"Nothing can make your hair grow faster"

[Sprigs]

What do you say in reply when they say something like this to you?

I post on a topicless forum that is mainly frequented by females around my age. Someone asked about how to make their hair "grow faster", and I suggested taking MSM, as it has worked for me and other people on these forums at least. I was then told by a few people in a rather patronising way that "nothing can make your hair come out of your head faster".
I tried to explain by saying that hair growth can slow if you are lacking in nutrients, and therefore speed up when you are getting what your body requires, but they werent having it. Its days later and its STILL bothering me more than it should, lol. :o

[spidermom]

To tell you the truth, I don't believe it, either, not unless you were severely deficient in something and corrected the deficiency.

[Sprigs]

Really? Even after reading the posts people make about crazy growth spurts after taking a concoction of supplements/garden fertilisers, etc?

[Roseate]

If someone said that to me, I would.... agree with them. Nothing I've tried has made my hair grow any faster. I'm much happier if I just make peace with my growth rate and focus on treating it well as it grows.

That said, there are certainly people on this board who have gotten results, so it's not impossible. If they don't want to believe it, fine. I wouldn't waste time arguing. I guess if you really are desperate to prove your point you could do a PubMed search and see if there have been any scientific studies on this sort of thing. :shrug:

[spidermom]

I've been following their pictures, too; pictures don't lie.

[Sprigs]

That said, there are certainly people on this board who have gotten results, so it's not impossible. If they don't want to believe it, fine. I wouldn't waste time arguing. I guess if you really are desperate to prove your point you could do a PubMed search and see if there have been any scientific studies on this sort of thing. :shrug:

Naw, I am not bothered about proving a point, I just felt annoyed the way these people were like "No. This does not happen ever. Hair cant change growth rates. Youre stupid. The End" and they were especially condescending about it too, which is what really bothered me the most.

[Roseate]

Yeah, sounds like general rudeness. Some folks are just that way.

[manderly]

I'm with spidermom and roseate on this one ;)

[xoxophelia]

What is MSM?

To add, I definitely agree with spidermom. For most people nothing is going to really help but some people do need multivitamins to help balance them out. I am lactose intolerant so for me, I really need to take calcium (which I am not so good about doing...)

[renarok]

I am not really interested so much in growing my hair faster, but if there were a product that touted longer hair life, and could prove it, I might jump on that bandwagon. I sometimes feel that my shed hair has died, or cycled out, prematurely.

I am a NIOXIN fan because after many years of using it, and taking occasional breaks from it I have seen a noticeable decrease in shedding when I use it. I haven't yet found another product that I can definitely say works as promised.

I also agree that growth is determined from what is going on inside the body. Nutrition, overall general health, and genetics determine growth rate.

[Spring]

Charlotte, this discussion really has me thinking, but I lean towards believing that supplements can give you a boost in your growth rate that might not be seen without it. I've noticed when I wasn't taking any vitamins for a few months, my growth rate slowed down considerably compared to the months when I'm taking my vitamins.

Something I'm considering is maybe when we're not taking supplements we're not reaching our potential genetic growth rate, but when we're taking supplements we're able to grow to our potential.

[Syaoransbear]

I think if you can make your nails grow faster, then your hair should be able to as well, but obviously you'll never gain a foot of nail/hair overnight. I think it's hard to measure hair growth because even if your hair starts growing twice as fast, an inch a month doesn't seem like that much to some people, and it's hard to measure growth unless your hair is dyed and you can tell by the roots.

[juliaxena]

I am so stressed and sleep deprived plus I often don't eat any piece of fruit or vegetable in a day that I believe my vitamins to help a bit but not over what my natural potential is. If my life was easier and I had time to follow a healthy food plan I'd have no need for supplements in a first place. Plus I think many people are exagerating what their results are. For me its 3 to maybe 4 milimeters more in a month than before I started my supplements (and almost crashed and burnt) and I don't have crazy growth anyway. I can tell by my roots because I dye my hair. Nothing miraculous.

[piratejenny23]

well, something(s) affect our hair growth. it seems to be an accepted fact that many people experience slower growth in the winter, for example; or faster growth/less shedding during pregnancy; or different growth rates between canopy & underlayers.

i don't think you have to be radically deficient in a nutrient or healthy habit (like sleep!) to have slower hair growth. sometimes just a small adjustment can affect many aspects of your health, including hair.

i've come to believe that we may have a certain potential growth rate (say 1-2" per month) when we are at our healthiest. i'd say i've varied between 1/4" to 1/2" growth per month for the last few years, but recently it's gone up to 3/4" to 1" --i believe due to supplements and less stress. i don't believe that if i continue or increase my routine that i can force my hair to grow 5" per month!

considering that most nutrients/habits that are beneficial to hair are also beneficial to skin, and that the rate of skin cell regeneration can be affected by nutrition & circulation, it stands to reason (or at least my way of reasoning) that yes, you can make--or, help--your hair grow faster IF it's not already at its maximum potential.

[Crysania]

in a french forum some girls said they notice an increase in hair growth using burdock tisane, and apparently that the scalp stays clean longer too

ive tried biotin, and msm but it caused acne for me so i couldnt use it

gonna buy some burdock tomorrow

[Konstifik]

I do think that certain supplements/nutrition can make your hair grow faster. However, I don't think your hair can grow faster than the maximum speed your genetics allow.

That is, if your genes say your hair can grow 1 inch per month, but according to your measurements, it only grows half of an inch, then MSM, biotin, selen or whatever you take/need might help your growth. But if you already are growing 1 inch per month, I don't think any supplements will help.

But that's only what I believe. :shrug:

[Honey39]

I have to say, I don't really think anything makes your hair grow faster either. I think (personally) that hair grows at different rates all the time - mine grows faster in summer, barely at all in winter, and over the year it usually averages 7 inches no matter what!

I suspect that people take vitamins/supplements, and then assume that the normal variation in hair growing is down to what they are taking, rather than that hair isn't a steady growth, but comes in fits and starts.

Just my two cents. If it works for you, then go for it! But I don't think that the original statement is particularly a terrible thing to say...:)

[Athena's Owl]

I really think that there are things you can do to make your hair grow faster *if* you have things going on that really are slowing down your hair growth.

i also think that the healthier you are, the *better* - not just for hair growth but for everything.

but i also think that a lot of times, when someone is talking about how doing this thing has made my hair grow faster, a lot of the time what they're talking about is learning how to retain the length. you know that person who tells you that they need to do another bleach job, it's been two months since the last one and lookit all these roots - and then says, "my hair just doesn't grow?"

yeah, that.

also, it's not a consistent rate of growth. my hair gains length stupid fast in summer, and hardly budges at all the other 8 months of the year.

"nothing can make your hair grow faster" isn't that bad of a generalization. it'll certainly save you money, if you believe it, because you won't be tempted to try a product that promises to make your hair grow faster. it can also help to sink in the FACT that the longer hair you want is a long time in coming.

[lora410]

[quote=renarok;947339]

I am a NIOXIN fan because after many years of using it, and taking occasional breaks from it I have seen a noticeable decrease in shedding when I use it. I haven't yet found another product that I can definitely say works as promised.

quote]

I also use nioxin and my shed rate has gone way down as well :) I love nioxin. I picked up a gift set (shampoo , condish and the scalp treatment) for 60% off and paid $20. the shampoo and condish were both big. :D

Anyway back to original post. Yes, I do believe we can do things that speed up our natural growth. I had amazing results with monistat and megatek.

[Chamy]

garden fertilisers

Isnt that poisonous :run:

[Sissy]

Charlotte, this discussion really has me thinking, but I lean towards believing that supplements can give you a boost in your growth rate that might not be seen without it. I've noticed when I wasn't taking any vitamins for a few months, my growth rate slowed down considerably compared to the months when I'm taking my vitamins.

Something I'm considering is maybe when we're not taking supplements we're not reaching our potential genetic growth rate, but when we're taking supplements we're able to grow to our potential.

yeah, I agree with that. I def. notice a difference when I was strictly dieting and maybe not getting the omegas and other nutrients I needed. When I'm really good about taking my supplements, drinking lots of water, and eating well I can feel a def. difference in my health and the way I see it this cannot hurt my hair :) and may even help it grow better. I know my hair isn't a lot longer now than when I joined but the health of it is noticeably improved and this is through new growth and trimming off old damage.

I have never tried the garden fertilizers or other things people mention. I'm a little bit scared to try anything other than safe supplements, I won't even use horsetail.

[jojo]

Nothing can make your hair grow quicker but you can take steps to prevent breakage and make sure your diet is efficient to allow your natural growth to emerge.

For example if you use heat you get breakage which doesnt stop hair growing from the roots but it prevents hair getting longer, if you you lack in minerals and vitamins your hair will suffer and not grow to its own personal growth speed. Your hair is really unimportant to your body when its trying to supply nutrients to say the heart or brain. Your hair gets the left overs and if what you eat is poor in vitamins and nutrients, the quality it gets is poor so growth may be retarded.

I take MSM, DE and iron and yes I have had increased growth, but this because I have been lacking in these nutrients. By taking supplements the major organs still get first choice but theres plenty left over for unimportant feature such as hair and nails.

To summarise by allowing the proper conditions(no heat) and feeding the body with essential will only allow your hair to grow at the speed nature intended for YOU to grow.

Hope this makes sence!

[Gemma]

Supplements can help if you were low on them (or don't eat a balanced diet), and anything that prevents breakage will help, but the main factor behind the speed of your growth is simply genetics. That's what I think, anyway. :flower:

[Madame J]

Really? Even after reading the posts people make about crazy growth spurts after taking a concoction of supplements/garden fertilisers, etc?

Actually, a lot of the people I see on here who get an inch in a month, then realize a month or two later that their hair has stalled. I think that if you are severely deficient in something, yes, taking supplementation (or, even better, improving your diet) will give you an increase, but only to the normal average. Everyone else usually finds that it averages out over a longer period of time. Also, hair naturally grows in fits and spurts, so you need to judge it over a longer period of time. It could be that the person started taking a supplement at the same time his hair naturally sped up, and it didn't actually affect his average hair growth, averaged over a year.

That said, plenty of people notice their hair grows "faster" when they join here, because they start trimming less often, and treating their hair more gently, so it doesn't break off. So they get to keep more of their growth.

[bumblebums]

I am skeptical about supplements for hair growth, too. Keep in mind that when people self-report increased hair growth, they are measuring it themselves, and self-administered hair measurements are notoriously inaccurate. Since people want the "magic" to work so much, they tend to ignore evidence to the contrary. If I measure my own hair three different times and get three slightly different results, I might then conclude that the longest length I got was the most accurate measurement. Just because I can't believe that the $30 I blew on pills was a waste of money.

As for getting upset over people on the internet (http://xkcd.com/386/)...

[Beets]

OP, some folks are iconoclasts. Or cynics. And some people are just blunt and can come across as rude.

This is totally off topic, but since I think a lot of people have already weighed in on the veracity of the hair growth thing--and with very interesting perspectives, I might add!--I'll offer what I first thought when reading your post.

Nonviolent Communication.
(http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/aboutnvc/aboutnvc.htm)
Silly name, but really powerful idea. If you're like me, and tend to get put off by people easily, then I highly recommend checking it out.

[Twil]

It's not so much making your hair grow faster, than making your hair grow better. Healthier, stronger hair will grow better--that is less breakage, thicker, and less shedding--than hair that is not kept up properly. Supplements that make your hair grow better will get your hair longer over time (though probably not increasing your monthly growth) because it maintains the length.

In my opinion

[Unofficial_Rose]

I used to think that Miconazole nitrate improved my growth rate from 1/2" per month to 3/4". But I'm getting 1/2" in the Winter for 2 successive years and 3/4" in Spring/Summer, so I'm inclined to think this particular thing was just time of year.

I take MSM also for my joints for the last 6 years. I can't say my hair grows any faster, but at least I don't get nasty joint stiffness.

So for me at least, it grows when it grows - although I do wish someone would invent something to make it grow faster. :)

But that's just my own personal experience, and it seems that others have had increased growth with various things. :shrug:

[rogue_psyche]

I went from 1/2" of monthly growth to 1" with supplements, but I can believe that I was deficient in something before I started taking them. My diet isn't as healthy as it should be. :shrug:

[Keildra]

I know I don't have healthy diet so if I took supplements or balanced my diet I would probably see either and increase in growth or less shedding. As to "making hair grow faster" everyone needs to approach that subject with lots of skepticism (same with repairing damage but that's off topic). I do believe that there is only one rate hair will grow but there are also things such as: diet, lifestyle(vegetarianism and things like that), sleep habits, and damaging habits that can severely slow our potential growth rate.
I also believe that without proper hair care hair can get damaged so bad that it refuses to grow, the only reason I believe this is because I saw an improvement in growth after I started to properly care for my hair.
Yes I do believe there are things we can do to improve growth rate and I know there are things we can do to prevent shedding, but I always approach miracle pills and solutions with major skepticism. Especially when they say that this "scientifically proven formula of Rapunzel's DNA, dragon tears, and unicorn horn can magically make you grow hair overnight"
No I don't believe that doing one thing to make hair grow will work, I think it's a whole lifestyle change.

Also people on the internet like to argue even when they know their wrong, not saying that these guys are. And some just haven't been properly educated, especially in proper etiquette. I tend to ignore argumentative people, I make my point and then I'm done with replies typically, sometimes I have more to say.

[Gemma]

Thinking about this some more, I imagine that we all have a genetically controlled level of optimal growth, and that outside sources can affect this. When I went through a period of great stress, for instance, my hair growth did seem slower and my hair went horrible dry. Considering that few people eat an optimal diet, get the optimal amount of exercise, and/or have access to the kinds of products that seem to offer the best protection, it's not surprising that we sometimes stumble across something that alters our growth rate. So I guess what I am saying is that just because supplements work for X, doesn't mean that supplements work to increase growth in everyone else. Similarly, just because a change in diet helped Y, doesn't prove that diet alone affects hair growth.

Does this make sense to anyone else, or is my cold making me ramble nonsensically? ;)

[pepperedmoth]

I'm pretty much on the "highly doubt supplements increase hair growth" bandwagon here. HOWEVER, I do believe that correcting any dietary deficiencies can make what growth there is STRONGER, hence less likely to break, hence longer-lasting, and, over the course of years (not weeks or months) helpful in attaining greater lengths. This seems reasonable, since most people can attest that some supplements make nails stronger, and it is a similar process . . .

Still, I'm not into massive supplementation (as I said in the supplements thread . . . ) I take a prenatal multivitamin for general health and in case of pregnancy, and calcium to ward off osteoporosis, two supplements that have some pretty solid scientific justification behind them for the purposes I'm using them for. Other than that, I play it safe and don't muck around (not that I don't love on my herbal teas for the daily bumps and bruises that flesh is heir to . . . but that's another story).

[FrannyG]

I am of the opinion that if one has no medical problems, there really is no way of truly making your hair grow faster on a long term basis.

Yes, I've read all the threads about the various "growth boosters", but I remain sceptical, only because it seems that often it's just one quick spurt that tails off.

I know that without trying any miracle products, I've had certain months when my hair has had a huge growth spurt. That is documented in photos, but is merely an anomaly for me.

I do believe that caring well for one's hair makes it appear to grow faster, as there is less breakage.

For example, my daughter had almost waist-length hair the last 10 inches of which were severely damaged. She did not cut or trim her hair for a year, and her hair was still just at "almost waistlength". It looked as though her hair hadn't grown at all, but clearly it had; it had just been breaking off.

I am adding the caveat that this is only my opinion, and that I would not try to sway or pooh-pooh anyone else's opinion, if they've found something that works well for them.

[JamieLeigh]

I'm another who believes that we canNOT grow at a rate faster than what we're genetically predisposed to grow. I feel that by cleaner and healthier living, we are more LIKELY to grow at the maximum of that genetically predisposed rate, while if we overconsume caffeine and other harmful substances, those rates CAN slow down (because other bodily processes do too). So in essence, there is nothing that can make your hair grow faster. BUT there is plenty that can make hair grow to your maximum potential. :flower:

I also believe that the OP stumbled onto a group of rude people who do not take others' opinions well. But you know what? :poop: happens, and if you go back and try to argue with people like that, you'll be :horse: ;)

[khan]

I think daily scalp massage has helped my hair to grow a bit faster. It looks stronger & healthier. Feels good to do too. :D In my 20's I couldn't seem to get it past waist length. Now it's an inch past waist & I cut about an inch off 2 weeks ago. I like the hem to look thick.

[FrannyG]

Thinking about this some more, I imagine that we all have a genetically controlled level of optimal growth, and that outside sources can affect this. When I went through a period of great stress, for instance, my hair growth did seem slower and my hair went horrible dry. Considering that few people eat an optimal diet, get the optimal amount of exercise, and/or have access to the kinds of products that seem to offer the best protection, it's not surprising that we sometimes stumble across something that alters our growth rate. So I guess what I am saying is that just because supplements work for X, doesn't mean that supplements work to increase growth in everyone else. Similarly, just because a change in diet helped Y, doesn't prove that diet alone affects hair growth.

Does this make sense to anyone else, or is my cold making me ramble nonsensically? ;)

Yes, Gemma, my Proud British Stereotypical friend, I do understand what you're saying.

It still boils down to nutritional needs, though. If you're under stress, then yes, you are likely in need of better nutrition, as stress depletes the body of many nutrients, especially the water soluble vitamins and anti-oxidants.

If a person is mentally and physically healthy and eating a well-balanced diet, and is not experiencing hormone issues, such as pregnancy, they are not likely to see any change in growth with supplements, in my opinion.

Hope that your cold gets better quickly, Gemma. :flowers:

[Anje]

OP -- A good rebuttal might be that lots of things (poor health, chemotherapy, infections, etc.) can make hair grow slower. Many will agree with you on that point. Therefore, eliminating impediments to hair growth will allow it to grow nearer to its maximum rate.

Whether you feel like telling them that some people can get documentable doubling to quadrupling of their baseline growth rate by smearing cootie cream on their scalps is another question entirely.
Also, this (http://xkcd.com/386/).

p.s. Not worth bugging the jerks on the other forum about, but it seems to me that hair can also go through growth spurts. I wasn't measuring my hair at the time, but I had one instance where my hair grew about 3-4 inches over the course of a 5-week trip to Germany. It was rather amazing, and I wish I knew how to repeat it!

[Roseate]

For example, my daughter had almost waist-length hair the last 10 inches of which were severely damaged. She did not cut or trim her hair for a year, and her hair was still just at "almost waistlength". It looked as though her hair hadn't grown at all, but clearly it had; it had just been breaking off.

Yes, this happened to my brother as well! He doesn't cut his hair, but he doesn't condition it either, rips through it with a brush, does heavy labor with it exposed and generally ignores it... I don't think he's at terminal, but his treatment has made it appear to stop growing.

[FrannyG]

Yes, this happened to my brother as well! He doesn't cut his hair, but he doesn't condition it either, rips through it with a brush, does heavy labor with it exposed and generally ignores it... I don't think he's at terminal, but his treatment has made it appear to stop growing.

/hijack/ My daughter just "didn't care". However eventually she asked me to cut it to BSL, thus removing the previous damage, and her hair has grown like a weed since. When I saw her at Christmas, her hair was definitely longer, thicker (and healthier) than it's ever been.

Sorry for the hijack, everyone. :o /hijack/

[Fractalsofhair]

I do think if you are deficient, your hair might not grow as fast. Same deal if your hair is damaged, the breakage might get rid of growth.(Hence a false terminal or a false taper) Since taking a generic B vitamin to counteract a side effect of a seizure med I'm on, my hair grows at about 1 inch per month, which is it's normal rate. Before that, it was growing at about 1/2 inch per month.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

What do you say in reply when they say something like this to you?

I post on a topicless forum that is mainly frequented by females around my age. Someone asked about how to make their hair "grow faster", and I suggested taking MSM, as it has worked for me and other people on these forums at least. I was then told by a few people in a rather patronising way that "nothing can make your hair come out of your head faster".
I tried to explain by saying that hair growth can slow if you are lacking in nutrients, and therefore speed up when you are getting what your body requires, but they werent having it. Its days later and its STILL bothering me more than it should, lol. :o

Maybe nothing can but we loose all kinds of length doing stuff and not even realizing that we are damaging or breaking our hair. Since I have been taking care of it (no perms, blow dryers or flat irons) my hair has seemed to grow so much faster...I don't believe it has...but I think my treatment before was causing it to be damaged and break off after a certain length. Now I retain my length so it gets longer.

[Yedda]

Naw, I am not bothered about proving a point, I just felt annoyed the way these people were like "No. This does not happen ever. Hair cant change growth rates. Youre stupid. The End" and they were especially condescending about it too, which is what really bothered me the most.

Yes people tend to get quite rude on some forums. I think LHC is the only forum I post on:) (Don't get me wrong, we have our moments :p-but not resulting in insults/vulgarity)

Sometimes I wish I could get a population breakdown of the people on certain forums, I wouldn't be suprised if it ended up being a bunch of 13 year old boys. (No offense 13 year old boys...)

But the whole point of your response was to give the OP a suggestion, or an option, and that's what you did. At least she knows about MSM now, you know the other people wouldn't have offered that.

[christine1989]

It is true that nothing can make a HUGE difference in hair growth but speaking from my own personal experiance I have seen increased growth after taking iron pills (which I was defficient in). My hair is now growing at a steady rate of 3/4 inches a month. I have also been trying biotin for about 2 months and although I have not noticed accelerated growth there is no doubt that it has increased thickness and new hairs are growing in :)

[Ursula]

I don't know of anything that has been properly tested to confirm that it helps hair grow faster - double-blind testing, measuring in a consistent way by disinterested third-parties.

For people who perceive results from hair growth products, it is hard to know if any growth is the result of the product, the result of some other change in their life, or the growth they would have anyways.

Particularly for people here at LHC, who have an interest in seeing their hair grow more, and who are doing many things to try to improve both the growth of their hair and the condition of their hair.

So if someone says you can't do things to promote hair growth, they're right, in the sense that there is nothing you can do that has been proven to increase hair growth, as compared to other things you can do or just doing nothing.

[silviya]

What exactly is MSM?

[talecon]

I'm with the crew that says a healthy diet helps. Hair is often viewed as a sign of health because depending on how healthy your diet is your hair will mirror in thickness, shine, and length - I think. My hair is really brittle now and certainly taking its time on growing but I've neglected my health for many years. I'm pretty sure once I start giving my body the necessary nutrients it needs (which should be soon) my hair will improve.