Methods to grow hair faster?

[bubbles04]

Is it possible to have some methods which can actually make hair grow faster?
Or is it simply a myth?

My hair is growing super slowly and I'm a bit sad about it :/

[Laurab]

Something I heard once that made a lot of sense to me is everything reported to help hair growth does one of the following thing:
1. Stimulates the scalp (Which might help hair growth, but might be a placebo, but hey it can't hurt). This is stuff like scalp massages, exercise, the inversion method, etc.
2. Fixes some nutritional deficiency in your body, so vitamins or special diets. Like, for example biotin helps hair grow and if you're short on the vitamin you'll probably notice hair growing faster with supplements, but if you're already eating enough biotin supplements aren't going to do much.
3. Has some sort of anti-bacterial or anti-fungus properties. A lot of essential oils and at home treatments seem to have these properties. Hair growth starts at the scalp, so it makes sense that some imbalances can slow growth.

I think that's mostly it as far as speeding growth goes. In general our growth rate is determined by our genetics. Our hair isn't a weed, we can't pour fertalizer on it and see it take over our head, it takes time and care. The best thing to do if you've got a slow growth rate is to take tender care of thehair you've got so it doesn't get split and damaged as it grows.
I read a comment from someone on here that I think made a good point, some pepole aren't able to grow hair at all, so we're all lucky to have any growth we have, and it's good to appreciate it rather than wishing for something different.
Slow growth is majorly frustrating, but part of the fun of all of this is the journey :)

[bubbles04]

Something I heard once that made a lot of sense to me is everything reported to help hair growth does one of the following thing:
1. Stimulates the scalp (Which might help hair growth, but might be a placebo, but hey it can't hurt). This is stuff like scalp massages, exercise, the inversion method, etc.
2. Fixes some nutritional deficiency in your body, so vitamins or special diets. Like, for example biotin helps hair grow and if you're short on the vitamin you'll probably notice hair growing faster with supplements, but if you're already eating enough biotin supplements aren't going to do much.
3. Has some sort of anti-bacterial or anti-fungus properties. A lot of essential oils and at home treatments seem to have these properties. Hair growth starts at the scalp, so it makes sense that some imbalances can slow growth.

I think that's mostly it as far as speeding growth goes. In general our growth rate is determined by our genetics. Our hair isn't a weed, we can't pour fertalizer on it and see it take over our head, it takes time and care. The best thing to do if you've got a slow growth rate is to take tender care of thehair you've got so it doesn't get split and damaged as it grows.
I read a comment from someone on here that I think made a good point, some pepole aren't able to grow hair at all, so we're all lucky to have any growth we have, and it's good to appreciate it rather than wishing for something different.
Slow growth is majorly frustrating, but part of the fun of all of this is the journey :)

Thanks a lot. Really helpful advice. I agree with the genetics. I ve seen some girls chop off 6 inches and it grew back in 3 months while for others it took almost 1 year. I guess it mostly depends on genes and the care that we should provide our hair with.

[paulownia]

There is surely plenty of methods for speeding up hair growth.
I stick basically to drinking nettle and yeast, those are my true and tested and work.

[Ylva]

I've managed to induce short growth spurts with the inversion method (massaging the scalp upside down) a couple of times in the past.

Also, I am quite certain that my hair growth has picked up the pace slightly since my body has fully adjusted to my sudden dietary changes last summer. For what it's worth, my diet contains a lot of animal protein and even more animal fat. At the same time, I've focused on improving my lifestyle as a whole, for example by getting a lot of sleep at the appropriate hours.

[-Fern]

Keep your scalp healthy, your body healthy, and your mindset positive. These are the best ways, IMO.


I ve seen some girls chop off 6 inches and it grew back in 3 months while for others it took almost 1 year. I guess it mostly depends on genes and the care that we should provide our hair with.
I would be very skeptical about someone's hair growing six inches in three months. Half an inch of growth per month seems to be about average (meaning 6 inches in one year), but there is not necessarily something wrong with you if you're getting less than that. Many people experience a growth spurt in the spring, too.

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Unfortunately according to dermatologists there is no evidence that your skin or scalp can absorb nutrients applied directly to them so I'd focus on putting the nutrients that help hair grow in your mouth rather than on your head.
Best thing you can do is stay healthy: drink plenty of water, get the recommended daily nutrient intake, don't stress out (tough one to control, I know), sleep well as most of the growth is done in your sleep and keep your scalp healthy by not allowing it to get irritated in any way. The rest is up to factors you have no control over like genetics, the weather, etc

[Lucy McLucyFace]

There are no miraculous remedies to grow hair fast. If there were, we'd already be using them on cancer survivors to help them recover their hair

[MusicalSpoons]

Something I heard once that made a lot of sense to me is everything reported to help hair growth does one of the following thing:
1. Stimulates the scalp (Which might help hair growth, but might be a placebo, but hey it can't hurt). This is stuff like scalp massages, exercise, the inversion method, etc.
2. Fixes some nutritional deficiency in your body, so vitamins or special diets. Like, for example biotin helps hair grow and if you're short on the vitamin you'll probably notice hair growing faster with supplements, but if you're already eating enough biotin supplements aren't going to do much.
3. Has some sort of anti-bacterial or anti-fungus properties. A lot of essential oils and at home treatments seem to have these properties. Hair growth starts at the scalp, so it makes sense that some imbalances can slow growth.

I think that's mostly it as far as speeding growth goes. In general our growth rate is determined by our genetics. Our hair isn't a weed, we can't pour fertalizer on it and see it take over our head, it takes time and care. The best thing to do if you've got a slow growth rate is to take tender care of thehair you've got so it doesn't get split and damaged as it grows.
I read a comment from someone on here that I think made a good point, some pepole aren't able to grow hair at all, so we're all lucky to have any growth we have, and it's good to appreciate it rather than wishing for something different.
Slow growth is majorly frustrating, but part of the fun of all of this is the journey :)

:applause Very well put!!

Another way of looking at it is that each of those things can remove a barrier if there is an issue stopping us from reaching our genetic maximum potential growth rate. That's why for some people they are miracle techniques because there was something slowing their growth rate, but for others nothing makes any difference because there is nothing that really needs correcting (or any barriers needing to be removed). [H/T to I think cjk whom I originally saw explain it along those lines.]

[Kalamazoo]

I'm greatly in favor of trying lots of herbs, oils, eating hair-growth-friendly foods, inversion method, scalp massage, getting more exercise, working up a sweat, treating your hair gently to avoid breaking it, using a silk or satin pillowcase, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water... In my personal experience, yes! putting things on the scalp allows nutrients to absorb. I think hair needs a balanced diet of many components. When everything's optimal simultaneously, it is possible for surprising growth spurts to occur. But it takes a lot of your own experiments on your own head of hair, because what works great for one person, well the next person's allergic to it, or it flat-out doesn't work at all for somebody else.


For my own experiments, see "Does eating peppermint grow hair faster?" starting on page 4.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=150332&page=4

[AutobotsAttack]

I’m surprised no one’s mentioned weight training. Specifically the addition of adequate muscle mass from proper progression, along with conditioning exercises/cardio. All of which have a major impact on metabolism, which is the driving force behind hair growth, and hair loss for that matter.

[FrayedFire]

Has anyone mentioned length retention yet?

[Faraniel]

Maybe I did it wrong but all I got from scalp massage was new thick dark hair all over my head so now I look kind of frizzy.

[Jools69]

I’m always a little skeptical with potions marketed to grow hair ‘faster’. I mean, how would something you ingest know to target the hair on your head and not elsewhere? Not good for women whom suffer hirsutism, for example.

If people seem to experience good results from these products, perhaps they were lacking any essential vitamins and minerals in their dieting in the first place. So, I think, if you’re having a good diet, then there’s no need to take supplements. As taking more, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better.

[lapushka]

Has anyone mentioned length retention yet?

That's only really important when you still heat style, so with a hot curling iron or straightener. It's not really "a thing" when your hair is all virgin and healthy, because typically then your ends don't just break off for no reason.

[Dark40]

I'm greatly in favor or using different essential oils, taking vitamin supplements, hair, skin, and nail vitamin supplements, and getting plenty of excercise, and eating a healthy diet. I eat a diet containing a lot of healthy protein and lean protein. Also, eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as helped my hair growth as well, and also doing the inversion method a couple of times this year has helped in growth spurts as well.

[FrayedFire]

That's only really important when you still heat style, so with a hot curling iron or straightener. It's not really "a thing" when your hair is all virgin and healthy, because typically then your ends don't just break off for no reason.

Except mechanical damage...

[MusicalSpoons]

That's only really important when you still heat style, so with a hot curling iron or straightener. It's not really "a thing" when your hair is all virgin and healthy, because typically then your ends don't just break off for no reason.


Except mechanical damage...

Exactly. You can have virgin hair growing along nicely and still lose the length if it's being worn away on the backs of chairs, tangled in bag straps, eaten by hairties, ripped through by hairbrushes, etc.

[hanne jensen]

A healthy diet, excersize, get your beauty sleep, avoid stress and protect your hair. Put your hair up and forget about it. If your hemline is starting to get uneven or delicate, a small trim. I've tried everything and what worked best for me was the above. Suddenly BOOM! my hair is almost classic. You might be surprised at your growth rate if you protect your hair.

[florenonite]

Exactly. You can have virgin hair growing along nicely and still lose the length if it's being worn away on the backs of chairs, tangled in bag straps, eaten by hairties, ripped through by hairbrushes, etc.

Yeah, I have TERRIBLE mechanical damage for the bottom 5" or so of the hair around my face, and all I do to my hair is henna and shampoo/condition/oil. For a while I blamed my water, as it started a couple of months after we moved into our house, and our area has VERY hard water and our water softener is old (I've also never had issues with splits before, even when I've gone three years between haircuts, so I figured it had to be something new). I realised while S&Ding at the weekend, though, that it's the worst at the front. The hairs at the back have the odd split, but at the front? I swear every hair ends in a split or a white dot, even the ones that are nowhere near as long as the rest. I tugged at one with a white dot up its length to separate it from the others, and it BROKE OFF at the dot.

I'm still not sure what caused it, but my best guess is it's because I've been growing out an undershave so I've worn my hair loose more, especially to work, because a nape-length undershave is hard to keep professional-looking when the rest of the hair is in a braid (now I'm working from home, though, so no one's going to care if I look professional). So even though my hair isn't particularly long, it's more exposed than it was when it was all one length at hip length and I braided it every single day.

But, yes, healthy virgin hair can indeed get substantial mechanical damage and break off.

[MusicalSpoons]

^ Braids are actually worse for my hair than wearing it loose, because it exposes all the ends that pop out and the friction on each of those ends just ruins them! [A banded ponytail would in theory be better but it never stays nice and evenly-tensioned, ends up bulging and looks terrible.] Even bunning a braid still causes those ends to dry out, but it's obviously less awful than having a loose braid.

[florenonite]

^ Braids are actually worse for my hair than wearing it loose, because it exposes all the ends that pop out and the friction on each of those ends just ruins them! [A banded ponytail would in theory be better but it never stays nice and evenly-tensioned, ends up bulging and looks terrible.] Even bunning a braid still causes those ends to dry out, but it's obviously less awful than having a loose braid.

Oh, interesting! I get the ends popping out of braids as well, but I guess it still isn't as bad as whatever is going on with them when my hair is loose.

[Kalamazoo]

And I forgot to mention, no starvation dieting. If you're going to drive your car 1,000 miles, you stop at the gas station & top it off before you start, & then you stop several times along the way for more gas. Your body's like your car: the more miles you're going to drive it, the more fuel it needs. And if you exercise enough, it'll make your metabolism burn faster, meaning, you'll need to eat more. (Yum! No hardship there!) So, if you want to lose weight, at least for some of the people some of the time, the answer is to eat more, because digesting your food burns calories, so you speed up your burn rate by eating more.

If you aren't eating enough, expect your hair growth to slow WAY down!

What I consider "enough" is like 2,100 calories/day, or more. (At least, that's the way it was for me at age 20-22, exercising 4 or 8 hours/day, going from 170# down to 130#. I'm almost 5'8", so 130# on me is extremely slender, a dress size 10.)

[FrayedFire]

^ Braids are actually worse for my hair than wearing it loose, because it exposes all the ends that pop out and the friction on each of those ends just ruins them! [A banded ponytail would in theory be better but it never stays nice and evenly-tensioned, ends up bulging and looks terrible.] Even bunning a braid still causes those ends to dry out, but it's obviously less awful than having a loose braid.

Rope braids too, or 3 stranded?

[MusicalSpoons]

Rope braids too, or 3 stranded?

Both, though 3 strands are worse for ends poking out throughout the entire length. A twisted bun is protective but I don't have enough hair (thickness-wise) for smaller twisted sections to contain the ends, even if it's just 2 for a single rope braid. It might possibly be okay if my hair were much shorter or at least wasn't tapered, but as things stand a rope braid just descends into a disaster from about halfway down, if not earlier.

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Yeah, I have TERRIBLE mechanical damage for the bottom 5" or so of the hair around my face, and all I do to my hair is henna and shampoo/condition/oil. For a while I blamed my water, as it started a couple of months after we moved into our house, and our area has VERY hard water and our water softener is old (I've also never had issues with splits before, even when I've gone three years between haircuts, so I figured it had to be something new). I realised while S&Ding at the weekend, though, that it's the worst at the front. The hairs at the back have the odd split, but at the front? I swear every hair ends in a split or a white dot, even the ones that are nowhere near as long as the rest. I tugged at one with a white dot up its length to separate it from the others, and it BROKE OFF at the dot.


Professionals say the hair around our face is the weakest. It's less dense and more prone to damage so no need to worry about something being off. Just be more careful with it and do more S&D as I do too since it's full of splits in that area (I'm growing out a poorly done face frame and it's been a pain)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

And I forgot to mention, no starvation dieting. If you're going to drive your car 1,000 miles, you stop at the gas station & top it off before you start, & then you stop several times along the way for more gas. Your body's like your car: the more miles you're going to drive it, the more fuel it needs. And if you exercise enough, it'll make your metabolism burn faster, meaning, you'll need to eat more. (Yum! No hardship there!) So, if you want to lose weight, at least for some of the people some of the time, the answer is to eat more, because digesting your food burns calories, so you speed up your burn rate by eating more.

If you aren't eating enough, expect your hair growth to slow WAY down!

What I consider "enough" is like 2,100 calories/day, or more. (At least, that's the way it was for me at age 20-22, exercising 4 or 8 hours/day, going from 170# down to 130#. I'm almost 5'8", so 130# on me is extremely slender, a dress size 10.)

What if you are only exercising a half hour a day?

[florenonite]

Professionals say the hair around our face is the weakest. It's less dense and more prone to damage so no need to worry about something being off. Just be more careful with it and do more S&D as I do too since it's full of splits in that area (I'm growing out a poorly done face frame and it's been a pain)

Oh, that's interesting! I've never noticed an issue with it before, but maybe it's just a small change in routine that's taken it from unnoticeable levels of split ends to noticeable.

[Kalamazoo]

What if you are only exercising a half hour a day?

I really don't know, Sarah. Eat as much as you're hungry for, I guess. But I'm no expert on this. I've only experimented on myself. But when my hair grew the fastest, I wasn't calorie-restricting, so I just thought I should be upfront about it.

[Bri-Chan]

I red and watched a lot about scalp massages. Especially long massages from the indian culture. I saw them working. I also tried one for about 50 days, 15 minutes massage to do everyday for like forever (but a month before seeing any result) but I ended up with a scalp irritation and a slower growing. With the invertion method I only have more dandruff and hair grow as normal.
But I red a lot also about some supplement that actually works.

[elfynity]

Thanks a lot. Really helpful advice. I agree with the genetics. I ve seen some girls chop off 6 inches and it grew back in 3 months while for others it took almost 1 year. I guess it mostly depends on genes and the care that we should provide our hair with.

My hair grows about an inch every month. That is, I think, just above the normal average growth rate. My hair will not increase in length at all though unless I trim away a little bit of the ends every 2 to 3 months. Then I see progress.

Your growth rate may be amazing, but have you checked the quality of your ends? Just a thought to consider.