Short hair is super chic and totally in right now, but let’s be real for a sec… us girls are forever feeling like we’re ‘growing out our hair’, usually to no avail.
There are many reasons why you may be wanting to grow your hair out… maybe you got a really, really bad haircut and didn’t know how to tell the hairdresser. Or you could just want the same length Ariana Grande gets in that epic ponytail of hers.
Whatever the reason, it may prove difficult to achieve the length you’re after, especially if you’re not taking the right steps.
While you can’t make your cells grow faster than they do naturally, there are other factors at play stopping you from achieving your long hair potential…AND there are many, many ways you can help those tresses get a wriggle on.
The normal speed of hair growth is approximately 1.25 centimetres or 0.5 inches per month, or about 15 centimetres or 6 inches per year, so working with that in mind… here are some tips and tricks to help.
1. Feed your hair
The correct products will ultimately help how your hair looks and feels, but if you want it to grow then it all starts from within. The following essential nutrients will help grow your healthiest hair EVER.
2. Iron and Zinc
Both are necessary to help hair follicles grow. In food, they include eating animal products approxiamtely twice a week, including red meat, chicken and fish. Nonmeat options include soybeans, lentils, spinach, broccoli, kale and salad greens.
3. Vitamin C
This vitamin helps absorb iron, so eat food that are high in vitamin C along with with iron-rich foods. These include blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D may actually help activate hair growth. Not a lot of food contains it naturally, so take a 1,000 IU supplement daily.
5. Protein
Hair is actually made out of protein, so having enough protein in your diet is essential for strong and healthy hair. If not you will find that your hair is dry and frail. Foods include chicken, turkey, fish, dairy products, eggs, legumes and nut.
6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These are important for keeping your scalp and hair hydrated. They’re a must-have in your diet so twice a week include fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel or plant sources such as avocado, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.
7. Biotin
For stronger hair include Biotin-rich foods such as wholegrains, egg yolk, soy flour and yeast in your diet. Too little of this water-soluble B vitamin can cause brittle hair and may lead to hair loss.
8. Get regular trims!
We know it sounds ridiculous… why would you cut your hair to make it grow longer? Well we all know the curse of split ends! Once an end splits, it continues to split UP the hair follicle, making the hair weak, and eventually snap off. Once you regularly start trimming the ends, it means they stay strong and have an actual chance of growing.
While you can take all the above steps to help grow your hair, there are definitely things you need to avoid too.
1. Relax with the heat styling tools
If you’re really focused on growing your hair, maybe lay off the hair straightener or blowdryer for a while. Constant heat on your hair dries it out and weakens it significantly.
2. Stop the daily shampoo
While having freshly shampooed hair is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world (and being able to put the dry shampoo away for a day), all it does is strip your hair of its natural oils. Those same oils help nourish and strengthen your hair, which eventually helps it grow.
3. Don’t overbrush your hair
Much like shampooing your hair, running a brush through your locks is incredibly satisfying, but the crazier you go with the hairbrush, the more hair you lose!!
4. Don’t use rubber bands
Rubber is so hard on your fragile strands, and since you’re constantly breaking or losing them, stop restocking!! Thankfully, the ’90s fashion is back, so scrunchies are in and the invisibobbles from Sephora are a godsend!
5. Don’t wear your hair down every day
There is such thing as “protective hairstyles” which is basically protective the ends of your hair from the elements.
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