Whether you're impatiently waiting to grow out a bad haircut or just want longer locks in general, knowing how to make you hair grow faster will always come in handy. Hair changes are the spice of life, but it's always so much easier to chop off your strands then it is to grow them back out. It takes about 10 minutes to get a sassy lob or a striking pixie, but it will take months if not years to grow all that back out. So what's a person to do if they want length and ASAP?
While I'm sorry to say there isn't some magic genie granting speedy hair growth out there, there are some ways you can help coax your hair to grow a little faster. First and foremost, there's nothing that will get you length faster than a good diet full of vitamins your strands need. From adding a few supplements to your breakfast to focusing on specific ingredients that foster hair growth, that's the only bullet-proof way to get you the healthiest, fastest growing hair. But in addition to that, there are a few other secrets that can aid the whole process along. Ahead are nine tips on how to make your hair grow faster, courtesy of stylists.
1Get On A Vitamin Regimen
Biotin (High Potency) Softgel, $15, Amazon
Things like your diet and nutrition play a huge part in healthy hair growth — basically if your body is healthy then your hair will grow at a quick speed. Diet, exercise, nutrition all encourage healthy hair growth. Vitamins like B 12, Viviscal Professional’s blend, or Biotin are great sources to supplement your nutrition regimen, as is taking a multi-vitamin," stylist Paul Labrecque with Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa shares in an email with Bustle.
If you feel like your hair has been acting stagnant, then these vitamins will encourage a healthier growing environment for new follicles, which will make them grow faster.
2Watch What You Eat
Since vitamins play an important role in helping you gain length, so does your diet. Tweaking what you eat can help you get to your ideal length faster. "Always eat a balanced diet of fruits, proteins, and vegetables. Make sure a lipid like an olive oil is in that diet — I find lipids make hair grow shinier and add to its elasticity," Labrecque shares.
Other things to look for are also zinc, fatty acids, and beta cerotene — and lucky for us, delicious foods carry all of those! "Sweet potatoes are good to have on the diet because they contain beta cerotene. The beta cerotene is really supportive of having a healthy scalp and a healthy scalp allows for healthy hair growth," Meredith Morris, stylist, colorist, and owner of MAVEN Beverly Hill, shares in an email interview with Bustle.
In addition to that, Morris also points out that you can get your fatty acids from walnuts, avocados, and sunflower seeds, while you can stock up on your zinc by eating cucumber, pumpkin seeds, eggs, and leafy greens.
3Pick The Proper Shampoos
Paul Labrecque Color Shampoo No Sulfate, $28, Amazon
If you're having a hard time getting your hair to grow, then you might want to swap out your shampoos. While a certain kind of shampoo won't necessarily stop your hair from growing, you can focus on using ones that will guarantee a healthier growing environment for follicles.
"Viviscal, Regenesis, and my Paul Labrecque line make great hair growth shampoos. They are less harsh and are sulfate-free," Labrecque recommends. If you pamper your hair with organic and non-stripping ingredients, your hair will have a better environment to grow.
4Try Not To Shampoo Daily
Viviscal Professional Thin to Thick Shampoo, $25, Paul Labrecque
Even if you have an oil-prone scalp, it's best to dust a bit of dry shampoo on your roots then strip away all your hair's natural oils daily. "Don't wash your hair everyday. If you exercise just get in the shower, wet your hair down and apply conditioner through the ends," Morris suggests. "Always use a conditioner. Your hair needs the moisture and protein. Remember the hair that you have is so sacred because it's the hair you want to grow so it must be treated like spun gold."
Not only should you focus on trying to make it grow faster out of your head, but also concentrate on keeping it pristine and healthy. There will be nothing sadder than taking a year to grow it out and then lopping it off because it's damaged.
5Get Into Scalp Massages
Body Back Company's Scalp Massager, $6, Amazon
Not only do they feel amazing and make you want to melt into a puddle, but doing a scalp massage daily will also help your hair grow. "Massage is also a fab tool for stimulating blood flow. A scalp massage establishes a fabulous growing environment on the scalp!" Labrecque shares.
6Rinse With Cold Water
It might feel unpleasant, but a cold shock of water will help in your quest for longer, shinier locks. "Always finish with a cold rinse. This shocks the hair, makes it shinier, stronger, and closes the cuticle layer down," Labrecque explains. So turn the tap to cold and take the plunge.
7Keep Up With Your Maintanence
If you have dry, broken split ends, then the longer your hair grows the further up your split ends will break. The outcome? Long hair, but damaged to the point that it looks gross. In order to make sure you avoid that, put yourself on a trimming schedule.
"Average hair growth is half an inch per month, so if a client wants to grow her and hair out, I'll put her on a strict appointment schedule," Morris shares.
"You have to set yourself up for success and healthy hair can't grow from dry damaged ends. Every eight weeks my clients come in for what I call a maintenance trim. I trim off 1/8 of an inch which feels like nothing to the client and it keeps the ends fresh and healthy." You'll barely notice the snip, but in the end it'll help save you length.
8Stop Coloring Your Hair For A Spell
In order to make sure you're not wrecking your ends, you might have to put a pause on the highlighting appointments. "During the grow out process you might have to make some sacrifice," Morris warns. "Depending on the hair, you might have to slow down on the coloring. If you want long healthy hair you might have to slow down on bleach tipping the ends. As with anything, it's all about compromise." If you have fragile hair that can easily break, then it's best to sacrifice new color until you get to the length you want.
9Beware Of Hot Tools
In that same vein, try to ween yourself off of hot tools, at least for a majority of the week. "Beware of hot tools. During the grow out phase I always recommend to step away from the constant curling and flat ironing, but if you're insistent on using these tools always use a heat protectant. My favorite is the O&M Atonic Spray," Morris shares.
Let your hair air dry most of the time, and rather than running irons through your hair try creating fun up-dos. If you can't go completely cold turkey then try scaling back on the amount of days you style your hair. Every little sacrifice helps.
In the end, if you follow these easy tips you'll have a lush mane of hair in half the time. Start practicing your hair flips now, because they'll be impossible to avoid once you get your length.
Images: Amazon (2); Paul Labrecque (2); Unsplash (1)
