly even notice. That is why any imbalance in our nutritional intake would likely create issues to your hair and its growth.
While there is currently no proven way to make your hair grow faster than half an inch every month, it is possible to increase its growth to an inch every week! But, let genetics do that though.
Nonetheless, don’t lose hope. These lifestyle hacks and tips will go far beyond than just growing your hair naturally.
Follow these seven tips below:
1. Eat Healthily
Hair is a reflection of overall health. Whether you need to grow your hair fast, eating healthy is a must.
Maintaining or nurturing your hair requires you to add the following on your diet:
– Water: Your scalp is likely to dry if you are not hydrating enough. Drink at least 1.5 – 2 liters of water everyday. Add more if you live in warmer areas.
– Protein: since hair is protein-based, take in more protein. At least 120 gram of meat protein is recommended. For vegetarians, 120 grams of plant-based sources are ideal.
– Biotin: Your hair cells are coated with a fatty membrane just like any other cells. Foods that are rich in Biotin include salmon, oysters, avocados, and nuts.
– Vitamin C: vitamin C is needed to produce collagen which is at the same time needed for a healthy hair and skin. Sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, and red peppers.
– Healthy breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it’s very important that you get a nutritious one. A meal with all the above-mentioned is needed to form hair cells. That is why never underestimate your meals.
2. Avoid Cold Showers
if you can’t go without a cold, chilly shower, at least don’t do it on your hair.
Color temperatures can constrict the capillaries in your scalp. These capillaries carry nutrients and pick up waste products. Keep your blood vessels active to maintain good hair cell condition.
You may want to use lukewarm water when starting off. Turn up the cold water just a bit not until you are about to rinse at the end. Don’t soak your head in a sudden temperature change.
3. Less Shampoo, More Conditioner
Don’t use shampoo every single day. It’s not advisable because it can easily cause your hair to become dry and brittle. Shampoos, especially those with high levels of detergents and sulfates tend to strip the hair and scalp natural sebum. It might be greasy and sometimes oily, but that is what keeps your hair soft and shiny.
Conditioning your hair, on the other hand, is ideal. You may want to do this every day as conditioners maintain the tips of the hair which means lesser tangles, lesser split ends and lesser breakage. It keeps the hair moist and replaces the natural oils that were washed away.
4. No Combing While The Hair Is Wet
Wait, we’ve been through this, right? And we probably even though it’s better that way because there are no tangles and the comb could just easily slide through. You know what? We are wrong! Our hair is more prone to breakage because it’s easily pulled and stretched when wet.
You need to dry your hair first before gently combing or brushing it. Dry your hair gently as well. Do not roughly rub it back and forth.
5. Exercise
Our cells need oxygen to stay healthy. It is important that oxygen reaches every cell in our body to promote an optimal blood circulation.
Maximize your oxygen supply by exercising as often as possible. A 30-minute cardio thrice a week will help do the job. Anything that requires you to move around such as running is ideal.
Also, massage your scalp from time to time. This sort of activates your cells to a slightly more vigorous state.
6. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is just as important as your diet. Ideally, 7-8 hours of sleep is recommended. During these hours, our body is in constant repair mode. This allows growth hormones to speed up the reproduction of cells.
Sleeping also helps a lot in the circulation of blood, especially around your hair follicles. Think about how exercising and sleeping goe hand-in-hand. Exercising works your whole body and sleeping gives you the energy to do it again the next day.
7. Be Stress-Free
Did you know that your thoughts can affect your hair? Well, yes that is true. Lack of physical health and a constantly stressed state of mind are like the same thing. While there are certain life events that would inevitably stress you out, try to chill out as much as you can and as often as possible.
Growing your hair faster boils down to healthy living. Everything that is happening in our bodies affects one another the same goes with your hair condition. So, don’t worry about growing your hair fast but worry more about not getting enough nutrients at all. Soon enough, your hair will be the length you have always wanted.