6 Ways to Grow Your Hair Faster and Longer

by Beauty long Hair Admin

Literally every time I get my hair cut, I wish I could take it back. Like, sure, the celebs on my Insta feed (hiii, Kaia Gerber and Karlie Kloss) have decided that short hair will continue its reign in 2020, but I can't help but want long, Rapunzel-esque hair every time I leave the salon. That's why I've become kinda-sorta-super obsessed with finding out how to make your hair grow faster (I'm impatient, what can I say?). As I've sadly learned, though, you cannot physically grow butt-length hair overnight—or even over many nights.

“Hair typically only grows a quarter inch—a half an inch max—per month,”says celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend, who helped Ashley Olsen grow out her asymmetrical bob to her waist. “And still, getting long hair is only possible if it is super healthy and doesn’t have a ton of split ends,” he adds. So, you know, totally easy. The good news? If you feel like your hair isn’t growing fast enough—at least half an inch per month—you can, actually, speed up the process a bit.

Ahead, I broke down everything you should do (get trims!) and shouldn’t do (go platinum!) if you’re trying to grow out your hair—and fast.

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #1: Get frequent trims

Ah, the age-old beauty debate. Even though experts are divided on the concept of trimming your hair to make it grow faster, one thing’s for sure: If you’re after long, healthy-looking hair, frequent trims are a nonnegotiable. Living with frayed, split ends will eventually cause your hair to break farther up on the strand, which will not only make your hair look way thinner but, you know, also keep it from ever getting longer past a certain point.

“Your hair will actually be shorter un-cut than it would be if you were to get consistent trims,” Townsend says. He suggests asking your stylist to take just an eighth of an inch off your hair every 10 to 12 weeks to prevent split ends before they even start.

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #2: Consider hair-growth vitamins

Okay, lemme preface this by saying hair supplements are not a miracle cure and definitely shouldn’t be taken without talking to your doctor. I know, sorry, but hair vitamins aren’t actually regulated by the FDA, meaning they can contain any ingredients they want and claim whatever miracles they want.

If you follow a somewhat balanced diet, your body is typically already loaded with the hair-strengthening ingredients you’ll find in supplements (think: biotin, folic acid, vitamins D, A, C, and E), and doubling (or tripling!) your dose won’t actually make a difference. “Your body only keeps what it needs and then it gets rid of the rest,” trichologist Dominic Burg, chief scientist at Evolis Professional.

That said, if you don’t eat balanced meals or you’re in an intense period of stress or trauma, you might not be getting the proper amount of nutrients you need to grow healthy, long hair. If that’s the case, “your body will shut down your hair growth first and redirect nutrients and energy to the organs that need it most,” says Burg, which can leave you vitamin deficient. 

If you think you might be vitamin deficient, you could be a solid candidate for supplements, but make sure to first check in with your doctor. You’ll want to make sure you’re taking the right amount (and type) of vitamins and that they won’t interact with any medications you’re currently taking. If you’re in the clear, these are some of the internet’s favorites:

 

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #3: Shampoo less

“It’s shocking to me how many people skip conditioner when showering, which is the worst thing you can do for your hair—especially when you’re trying to grow it long,” says Townsend. (Hear that? Please, load up on the conditioning hair masks to prevent those split ends.) “In reality, it’s actually shampoothat you should be skipping as much as possible.”

Here’s why: The purpose of shampoo is to wash away dirt and product buildup, but most shampoos are filled with harsh soaps called sulfates, which strip away natural oils you need for long, healthy hair. When you do need to cleanse your hair, make sure to choose a sulfate-free shampoo (I swear by Aveeno Pure Renewal Hair Shampoo or Ogx Coconut Milk Shampoo) and only lather up at your scalp, letting the suds slide down the rest of the hair as the water rinses the formula away.

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #4: Rinse with cold water

ccording to Townsend, washing your hair with cold water at the end of your shower can give an added boost of hair-growing power. “Cold water lays down the outer layer of your hair more smoothly, which helps prevent moisture loss, snags, and heat damage,” he says. “You only need to do it for a few seconds, but this one extra step can make a huge difference over time.” Yeah, cold showers suck, but anything for longer hair, right?

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #5: Load up on conditioner

Let’s just say your conditioner should be your best friend when you’re trying to grow your hair fast. According to Townsend, you should moisturize your hair every single time you get it wet in the shower. Over time, “coloring and heat styling cause strands to get thinner at the bottom,” he says, which can lead to more breakage and shorter lengths.

So to get your ends back to good health, load up on conditioner, which helps replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft as well as seal the outer cuticle. Basically, it’s your first defense against the damage that threatens your long-hair goals.

How to Grow Hair Faster ✨ Tip #6: Use DIY deep-conditioners

If your hair is shoulder-length or longer, it’s already about two to three years old (weird, right?), which means it likely needs more TLC than a normal conditioner can give. And that’s where DIY deep-conditioning masks come in. “I make a natural oil treatment and give it to all my clients to use pre-shampoo,” Townsend says. And trust me: It’s very easy to do at home. Just mix together the following ingredients for his easy hair-oil recipe:

    Because oils can leave behind a residue, Townsend recommends applying it to damp hair—rather than soaking-wet hair—and leaving it on for 10 minutes before shampooing and conditioning to remove the oil. “These oils are able to fill strands with fatty acids, even after they’re rinsed out,” he says, and those fatty acids help strengthen and protect your hair as you grow it out. 

    Back to News