Trying to grow your hair but making little progress? It's soul destroying stuff, but it doesn't mean you'll be forced to live a short hair life forever. Oh no.
We spoke to Trichologist Sally-Ann Tarver to find out how to make your hair grow faster. Dream mane, we're coming for you.
Get your dose of Vitamin D
Nutritional deficiencies such as low iron, low B12 and Vitamin D can not only slow down hair growth; they can cause hair thinning too. Have you ever wondered why your hair grows faster in the summer or on holiday? The vitamin D you produce in your skin due to sun exposure plays a part in this. We are all cautious of the suns harmful rays and quite rightly so, but half an hour of rays a day has its benefits too.
Take supplements
Try nutritional supplements and trace elements. Take a 3-month course of trace element capsules or regeneration capsules to combat the effects of the seasons. Supplements such as calcium, iron, magnesium and mineral salts also nourish the hair from the inside and out.
Low iron is one of the most common causes of hair thinning but also causes hair to grow slower and finer too and it is prevalent in women. Try to include lean red meat in your diet at least once a week and if you’re vegetarian or have heavy periods, take an iron supplement such as Florisene.
Eat right
Protein deficiency also causes slow hair growth. It is essential that women get at least 45 grams of complete protein a day. However, only 24 grams of protein can be absorbed in one sitting.
Include some with each meal rather than having one big protein meal in the evening. Check out the nutritional content of what you are eating using the nutritional information panel on the food you eat or use a phone app to calculate it for a week, you may be surprised at how little you eat!
Hair care
The weather, poor diet, products, pollution and more environmental factors all make our hair fragile. To help your hair grow, first of all you need to take good care of it. Here's how:
Use a shampoo that’s suitable for your hair type and alternate with gentle shampoo so you treat your hair as carefully as possible whilst giving it the care it needs.
And don't forget to treat your dry ends to a regular pampering sesh. We love soaking our hair overnight with Michael Van Clarke's 3 More Inches Pre Wash Treatment. Its unique cashmere protein and amino acid blend slows the ageing process and helps your hair grow longer faster. Well that long hair ain't gonna nourish itself honey!
Cut down on heat styling
Many women think their hair just doesn’t grow full stop but in some cases it's breakage that is stopping the hair achieving length. Regular use of straightening irons (whether you use a protection spray or not) will frequently cause this, particularly in lightened or bleached hair.
Intensive conditioning masks used once a week will help to reduce the problem to a degree but it will not mend or give strength to hair that is already disintegrating. The only solution is to reduce or stop using excessive heat and cut the damage portion off. Trim ends at least every three months to maintain healthy hair.
If you want to give it a go, we recommend Hairfinity. The capsules contain Capilsana complex which provide your tresses with a special sulfur AND 18 amino acids! Ladies, with this much goodness your hair will grow longer and faster than you've ever thought possible.
Take time over your shampoo
Massage your scalp regularly yourself, or get someone else to do it for you. Massage stimulates the circulation and oxygenation of the scalp and encourages growth.
Don't fall for ‘miracle’ shampoos that promise 5cm growth in 3 weeks. You need to ask yourself what ingredients are used to provide such a result. These shampoos, lotions and other magic textures usually dry hair out and strip away its vitality. Go for anti hair loss treatments instead, but don't over-use them or they will stop having an effect.
Go natural
Throw away your old brush and replace it with a brush made from natural fibres, preferably wild boar hair. When blow drying your hair, don't hold the dryer too close to your head and always use it on the lower heat level.
Experiment with essential oils
We recommend mixing 5 to 7 drops of rosemary essential oil with gentle shampoo to strengthen hair and stimulate growth. It’s healthy, inexpensive and worth it! You can also try argan (one of our personal faves after a holiday in Morocco), coco, sweet almond, grapeseed, olive, wheat germ or castor oil - anything nourishing is good for your hair!
The hair growth helmet
Ok, hear us out. The biggest hair growth cheat is the Theradome LH80 Laser Helmet. A helmet type device containing 80 low level lasers which flood your scalp with photons to energise your hair follicles. It’s easy to use, you just put it on your head every other day for 20 minutes and get on with something else while it does its job. Laser Phototherapy stimulates blood circulation, nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles and helps to produce stronger, healthier, faster growing hair. Gotta love a gadget!
Our hair growth heroes!
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Have you got any tips on how to grow your hair and fast? Tweet us @sofeminineUK
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