Tips to Help Your Hair Grow Faster and Longer

Growing your hair out is a commitment that takes patience and a lot more. Bored? Got a bad haircut? Just want some growth? By following a consistent regimen, you can lengthen your locks and adopt some good habits along the way.

Women and men who want to add new growth without using medical treatments, harsh chemicals, or extensions can do it on their own. Don’t be bored or disappointed with what you already have, just build on it. Check out these tips to help feed your strands!

Brush When Dry
Though wet hair is easier to brush through and detangle, water actually weakens the hair shaft, making it easier to break. Your hair isn’t as strong and elastic when it’s wet compared to when it’s dry, so pulling and brushing can cause breakage from the root or middle. That’s not what you want when trying to grow it out.

Brush it dry only, and brush it before you go to bed to encourage growth.

Forget the Daily Wash
That means that washing your hair daily is a no-no when trying to grow it out. Depending on the texture of your hair, it could take some getting used to, but it’s for the better. Natural oils found in the scalp and hair need to live there in peace and do their work. Too much shampooing and scrubbing removes those oils. There’s less work, less heat, and less stripping, which equals healthy hair growth!

Eat Better
You’ve heard it before: eat healthy in order for your hair to be healthy. Your hair is its own form of protein, and needs to be fed with it too. Eggs, fish, omega fats, leafy greens, and – according to one beauty blogger – pumpkins are among the cornucopia of hair growth fuel. Protein, fats, and iron nourish the hair from the root to the tip.

Avoid Sugar
It’s hard because sugar is found in just about everything, but eating too much destroys collagen and keratin, which are both needed for new growth. Collagen is an amino acid that makes hair strong, but sugar tears away at it like a raging monster. Cut down on the sugar and you’ll notice a difference in your hair, skin, and nails.

Heat isn’t Hot
Don’t you know too much heat isn’t good for anyone? Using blow dryers, curling irons, or flat irons – you name it – excessively can siphon moisture from your locks, resulting in weakness. We’re not saying to toss all your hot tools; just exercise good judgement and give your strands a break.

Oil and Condition
Keeping the hair moist is essential for faster hair growth. Giving yourself a deep conditioning or oil treatment regularly helps to lock in moisture. Oil treatments can be done before or after a washing, feeding hair strands with fatty acids. Try any of these good-for-hair oils:  argan, coconut, jojoba, olive, or castor.

Inverted Massages
A whaaa? It might sound like some newfangled yoga pose, but it’s just a way to massage your scalp. Beauty vloggers and hair stylists are raving about this method of increasing circulation to the scalp; it’s almost like exercise. To try it, sit in a chair and bend over until your head is lower than your heart.

Massage with your fingers or a wire scalp massager to increase blood flow. Add a few drops of oil for a great session but if you feel light-headed or dizzy, stop.

Trim
While hair and beauty experts have their own take on how often to trim hair, doing so keeps it healthy and prevents breakage. Leaving split ends unattended causes breakage, prevents hair growth, and can even travel up the strand. It’s sage, old advice but it works!

No Hot Water Washes
When we jump in the shower we want the temperature to be just right, and often it tips more towards hot than not. Hot water is good for removing buildup from the pores but it also causes the hair to become brittle, dry, and porous itself. It can lead to shedding and weakened hair follicles.

Cold water helps to seal in moisture and make the hair shiny. That’s the ticket for hair growth. Warm water – the moderate middle – provides a mixture of both worlds.

With these tips, guys and girls wanting to add length to their manes can do it. You can also keep track of growth from week to week. Just find the right combination for your hair type and lifestyle, and let it grow.
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This article first appeared on TipHero