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MakeLoveNotWar
October 11th, 2009, 09:25 AM
I am sure there has got to be another thread exactly like this floating around the forum out there, but I can't find it, so I'm starting this one. What has worked for hair growth for you guys?! I am trying to grow out my hair, and I know there is no miracle product (if there is tell me!) to make my hair grow ridiculously fast. I just want to get the max. amount of growth possible. I'll pretty much try anything, so I turn to you, the goddesses of long beautiful hair, to help me out. Thanks!

vividdreamer
October 11th, 2009, 09:51 AM
Biotin (the vitamin) has helped, as well as babying your hair--doing oil treatments, ditching traditional brushes for bone/resin combs. Those are the two that I've done that have resulted in quite a bit of growth--the Biotin especially. Added bonus: it makes your nails grow ridiculously long and quick too!

RancheroTheBee
October 11th, 2009, 10:38 AM
Not cutting it. :p

No, seriously. I haven't had luck with any sort of vitamin/supplement, Monistat, scalp massage or any sort of trick. I guess my hair is just stubborn that way.

The only thing that works for me is putting it up and forgetting about it for months on end.

Xepher
October 11th, 2009, 11:14 AM
Seconding the previous advice of babying it with lots of oil treatments, deep conditioning, herbs etc.

I hear a good multivitamin helps, as well as MSM and of course, biotin. You might want to look up the Monistat thread if you're at all interested in that, or the Megatek/OCT thread; both products have been reported by many women to speed up growth by double, some times even more!

Roseate
October 11th, 2009, 02:20 PM
Not cutting it. :p

No, seriously. I haven't had luck with any sort of vitamin/supplement, Monistat, scalp massage or any sort of trick. I guess my hair is just stubborn that way.

The only thing that works for me is putting it up and forgetting about it for months on end.

Ditto. Trying to make my hair grow faster just results in me getting all frustrated because it never grows any faster.

But, lots of things to try: Monistat (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=156), Megatek (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=15952), vitamins (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=83), castor oil (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=18265)... the list goes on. Hope springs eternal!

MimiKeki
October 11th, 2009, 03:00 PM
VITAMINS.
The one extra thing you can do for hair growth is to take your vitamins, I truly believe this. I take "Mega Vitamins for the Hair" from Holland & Barrett (UK).
They are excellent. I take 3 every day, and every time I start taking them again after not taking them for a while, I notice new growth appearing soon after, all over my scalp.

NO HEAT.
Try to limit heat styling as much as possible. Your hair will truly thank you for it.

DIET.
I've really noticed that diet really does help the hair, the skin, the nails. When I'm eating healthily, everything looks much better. Fresh fruit, veg, plenty of water (add a little squash if you like, like I do), fresh fish and lean meat, eggs and dairy produce are excellent, nuts and seeds.

EXERCISE.
I've been trying hard to exercise and stay active lately. A little bit every day will do, brisk walking, anything to get the blood flowing to the scalp.

There are a multitude of factors for hair growth. As you say, there is no miracle to growing hair, but there are things we can do to get to maximum capacity for hairgrowth.
Happy growing ;D

Shermie Girl
October 11th, 2009, 03:08 PM
Hide the scissors. Contrary to "popular" belief, trimming it all the time will not make your hair grow any faster. If you are going into serious grow mode, don't trim at all. If your ends really need it, trim as little as humanly possible (microtrim or dust) as infrequently as humanly possible. You will see more gain in length, faster than if you go in and have 1/2" trimmed every six to eight weeks. :)

Stephichan
October 11th, 2009, 03:17 PM
Eating right. You can do every sort of moisture treatment to prevent splits and breakage, but if you don't eat right, you'll never get anywhere (well, okay, you might). I've been incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and dairy into my diet as of late. I can't say that it's helped my growth rate, but why would it hurt? I still eat pretty bad (I'm in college, cut me some slack here), but I try to find a balance. If I decide to get some chicken strips (mmm, protein!), then I skip the fries and get some fresh fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt, or hard-boiled eggs to go with them. At least once a week I get a custom salad from this place on campus and use it as a whole meal (they're huge, delicious salads, with lots of fruit, seeds, and nuts).

Vitamins are great (I take a daily multivitamin just for general health, and I take biotin as well as evening primrose for my hair), but you shouldn't rely on them. The better you eat, the less you'll need them. My grocery store makes it pretty easy to eat better - they stock pre-sliced apples, strawberries and other fruit regularly, so I stock up on those once a week.

redneckprincess
October 11th, 2009, 03:50 PM
yep they pretty much said it all...
what works for ME....
Biotin...Gelatin...prenatels...no heat...no chemicals....no product. (ok minimal)....no color (besides manic panic once in a while sometimes)...and whatever you do absoutly NO CUTTING....now that rule verries because I know I have several inches that will NEED to be cut from my hair but I am holding out on that for a while longer and will only trim minimuly over a longer period of time...and a lot of babying.
I also changed to cone-free shampoo and conditioner. that dosent help the growth but it does help the condition of my growing hair

remember...hair grows slower in the colder months

take pictures of the back of your hair (with a striped shirt maybe?) every month for starters then you can wait 2 or 3 months for a more dramatic growth

how long is your hair to start with?

MakeLoveNotWar
October 11th, 2009, 04:59 PM
Well about a year ago it was a pixie cut, but I haven't cut it since then except for a few trims here and there. Now it hits about an inch below my collarbone in the front and then at like the second spine bump in the back. Don't know exact inches

Bloodheart
October 11th, 2009, 06:26 PM
I had super growth switching from shampoo to CO and when I started massaging my scalp...but then it slowed a lot - I'd go with the general, be nice to your hair :)

clairenewcastle
October 11th, 2009, 06:36 PM
I've recently changed my haircare routine in the hope of it speeding up growth. Instead of using conditioner I've started using catnip rinses in the hope of accelerating my hair growth. I've read so many good reports of other LHCers having increased growth after using this herb I had to give it a go.

MakeLoveNotWar
October 12th, 2009, 08:51 AM
I've recently changed my haircare routine in the hope of it speeding up growth. Instead of using conditioner I've started using catnip rinses in the hope of accelerating my hair growth. I've read so many good reports of other LHCers having increased growth after using this herb I had to give it a go.

Catnip rinses? Really? I have never heard that before

JamieLeigh
October 12th, 2009, 09:20 AM
Plenty of proper nutrition, vitamins and water. I've tried hair vitamins like biotin, but I don't believe they will give you extra length - it never sped my growth up any, anyways - but I like the extra health anyway. Scalp massages are said to speed up the blood circulation up there, and lead to increased hair growth.

I've never tried any of the methods on the site like Monistat to the scalp, but I've tried not cutting it and that seems to be the quickest way to achieve maximum growth. Of course, if you like it to look even at the ends, no-cutting might not be for you.....

MakeLoveNotWar
October 12th, 2009, 09:43 AM
I am very interested in trying the Monistat, but it's so darn expensive! I'm just a poor college student haha

Bellona
October 12th, 2009, 10:32 AM
I noticed a difference when I started taking hair vitamins with Biotin and MSM and a multivitamin. I also changed my diet (eggs instead of pastries in the morning, more fruit and vegetables, less alcohol), so that may have contributed to the increase in growth. I always exercise everyday because I walk or bike everywhere, so I can't say whether that helps or not. I also oil with castor oil, which seems to work better than olive oil on my shorter hair. I've never gotten the courage to put other kinds of creams on my scalp!

MakeLoveNotWar
October 13th, 2009, 07:39 AM
Ok so update. Last night I went in for my last trim for awhile, and I only wanted a dusting, but he took off like an inch. I am totally freaking out because I think it looks so short! I am trying to convince myself that my ends really needed it, and I plan not to trim for awhile, but I'm still a little freaked out. I think it's time to suck it up and try the Monistat and maybe MSM or gelatin. Thoughts? :(

spidermom
October 13th, 2009, 08:04 AM
I disagree with the "don't trim it" advice. I didn't trim mine for a year and now I find splits that have traveled 3-6 or 7 inches up the hair shaft. And my growth has slowed to less than a crawl (I've resumed trimming; hopefully the growth and health improve soon).

MakeLoveNotWar
October 13th, 2009, 08:10 AM
Wow Spidermom, how long have you been growing? It's looking great!

Tressie
October 13th, 2009, 09:26 AM
Yes, it's already been said...............hide the scissors!!

Robinlyn
October 13th, 2009, 10:27 AM
You've got a lot of great advice! I agree with the others diet, multi vitamins, biotin and treating your hair very gently. Happy growing to you!!

r00ski
November 10th, 2013, 07:04 PM
Back when I was 17 and at my longest, although I treated my hair like absolute garbage (S&C every single day, no conditioning, wearing elastics all the time) and was modeling full time (and the things done to my hair in those few years was absolutely unspeakable of up here!) it was still my longest length, and the only thing I remember that could've helped it was the constant stimulation my scalp got.. primarily from people styling my hair into ridiculous hair styles that would leave me with a headache after every job. So perhaps scalp massages really work…...

Leafy
November 16th, 2013, 01:00 PM
I really would advise having your hair trimmed - but make sure your hairdresser knows how much you want off. Don't just say 'a little bit' or 'just an inch'. Show them. Take your hair and indicate with your fingers how much you want off so neither of you have to play the guessing game with each other - we're not mind readers. I'm betting this is why people find hairdressers cut too much of your hair off, unless your hair has a LOT of split ends.

If you leave damage in your hair, it's only going to get worse, so if you get split ends and you don't trim, don't expect your hair to grow as well. I had shortish (but not quite pixie hair) once and didn't cut it for a year, and it only grew to about my shoulders. I also had my hair shaved once and it grew much more in the same length of time because I didn't colour or straighten it, and got a few little trims.

So please, keep your hair looking healthy with tiny trims and don't neglect it! :C

Leafy
November 16th, 2013, 01:04 PM
Also, even better - if you keep split ends to a minimum, on average, hair grows about 1.25cm a month, though this can obviously vary between people due to diet, hair care, etc.
If you keep your hair healthy and can get away with trimming less than you grow, your hair will still grow longer overall and will look healthy.

That's all I can offer right now, at the top of my head and from personal experience. ~

furnival
November 16th, 2013, 01:20 PM
This thread is from 2009. :brains:

Leafy
November 16th, 2013, 01:43 PM
This thread is from 2009. :brains:

Hahahha, well if I managed to come across it, it's worth being kept updated, I guess. xD

Absinthium
November 16th, 2013, 03:10 PM
I tried nettle tea, vitamins, ricinus oil on scalp, msm, biotin, drinking yeast, eating flaxseed and nothing worked. But it actually makes the growing hair healthier, so it was worth trying anyways.

furnival
November 16th, 2013, 03:39 PM
Folks, the OP of this thread last visited the forum in 2011. I don't think she needs any more advice. :p

Leafy
November 16th, 2013, 03:59 PM
Folks, the OP of this thread last visited the forum in 2011. I don't think she needs any more advice. :p
But what about other people? This could make a good resource thread. c: