How To Get Long And Healthy Hair Naturally

@lauraharrier / Design past Michela Buttignol

Getting Rapunzel-like strands is no easy feat—ask anyone who's gobbled downwardly countless biotin pills and vitamin E supplements only to be greeted with the same lackluster strands. There are a lot of factors that contribute to pilus growth (or lack thereof), but one of the most overlooked is concrete stimulation—as in massaging the heck out of your scalp. Turns out giving yourself a scalp massage using some key natural ingredients tin help retain length and, in turn, make your strands await more Blake Lively–esque. There'south also the whole egg-yolk-mask thing, and let'due south not forget the sworn-by hot brush oil treatment.

With plenty of natural treatment options, achieving the hair of your dreams doesn't accept to feel and then far-fetched. Just call back, there isn't an ingredient or method that tin can actually make your hair grow faster from the root. Instead, you'll want to follow the tips below to grow healthier, stronger hair that will reduce breakage at the ends and, in turn, promote length.

To help u.s. figure out how to make hair grow faster, we hit upward the pros. Go along scrolling for some unproblematic and natural ways to accomplish salubrious, longer pilus.

Michela Buttignol / Byrdie

01 of 14

Practise a Scalp Massage

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Nosotros spend so much fourth dimension and coin piling on hair products that information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to forget where hair growth starts: namely, your scalp. "Just similar adept-quality soil is essential to abound healthy plants and flowers, a healthy scalp is the foundation for salubrious pilus growth," says Bauman. "Research supports the idea that a scalp massage has benign furnishings on stress hormones, blood pressure, and eye rate." A simple way to stimulate hair growth at home is to requite yourself a scalp massage. This volition increase blood flow to your scalp, enhance the strength of your roots, and help nutrients go to your follicle faster. You can requite yourself a scalp massage with dry hair, but adding a nutrient-rich oil to the mix will only double the benefits. (Just keep information technology to one time a week if you have oily roots).

Rosemary oil has been used for centuries to stimulate hair growth. Information technology dilates blood vessels and, in turn, stimulates your follicle to produce new growth.

Allpa Botanicals Rosemary Hair Oil $27.00

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Our scalp massage usually includes Allpa Botanicals Rosemary Hair Oil. Not but does it smell smashing, but information technology too calms an itchy scalp, which may be a contributing cistron to hair loss.

02 of fourteen

Try an Egg Yolk Mask

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Bauman notes that, on average, hair grows approximately a quarter to a half an inch per month, and while we can't speed up this process, nosotros can affect the quality of the hair shafts each follicle can produce (recollect: thicker, stronger, shinier locks). There are things we can do to "stimulate a higher percentage of pilus follicles in the scalp, which will keep more than pilus in the growing phase and brand your caput of hair thicker, healthier and fuller," he says. Unsurprisingly, this makes how yous treat your hair crucial to natural hair growth. If your hair breaks before it gets by your shoulders, an egg yolk mask will exist your savior. Eggs contain lecithin and poly peptide, which strengthen, nourish, and heal your strands. Plus, their high sulfur content might fifty-fifty help with dandruff.

To make the mask, mix 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add ane/2 a loving cup of water to dilute the mixture (and make it less mucilaginous). Apply the mask directly to dry, brushed pilus, and go out it on for up to 30 minutes. And so, shampoo and condition as usual.

03 of xiv

Check Your Medications

According to Bauman, there are many prescription medications that are known to exist associated with hair loss. "Some of the ordinarily prescribed categories of drugs that can exacerbate hair loss include antihypertensives (blood force per unit area); cholesterol or statins; hormone replacements like thyroid, nascence control, testosterone; and sure antidepressants," he says. As a word of caution, you should always discuss these side effects with your doctor before stopping whatsoever medications.

04 of fourteen

Do a Hot Castor Oil Treatment

Castor oil is the unsung hero of the hair world—you might even exist tempted to ditch your kokosnoot oil for information technology after reading this. First of all, castor oil has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties to help combat scalp infections that forbid your pilus from growing. 2d, it'south filled with omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, proteins, and other nutrients that can penetrate your parched strands and seal your hair shaft to retain wet. Third, it makes for anastonishinghot oil treatment—massaging the oil into your roots will assistance your scalp drink upward all of the nutrients and help promote hair growth.

To give yourself a hot oil treatment, massage the oil into your scalp and then apply it all the way to the ends of your strands. Pile your pilus on pinnacle of your head, cover it with a shower cap, and blast your strands with a blow-dryer for 15 minutes. Feel free to jump in the shower and shampoo and condition as usual. Y'all'll notice softer strands instantly.

Home Health Original Castor Oil $15.00

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Skip any unnecessary ingredients and focus on getting soft and silky hair by using Home Health's original castor oil.

05 of fourteen

Avoid Smoking

Smoking is a personal selection, and we're non hither to guess, only we'd exist lying if we said the human activity doesn't affect your pilus in some fashion. "Smoking restricts blood menses to the scalp and follicles, which, in turn, restricts the vital oxygen and nutrients that your hair and scalp need to be healthy," notes Bauman. Also, the toxins from smoking can seep into the hair follicles and cause disruption.

06 of 14

Trade Pilus Growth Supplements for Healthy Fats

The Bandbox / Maxwell Cozzi

Sure, yous can easily pop a hair growth supplement, but honestly, the word's all the same out on whether or non they're an effective way to assist your hair abound faster. Plus, they can incorporate unnecessarily large amounts of minerals and vitamins (ahem, biotin), which can actually wreak havoc in other ways (ahem, breakouts). For this reason, eating your way to longer hair is actually a smarter, nutritionist-approved way to make your hair abound faster. Vitamins and minerals occurring naturally in foods are easier for your body to utilize, and they'll naturally deliver a healthier ratio of nutrients—only the way Mother Nature intended.

According to Pritchard, getting plenty of good for you fats like omega-3s can jump-start hair growth. "Healthy fats are essential to hair wellness, since our bodies tin can't produce omega-3 fat acids on their own. Therefore, it'due south important to get these fats through our diet," she says. "They nourish hair follicles to requite strands that strong, shiny, lustrous glow."

Bully food sources of omega-3s include salmon, tuna, flaxseed, walnuts, and plant oils such as soybean and canola oil.

07 of fourteen

Limit Heat Styling

Elva Etienne / Getty Images

You lot probably know this already, but any hairstylist will tell y'all the most obvious way to help your hair abound faster is to ditch your routine of hot tools. (Sad, we know.) "Accident-dryers and styling irons tin can certainly damage your hair past making it dry out and brittle, which tin lead to breakage and shorter hair length," advises Bauman. "If you're trying to grow your hair, I recommend air-drying your hair and avoiding any heat tools. If you exercise use a heat tool, I propose using a oestrus-protectant spray."

IGK No More Blow High Speed Air Dry Spray $29.00

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We're fractional to this bright spray from IGK, which, true to its proper name, speeds up air-dry out time, nixes the demand for a hair-dryer, and imparts lustrous hydration to kick.

08 of 14

Avoid Over-Shampooing

Rumor has it that over-shampooing can lead to cleaved, dry, and brittle locks, due to the cleanser stripping the hair of its natural oils. Depending on your hair type, the number of times you should shampoo your pilus per week varies. Thicker, coarser pilus types can go away without washing their hair for a few days, while thinner hair types may find their hair feels greasy fifty-fifty after ane day. In such cases, a dry out shampoo can work wonders in soaking up excess grease as yous expect longer strands.

Amika Perk Upward Talc-Complimentary Dry Shampoo $26.00

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Spritz your hair with this dry shampoo to blackball grease without leaving residual or weighing your hair down.

09 of 14

DIY a Cinnamon-Based Mask

Turns out cinnamon isn't only skilful for sprinkling over your morning oatmeal. Thanks to its antimicrobial properties, it poses hair benefits, too, in the course of stimulating claret apportionment and nourishing strands. Mix equal parts cinnamon and coconut oil and utilise to your hair, focusing on the roots. Permit it practice its thing for 45 minutes before rinsing.

x of 14

Trim Your Split Ends Regularly

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It might sound counterproductive when yous want your hair to abound longer, but regular trims get rid of dry out, damaged split up ends and are necessary for natural, salubrious growth. If left untreated, split ends can work their mode up the shafts of your hair strands and cause even more breakage, which means the but thing growing will be your frustration. But if your stylist takes off too much length every time you go in for a visit, your pilus won't become longer, and then make certain you clearly communicate your hair goals. Depending on the condition of your pilus, your hairstyle, and your daily routine, you lot could need a trim anywhere from every vi weeks to 6 months. That said, the better you lot care for your hair on a twenty-four hour period-to-mean solar day basis, the less oft you'll need trims, and the longer your pilus tin abound naturally.

eleven of 14

Brush Gently When Detangling

Nothing will test your patience like properly detangling the knots in your hair, but it'southward an of import pace in growing your strands faster and 1 that definitely shouldn't exist rushed. If you have a tendency to quickly and haphazardly rip a brush through your pilus and call it quits, you might desire to reconsider. Not taking proper intendance when brushing tin can cause your strands to break off and separate—pretty much the reverse of hair growth. When it comes to brushing your hair, remember wearisome and gentle.

And it turns out the brush you choose makes a difference. While a brush with metal bristles has its purpose, a broad-toothed comb, a detangling brush, or a paddle castor with rounded bristles are all improve options for gently combing through knots and causing minimal breakage. Nigh equally important as what you use to brush your hair is when you choose to do so. Instead of detangling after the shower (when your hair is at its almost vulnerable and fragile), comb through your knots before you lot wash your hair.

Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hair Brush $12.00

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This brush is our go-to for detangling, thank you to its strong but flexible teeth and easy-to-concur shape.

When going subsequently the knots in your hair, work your way from the ends upwardly, rather than from the roots down, to forestall the tangles from worsening.

12 of xiv

Eliminate Stress

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Information technology's true that stress affects the body in more ways than 1, and it can fifty-fifty exist the cause of pilus loss for some. "Commonly, it takes astringent, traumatic stress or chronic stress over fourth dimension to crusade pilus loss," says Bauman. "Some autoimmune diseases of the pilus and scalp that cause patchy hair loss, similar alopecia areata, can be precipitated or aggravated by bouts of stress." Keep your stress levels to a minimum (easier said than done, we know) by doing an age-old Eastern medicine hand trick or setting aside a few minutes a day to meditate.

thirteen of 14

Slumber on a Silk Pillowcase

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A silk or satin pilus cover or pillowcase is ameliorate for the health of your pilus than cotton wool, which will absorb all the moisture from your strands and lead to tangles and breakage. While this won't necessarily speed up the pilus growth process, sleeping on a silk pillowcase generates less friction and gives pilus a softer surface to rest on.

fourteen of 14

Apply Keratin-Based Products to Fill in Breakage

It'south true that keratin-based products tin can gainsay dryness and brand hair appear shinier, but they can as well strengthen the hair and preclude hereafter breakage. The protein, which is protective in nature, douses hair in essential oils and nutrients it needs to thrive, making an ideal environment for healthy strands to grow.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin $23.00

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Nosotros recommend this exit-in keratin spray to replace lost protein and create stronger, healthier pilus.

FAQ

Does washing your hair every day affect the growth charge per unit?

Washing your hair daily won't affect the growth rate, but it may strip your pilus of its natural oils, leading to aridity and damage.
Does hair growth ho-hum when your pilus gets longer?

Your hair may not finish growing at a certain length, but it could stop once a certain amount of time passes (aka the hair growth wheel). At that point, once it'due south reached the end of the wheel, it may either intermission off or shed.
Does hair grow more than in i season than another?

Although some believe your locks abound faster in the summer months, at that place's express research that backs up those claims. In fact, the sun's UV rays can potentially damage hair.

Byrdie takes every opportunity to utilize high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to back up the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to acquire more about how we proceed our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.

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