Short locks are easy to achieve. No matter what your hair may be like at the moment, all you have to do is visit the hairdressers to cut it down into a completely new style. However, achieving longer locks requires a whole lot more patience. The average person’s hair grows at one-eighth of an inch a week. Generally speaking, you can expect to grow six inches of hair a year. But for some of us, this isn’t quite enough. We want increased growth to achieve longer locks in a shorter period of time. So, how can you do this? Read on to find out how to grow your hair as quickly as possible.
Knowing What to Ask For When You Go to the Hairdressers
One of the major causes of people researching how to grow their hair quickly is a bad trip to the hairdresser. We’ve all been in this situation at some point or another. You’ve headed to your local hairdresser with high hopes for a stunning new style, only for things to go terribly wrong and you to leave with a cut that was anything but what you actually wanted. Often, you can’t revert to your previous style, as too much length has been removed. The key to making a success of your trip to a hairdresser is to know exactly what you want before heading through the doors. If you choose at whim from a catalogue, you haven’t had sufficient time to mull over your options and make a solid decision. Being staunchly set on what you want before you get there will make sure that you know what you’re getting yourself into. The next step in making a success of your cut is to be able to communicate what you want effectively. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to take example images with you. You could also get to grips with some hairdressing jargon before you go to minimise the risk of miscommunication. This should prevent you from having to work out how to grow your hair fast in the first place!
Using Hair Growth Treatments
One of the first things that you might want to try when attempting to grow your hair is to use specialist hair growth treatments. There are increasing types of these out on the market. Some are natural remedies, others are specially formulated products developed by professionals in hair growth and hair styling. It can be difficult to separate the products that actually work from those that will make little difference and are solely the project of people looking to cash in on the hair growth hype. So, read plenty of product reviews from real, unsponsored individuals before investing your money in any given treatment. Take a look at this article for some of the best products to consider when growing your hair.
Avoiding Heated Styling Products
Heat styling is one of the main causes of long-lasting damage to your hair. The heat employed may well fix your hair into a certain style or shape, but it dramatically damages it at the same time. When your hair shaft comes into contact with high temperatures, the protective keratin layer on the outside of your hair starts to break down, which results in your hair losing nutrients, and rough hair texture as well as split ends. So, while you’re trying to grow your hair, it’s a good idea to avoid blow drying, curling, straightening, or crimping on a regular basis. Save it for special occasions and if you do end up using heated styling tools, use heat protection products such as sprays and creams on your hair beforehand.
Leaving Your Hair Down!
Many of us tie our hair up most of the time while we’re at home or relaxing, or when we have an activity at hand where we need to keep our hair up and out of the way. But you may be surprised to know that tying your hair up could actually be damaging it. Hairbands can break your hair due to friction and rubbing. If you tie your hair in the same spot every day, you may begin to notice serious thinning in the area that the band covers. The more breakage you have, the shorter your hair is going to appear. What’s more? It’ll also come across as uneven. So, if you want long and luscious locks, wear your hair down more often. Also, remember that hair bands aren’t the only culprit when it comes to hair accessories that cause damage. Barrettes, pins, metal combs, clips, and headbands can also cause significant damage!
Massaging Your Scalp
This one may sound a little odd, but recent studies have found that massaging your scalp regularly can result in a significant increase in hair growth. So how does this work? Well, a good and thorough scalp massage automatically increases blood flow to your scalp, which also increases the blood flow to your hair follicles. Your blood carries a whole host of nutrients that your hair follicles require when it comes to promoting hair growth. Protein, iron, vitamin C, zinc, selenium, omega-3, vitamin A, and biotin are just a few that your hair follicles will benefit from when you massage your scalp. There are various ways to incorporate a scalp massage into your everyday routine. When you’re washing your hair, give your scalp a good rub. This could be to lather up the shampoo or to work in the conditioner. Alternatively, just rub your scalp before you go to sleep at night. It’s a simple activity and can be done at the same time as other leisure activities such as watching the television. It also feels great, so there’s no excuse to give it a miss!
Finishing Your Shower With a Cold Rinse
Chances are that you’ve heard this piece of advice before: finish your shower with a cold rinse. Now there are various reasons to do this, as it comes hand in hand with a whole host of health benefits. However, when it comes to your hair, finishing your daily wash with a cold blast of water can really be beneficial for growth. First of all, cold water helps your hair with its natural detoxification process. It helps toxins and waste products to be pushed away from the scalp more easily. Secondly, it helps to slow down oil production. Other benefits include the cold water increasing hair health and shine, tightening your hair cuticle layer, encouraging stronger hair, slowing down hair loss, and preventing frizz. Read more about all of this here.
As you can see, there are various ways to encourage your hair to grow at a faster speed than it may be naturally inclined to. Though there may well be plenty of options above, these aren’t even all of the ones that we are aware of. In fact, this is just scratching the surface of all of the possibilities out there! So, incorporate as many of the above points as possible into your regime. The last point to make on the subject is that while you may be able to slightly increase your rate of hair growth if you are planning to add inches to your tresses, you’re going to have to practice a little patience. No matter how well you treat your hair, it’s still going to take its time. But at the end of the day, the process will all be worth it in the end when you have long, luscious, and flowing locks!
