For anyone suffering from thin or damaged hair that’s overly broken or refuses to grow, this post is dedicated to you.
Hair growth can be a difficult topic, especially if you are suffering from thinning hair or excess hair loss that affects your self confidence and makes you hate the look and feel of your hair (I’ve been there now and again).
We can’t control everything about how our hair grows or looks, but there are ways to boost hair growth and retention to improve upon the hair you have.
In this post, I share 15 tips and tricks to make your hair grow faster and healthier.
I also share links to my best posts on how to reduce hair fallout, how to make thin hair look thicker, how to reduce hair damage and some great lob and bob haircuts to add volume and fullness to thinner hair, so grab a cup of your fave drink and start reading!
*this post contains affiliate links*
How Fast Does Hair Grow?
On average, hair grows at a rate of about half an inch per month or six inches per year. Each hair grows from an individual follicle and at the base of the follicle is a bulb from which new hair grows.
There are three distinct phases in the hair growth cycle: the anagen phase – when new hair is actively emerging in the hair bulb; the catagen phase – which is marked by a period of inactivity and regression; and the telogen phase – also known as the resting phase. On the scalp, the telogen phase can last up to a year.
Hair consists primarily of dead keratin cells, but the hair shaft also contains other essential compounds like water and lipids, which define the look and feel of your hair.
What Factors Affect Hair Growth?
Several factors, including age, genetics, hormones and gender influence how fast hair grows. External factors that affect hair growth include the weather, your stress levels, your diet, your hair care routine and the health of your scalp.
Additionally, excess breakage can make your hair appear as if it’s growing more slowly than it actually is (this is why hairstylists often recommend getting a trim every six to eight weeks for optimal hair health).
15 Tips For Full, Healthy Hair
Maintain A Healthy Diet
You get out what you put in, so it’s important to remember that a good diet rich in hair-healthy foods will contribute to healthy, strong hair.
Vitamins and nutrients that have been shown to contribute to hair health are vitamins B12, C, D, Biotin and Riboflavin. You can find these vitamins in supplement form, or better yet, in foods such as eggs, berries, spinach, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, avocado, nuts, beans and seeds. Foods rich in protein and amino acids are also essential to hair growth
SHOP HAIR VITAMINS: AMAZON
Practice Scalp Massage
Scalp massage is not only relaxing but can contribute to optimal hair growth and scalp health. Scalp massage boosts blood circulation to the surface of the scalp and helps to stimulate the follicle to produce thicker hair.
To massage your scalp, use the pads of your fingers (never your nails!) or a silicone scalp massager (I have one, it’s so relaxing!) with medium pressure for 3-5 minutes at least once per week. This can be done in the shower when applying shampoo or while applying an oil treatment to the scalp.
Don’t Over Wash
Washing hair too often can dry out both your scalp and strip your hair of essential oils that protect and nourish it.
While the rate of washing can be different for everyone based on how oily their scalp is or other factors like sweating/work conditions, trying to go at least two days without washing your hair, if not more, can contribute to healthier hair.
If you have some excess oils in between washes, consider trying a dry shampoo; these shampoos contain powders that you spray on to your roots to absorb oils to stretch out your wash times.
Gorgeous Bob & Lob Hairstyles for Your Next Salon Visit
Browse stunning bob and lob haircuts that can add volume, dimension and texture to your locks for a stunning look!
Wrap It In Silk
Friction on your hair while you sleep can contribute to breakage of existing and new growth. Broken hairs also make hair look less healthy because they will look frizzy and damaged.
Keep your locks healthy and smooth by sleeping on a silk pillow case or wrapping your hair in a silk scarf or silk hair wrap/bonnet overnight.
Tip: A silk scarf wrap/bonnet is also a great hack to maintain your blowout or fancy updo for another day or two!
Minimize Heat Styling
Heat styling can contribute to breakage and frizz that will ruin the health and look of your hair and slow down healthy hair growth. Try to keep heat styling to a minimum when you can and always use a heat protectant spray to further protect your strands.
If you like to curl your hair with a curling iron, consider trying this heat-free hair curling option that involves wrapping your hair around a material-covered tube and then sleeping with it for fresh curls in the morning.
When drying your hair, let your hair air-dry half way before adding heat from a blow dryer to get some of the wetness out of your hair without the heat (hair is most weak when it’s wet!).
8 Easy Ways To Prevent Damaged Hair
Find out how to reduce damage to your hair in 8 easy steps for luscious locks that look healthy. These tips also help prevent hair loss and promote hair growth.
Try A Weekly Hair and/or Scalp Oil Treatment
Hair and scalp oil treatments are all the rage over on Instagram now and with good reason. A weekly oil treatment can nourish both your scalp and strands for healthier looking hair and healthier new hair growth.
Scalp oils with ginger, peppermint and tea tree oil can help prevent dandruff, dryness, itchiness and inflammation while a diluted rosemary oil has been found to help with hair growth. Apply a scalp oil weekly and massage it in using your fingertips for five minutes and then rinse it out for optimal results.
SHOP SCALP OILS: AMAZON
Hair oils are great for protecting and nourishing strands for shinier, healthier hair. Oils like like Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil can help to treat and strengthen dry ends that require extra moisture and can also contribute to reduced hair loss when applied to the roots.
Hair oils can be applied to your ends for styling at any time, but for a deeper treatment, apply a good hair oil from root to tip and then wrap your hair in a warm towel for 1-2 hours or overnight before rinsing it out once per week.
The best oils for hair include Argan oil, Jojoba oil, coconut oil and castor oil.
SHOP HAIR OILS: AMAZON
Be Gentle
Overworking your hair can lead to unnecessary breakage and hair loss. When hair is wet, be sure to comb it out using a wide tooth comb to reduce breakage.
When hair is dry, try not to overbrush it to reduce breakage and ensure you have hair brush that doesn’t have any broken bristles that further harm hair. Also, never yank or pull through knots in your hair, as this could lead to further hair loss. Instead, brush close to the ends and work your way up to break up stubborn knots.
Always use hair cords or scrunchies when putting your hair in a ponytail and never make your ponytails too tight, as this pulls on the hair shaft and can lead to hair loss over time.
How To Make Thin Hair Look Thicker
Find out how to make thin hair look thicker by reducing hair fall, using the right products, following some new styling tips and more!
Consider A Hair Supplement
As mentioned above, healthy hair requires certain vitamins and nutrients to grow. While it’s best to obtain these vitamins daily from the foods you eat, you can also boost hair health and growth using supplements.
Vitamins C, D, B as well as nutrients such as biotin, iron, zinc and omega 3s are recommended to boost hair growth. For best results, supplements need to be taken consistently as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
SHOP SUPPLEMENTS: AMAZON
Exfoliate Your Scalp
Scalp exfoliation is a great way to remove dead skin cells that can impede new hair growth and cause excess skin build up. It’s also a great way to reduce dandruff, itchiness and flakes.
I enjoy using The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub on a weekly basis for my scalp. It’s a liquid exfoliant that you massage onto your scalp and leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing it off.
There are also a number of scalp scrubs designed to clean and exfoliate the scalp, like the Alterna Hair Care Renewing Scalp Care Scrub to Foam that works like a shampoo to cleanse and exfoliate the scalp with ingredients like tea tree oil for flakiness and sweet almond oil for hydration.
Try Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil has been shown to promote new hair growth and is great to stimulate growth in areas where hair is sparse. Never apply pure rosemary oil to the scalp, as it can be irritating; instead, mix it with a carrier oil such as Argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil or olive oil to reduce irritation.
If you’re unsure how to mix in carrier oils to your rosemary oil, you can find pre-mixed rosemary oil on Amazon, like this one, which combines rosemary oil and castor oil.
You can also create your own diy rosemary oil spray by boiling fresh rosemary leaves in a pot of water for 20 minutes and then pouring the liquid into a spray bottle (after it cools). Spritz the rosemary mixture onto the areas of the scalp that you want to produce more hair on a daily basis for at least 3 months for results.
Try Rogaine
Rogaine is a clinically proven product that promotes new hair growth. It contains an ingredient call minoxidil that boosts hair growth by stimulating hair follicles to produce hair and comes in a 2% and 5% treatment.
Rogaine takes at least 3-6 months of continued regular use to see results, but is a good option to consider if you suffer from thinning hair that you want to thicken up.
Always Condition Your Ends
Conditioner hydrates your hair and helps to smooth and nourish the cuticle. Always be sure to condition your hair mid-shaft to ends for best results (conditioning your roots can produce build up at the roots and reduce volume).
For some deep conditioning, consider applying a hair mask from root to tip (I love this one from Avon!) or hair oil treatment for shinier, smoother hair once per week.
Get Regular Trims
Hair should be trimmed every 6-8 weeks to get rid of split, broken ends that can make hair look dull and unhealthy. Split ends can also continue to split further if left uncut and lead to breakage further up the hair shaft.
Be sure to book a trim to keep your strands looking smooth and healthy for best results.
Get Your Zzzzs and Reduce Stress
Stress can be a factor that contributes to hair loss that can be difficult to control. Focus on getting at least eight hours of sleep (it’s hard, I know) and do activities that help you manage your stress levels to reduce the potential for hair loss.
10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Prevent Hair Fall
Find out how to reduce hair loss and thinning with these easy tips.
Avoid Bleach and Hair Dyes As Much As Possible
Hair dyes, especially those from the drugstore, have harsh chemicals in them that can damage and break your hair. If you’re like me and have a sh*t-ton of white hair that requires regular cover-ups, try to spread out your hair dye sessions as long as possible to reduce the potential for damage.
I also only apply the dye to my roots and avoiding re-dying my ends, which are super dry and tend to absorb more dye and break more easily.
How To Dye Your Hair at Home In 9 Steps
Find out how to easily dye your hair at home in 9 steps using a drugstore hair dye. Never go to the salon for a dye job again!
Will you be trying some of these to tips to get thicker, healthier hair? I sure hope so!
