10 easy tips to grow your hair thicker and healthier

Jan 22, 2019

1. Combine optimum diet and hair growth

Eat foods that are rich in B vitamins, proteins, and iron. Foods like strawberries, avocados, bananas, apricots, bell peppers, lettuce, milk, fish, tomatoes, spinach, beans, broccoli, green yogurt, soy products, oregano, flax seeds, nuts, and whole grains help to hasten hair growth. The following supplements are also known to accelerate the growth of hair: folic acid, selenium, silica, magnesium, saw palmetto and Vitamins B, C, E, A and Biotin. Protein plays a major role as well; protein forms keratin, the material which makes up the hair strand. Derive your protein from lean meat sources or eggs, fish, nuts, and legumes.

2. Maintain a healthy body

Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night because growth hormones are secreted while you sleep. Quit smoking and avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Exercise 20-30 minutes a day will boost the flow of blood to your scalp. While these simple changes can have massive effects for the positive, the opposite can have equal effects for the negative: Stress and lack of sleep not only slow your hair growth; they will in fact promote hair loss. Identify your physical and emotional stressors and avoid them.

3. Avoid excessive hair styling using heating tools and curling irons

Avoid, completely if possible, the use of chemicals on your hair. Harsh chemicals common in most hair products slow hair growth. Always choose mild hair care products. If you must blow dry your hair regularly, lather in a little bit of leave-in conditioner to your hair before you blow-dry it, this will act as a protective barrier.

4. Massage your scalp at least three times a week

Use the tips of your fingers or a specially designed hair brush to massage the scalp in order to stimulate hair growth.

5. If possible, avoid constricting your hair for extended periods of time

Tight chignons, ponytails, or buns tug at your hair roots and cause hair loss over time.

6. Rinse your scalp thoroughly to remove any residue from all the hair care products that you use

Clogged hair follicles hamper hair growth. Hair’s natural oil (sebum) can combine with other oils, makeup and chemicals and can lie on top of dead skin, blocking your pores. Overtime, the clogged follicle can restrict hair growth, and the nutrients applied topically will not penetrate easily. Keep your follicles clear by reducing styling products and washing every other day with a gentle shampoo.

7. Do not shampoo your hair every day

Daily shampoo can strip your hair of the needed natural oils. Try rinsing with water only on the days you don’t use shampoo. Shampoo traps oils, so if you do it too frequently, you may dry your hair out, leaving it prone to breakage, says Angela Lamb, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“Hair produces natural oil called sebum, and shampoo is an emulsifier that captures and traps excess oil, dirt, and product residue, which you then rinse out to clean the hair,” Lamb says. If you have an oily scalp, or sweat frequently, then daily washing is recommended. In this case, use an all-natural shampoo, free of phosphates and SLS.

8. Avoid using a brush on wet hair since wet hair is at its most fragile state

Use a comb with widely spaced teeth instead, or allow your hair to dry substantially before brushing it. Make brushing your hair one of the last things you do in your morning routine will allow your hair enough time to breathe and dry naturally before brushing.

9. Trim your hair regularly

Hair grows from the root, and is thickest at the root. Over time the ends can split and the damage can recede to the roots if not cut. Unhealthy hair cannot grow at a good rate and contributes to its thinness.

10. Drink lots of water

A lack of water creates dehydration. Dehydration, regardless of how many vitamins you take, directly affects hair growth. Cells that are responsible for hair growth will not be able to reproduce and will become dry and withered, which can stop the natural growth cycle of your hair. The hair roots soak up the water, nourish the follicle and hydrate the hair strand. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water daily.