Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!
- Jennifer
- Jan 8, 2017
- 7 min read
The most popular question I get asked as a stylist? Why won't my hair grow?! The answer? Your hair is so much more complicated than you think, and there are several reasons why your hair doesn't seem to grow past a certain length. Don't worry, though! There are some things we can change that can encourage healthy hair growth, and I thought it would be useful to explain some of these things without advertising gimmicks and lies (I'm looking at you, Garnier and L'Oreal).
Let's break it down!
Your hair has 3 stages of growth.
There are 3 stages to a hair's growth cycle and they are:
- The growing stage - this is when your hair follicle continually produces and pushes a hair through the scalp, creating length. This stage is known to last between 2 and 6 years.
- The transition stage - the hair is now away from the scalp's blood supply and has grown to its full potential!
- The Resting stage - The hair falls, and the scalp prepares for the growth phase again. You're ready for some brand new hair!
You have hundreds of thousands of hair follicles on your scalp, some more than others and always in your own unique pattern - but each follicle is in a different stage to the follicle next to it, and this is why sometimes you seem to lose lots of hair in a short space of time and sometimes your hair seems to be going through a growth spurt!
I try to always explain to my clients that these stages will always happen. Your follicles will eventually run out of new hairs to grow, but this is at a very late stage in life and explains why some elderly clients can have very thinning hair. If you seem to be finding lots of hairs in your brush or plug hole, consider how long this has been happening for. It may be that you're going through the dropping phase and your scalp is ready to grow brand new hairs. There are also times when you may lose more than expected and sometimes this can create a thinning or receding hairline, a widening part or clumps of missing hair, and this is when you need to seek advice from your GP or local Trichologist.
This is a totally natural process and cannot be altered with products you can buy from your local Boots or Superdrug - believe me. However, there are some things we can change in our lifestyles and daily routines that can encourage healthy hair growth!
What we put into our bodies affects our hair growth
Now don't get me wrong - I'm not about to preach to you about your diet and lifestyle, but I am a firm believer that whatever you put into your body (food, drink, drugs) does affect what comes out. Your skin may suffer from drinking too much alcohol or eating too much chocolate (anyone else have skin issues after Christmas? No? Just me?!) and a vitamin deficiency can affect your body; you may find cracks and sores in the corners of your mouth when you are deficient in vitamin B, Iron and Zinc for example. This is also true for your hair growth. Think about what your hair is made of - moisture, protein and minerals that form the base of a healthy hair shaft. Your body naturally produces Keratin but in order to produce healthy, strong, thick hair follicles we can help our bodies along by taking supplements and eating/drinking the right things.
These are my top tips for healthy hair growth!
- Drink plenty of water. Your hairs are made up of 50% moisture but if your body is dehydrated, it won't allow your scalp to produce enough for your hair. Drink 2 litres of water a day, if you can!
- Take supplements - I am a firm believer in Vitamin B complex. Not only can it help your immune system and give your body a boost of folic and ammino acids and colesterol-boosting Niacin, but Vitamin B complex contains a magic ingredient calls Biotin which is known as the 'Beauty Vitamin'. Biotin supports the healthy production of Keratin and other essential ingredients found in strong, healthy hairs. Take this supplement daily for 12 weeks, I've seen it work for even the most stubborn of scalps!
- Oily fish. I know, it sounds gross right? Even if it's just the supplement, getting your weekly intake of fish oils works miracles for your scalp. Not only does it improve skin and scalp health but it can improve the elasticity and moisture level of those growing hairs, which in time will improve your head of hair. Take this with Biotin and you have yourself a healthy-hair-cocktail.
- Up your intake of vegetables. I know, I know 'blah blah blah' but vegetables and the vitamins in them have a direct impact on your hair growth and skin/scalp health. Try and increase your intake of Iron-rich greens such as Kale and sliced greens. Veggies such as sweet potatoes, carrots and Spinach also have a great content of vitamins, maybe try and have 1 of each at least once a week and see how you go!
What we use on the outside can affect breakage and therefore, the length of your locks
Obviously, you know that you need to use conditioner, right? You'd be surprised how many of my clients don't use it. Not only is conditioner great for sealing the ends of your hair to prevent damage from harsh weather, brushing and heat damage but conditioner also provides each hair with a sort of life jacket. The main excuse I hear for not using it? It weighs the hair down. This just means you're just using the wrong conditioner. If you have fine or limp hair, try a conditioner such as Organix Biotin and Collagen Conditioner (nb: please don't fall into the trap of thinking you can add protein to your hair once it's dead and out of the growth stage inside your scalp. The hair can be temporarily filled to feign fullness and health but nothing can repair hair other than a hair cut or growing another hair) or Redken Extreme Conditioner which is a fantastic anti-snap formula that doesn't leave behind a heavy residue. If you need any product advice, feel free to email or text me and we can work through your hair concerns and I can prescribe your own cocktail of products to help you!
Heat damage. This is my main pet peev as a stylist. Do you know how frustrating it is to see a client with heat damage? Even the cheapest of products can help with this and even for as low as £1, you can use a heat protector for your hair. Granted, I don't particularly like the cheaper products; they come with their own issues such as silicone damage, but that's easier to treat than breakage from heat damage, which is a death sentence for your long hair. There is one bit of advice I can give when it comes to heat protectors - use them when your hair is wet. Can you imagine spraying water onto your skin and then placing a scalding hot iron onto it? Yeah, painful. That's exactly what you're doing to your poor hair every time you spray or apply that water-based product onto your dry hair, only to then use a device that emits heat over 200 degrees on top of it. You boil the product on the surface of the hair and it scalds the hair shaft, further damaging your cuticle scales (that's another blog post) and creating weakness, breakage and eventually, your long hair is getting shorter and shorter. The only remedy for this problem is to have it cut, and so for your hair to grow you need to be using a heat protector that can be dried onto the hair like a lifejacket. Here are some of my faves!
- VO5 Smoothly Does It creme - £4 (I've seen this product for as cheap as £1.50)
- Bumble and Bumble Invisible Hairdressers Oil - £20.50 (this is my fav!)
Obviously, I was always going to say the next thing, right? You'd be surprised. The main remedy for breakage, the biggest thing you need to focus on when it comes to growing your hair ... (drumroll please ... )
GET YOUR HAIR CUT
Are you surprised? This £25 remedy every 8-10 weeks can improve your hair health tenfold and will remove any breakage or split ends, resulting in healthier hair. A good cut can also blunt the ends making them appear thicker and longer which in the long term, can improve the health of your hair.
Imagine this - your hair grows up to half an inch a month, throughout your life. If your hair is to your bra line, at 18 inches long the ends of your hair is just over 3 years old. Imagine how much cold weather, hot sun exposure, heat styling, blow dries, nervous twiddling, twisting and braiding and cant-be-bothered scrunches into rough bobble styles it has endured. A lot! Get it trimmed, your hair length will thank you.
If you need any advice about hair growth, styling, supplements or hair cut advice please feel free to email or text/call me through the info on my contact page. I am (obviously) quite passionate about it and would love to help you with any hair growth advice you need!
If you've made it this far, well done! You have the patience to read this entire post, so give your hair the same courtesy :) Be patient and kind to your hair and you'll get there eventually.
Thanks for reading!
Jennifer xo
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