How Can You Make Your Hair Grow Faster?

This subject came up on a forum that I belong to. The thread got ridiculously religious, opinionated and went downhill. A lot of people had some great suggestions though.

I am going to attempt to approach this subject...

The very first thing you have to come to terms with is Know Thyself! Everyone is different and hair growth certainly isn't exempt from that statement. The best thing that you can do it to get to know YOURSELF and what works/doesn't work for you. There are two things you can do to know your hair & growth pattern. Experiment and wait!

On average, hair grows about .5 inches per month. You may be getting more or you may be getting less. Find out YOUR average.

Understand that there is no magic bullet for miraculous hair growth, otherwise everyone who wanted it would be walking around with super long hair. It does take time and patience.

Below are some things that I found to help me with my hair growth. Some of the things are universal and will probably work for everyone, some of the other things are what worked for me and may or may not work for you.

Things that will probably work for everyone:

1.) Drink plenty of water. You are probably sick of hearing this but it's true! Your body needs it and so does your hair.

2.) Get plenty of rest and try to stay as stress free as possible. Easier said than done, right? If you find yourself getting stressed out a lot, try to find some time each day to unwind. Stress and lack of sleep can put a strain on your body and therefore affect you hair growth.

3.) Eat a well balanced, healthy diet. Another one you are probably sick of hearing! It's true too though. Your body needs the nutrients. This will also result in healthy hair. If you deprive you body, your hair will reflect that.

4.) Take pictures of your hair growth progress each month. Take a front view, a side view and a back view (hopefully you have someone to help you with this or have a self timer on your camera). You will be surprised to see growth after one month that you might not think you actually got just by feeling it. Pictures don't lie! You don't have to show anyone if you don't want to, they are for your reference. It's important to know approximately how much growth you get per month, that way you will know once you start experimenting if it is actually working or not. Perhaps you were already getting maximum growth and didn't even realize it!

5.) Keep a hair journal. That way you will be able to review it and find out what works and what doesn't. Same reasons as #4. All part of getting to know your hair.

6.) Exercise. Another one of those easier said than done things. Even if you can go for a 10 minute walk each day, try to do some sort of physical activity. This helps promote circulation, therefore helping hair growth.

7.) Daily Scalp massage. Scalp massage helps blood circulate on your scalp therefore stimulating hair follicles. There are several things you can massage your scalp with. My preference is a mixture of essential oils mixed with several base oils. Research which ones are good for stimulating hair growth. There are a lot of sites with this information.

8.) Be patient. Yes, I know that sounds lame, but it's sound advise. Long hair takes time. Don't expect miracles.

9.) Be gentle. Over washing and rough brushing/combing can damage your hair causing split ends an eventually breakage. Never brush your hair when it's wet, use a wide tooth combed instead.

If you have done all of the above things and you still feel like your hair really isn't growing optimally, you can try some of the things below. Try to only pick one at at time for one month after you tried all of the above suggestions, then you will know which one(s) are working and which one(s) aren't.

1.) Hair vitamins. If you don't follow a well balanced diet, it may be beneficial to take a hair supplement. I would recommend getting the vitamins from food first and foremost, but if you don't eat well for whatever reason, a good hair supplement might work for you. I would caution you against taking mega doses of any vitamin though. Moderation is a good thing here. You don't want to overdo it and risk something happening to your body.

2.) Monistat. Yes, that's right, Monistat. I mixed it in my palm with a bit of castor oil and massaged it into my scalp and left it there for a few hours then washed it out. It helped clear up my dry, itchy scalp too. Some people are funny about putting vaginal cream on their head. Why? The active ingredient (miconazole) is also used in creams to treat ring worm, athlete's foot and other fungal infections. If you tend to have a lot of yeast in your body, Monistat (or the generic miconazole cream) might be just the thing for you. I, personally, wouldn't use it for extended periods of time. Maybe one month at a time, a few times per week, then wait a few months before doing it again.

3.) Rooibos tea - This can be taken internally but often overlooked as a topical application. Eaith way, make the tea as strong as you can to get the full benefit. If you choose to put it in a spray bottle and apply topically (another great things to use for scalp massaging) make sure you keep in the refrigerator when you aren't using it. I have found that it keeps for a week or so in the frig.

There are many more things that I am probably missing but this is a good foundation to start with.

I have found that my hair grows slower in the summer. I get about .5 inches of growth per month during the summer months. In the winter, I can get as much as 2 inches per month!

If I find myself getting less than .5, I check myself to make sure I have been doing all of the items 1-9 in the top section of this post. Most likely, when my growth slows, it because I have been neglecting the universal things on the list.

But, like I said, the most important thing is to know yourself. Find out what your hair likes and doesn't like and go from there.

It's a wonderful journey of self discovery! Aside from having longer, more healthy hair, you never know what else you might discover about yourself! :) Have fun!