Cool It Down
Heat styling can break and damage hair. If you often get blow-outs or use a curling or straightening iron or hot comb, your hair may not grow as quickly as you’d like. If you must use heat:
- Spritz on a heat protectant first.
- Use the coolest setting.
- Work quickly so heat touches your hair as little as possible.
- Don’t use it every day.
Let Wet Hair Be
Wet hair is super-stretchy. If you brush it when it’s dripping, you could break strands or damage the cuticle, the shingle-like cells that protect each hair. Using heat tools on very wet hair can create bubbles in the hair shaft, making it extra fragile. If your hair’s straight, let it air-dry, then comb gently with a wide-tooth comb. For textured or curly hair, gently detangle with a wide-tooth comb while it’s damp.
Take Care With Color
Bleach and other chemical hair treatments like permanents weaken your hair, so it’s more likely to break before it grows to your longed-for length. If you choose a hue not too far from your natural color — say, three shades — you’ll need less damaging peroxide. Always spot-test store-bought dye before applying it to your whole head.
Meds Can Help or Hurt
Minoxidil is an over-the-counter medication that can help you hang on to the hair you have and even regrow some you’ve lost. But you must continue using it to keep up the results. Prescription meds to treat hair loss include spironolactone (Aldactone) and finasteride (Propecia). Hair loss may be a side effect of some medicines, including beta-blockers and amphetamines. Ask your doctor about alternatives if this happens to you.
Get a Trim
How could a haircut help your hair grow? When you get a trim, what comes off is the ends, the weakest parts of the strands. If left as is, those ends could break or split. Split ends can travel up your hair shafts and make your locks even shorter. Just don’t cut too much, if growth is your goal. Your hair grows about 1/2 inch a month, so you might aim for a 1/4-inch trim every 3 months or so.
Stress Less
Serious stress can send hair into a resting phase, skipping the stage that coaxes it to grow. It may put you at higher risk for a condition called alopecia areata, where your own immune system attacks your hair follicles. It could also lead to trichotillomania, a strong urge to pull out your hair. Your hair might grow back when you reduce the stress in your life or find ways to manage it.
Handle With Care
If your hair breaks easily, it needs extra pampering. For example, Black hair tends to be fragile, so pour on the TLC:
- Don’t over-wash. Just do it enough to remove product buildup. That might be weekly or every other week.
- If you relax your hair, go to a pro. Be sparing with touch-ups. Get them only about every 2-3 months, and only to new hair growth.
- Treat your hair to a hot oil treatment every couple of weeks.
Take Care With Extensions and Braids
Wearing extensions or a weave might seem like a handy shortcut to the long locks you crave. But don’t wear them for more than 2-3 months at a time. And never pull them out yourself. It can harm your hair and scalp. If it hurts when your hair is styled into extensions, braids, weaves, or cornrows, they’re too tight and will damage your hair. Ask for a redo.
Get Into Condition(er)
Use conditioner every time you shampoo. It not only helps your hair behave and look better, it strengthens it and shields it from the sun’s harmful UV rays. If you have fine hair, apply it to just the bottom of your hair to avoid weighing it down. For Black hair, coat the tips well to nourish those fragile ends.
Don’t Lose Weight Too Fast
When you want to shed pounds, make sure your hair doesn’t go with them. Just as stress can trigger hair loss, so can sudden weight loss. For example, if you don’t get enough protein, your body will use what it can get — and hair growth is low priority. When your nutrition returns to normal, it’ll grow back. But it’s much better for you, and your hair, to follow a healthy, slower-paced diet plan.
Don’t Be Deficient
There’s no supplement proven to make hair grow faster. But if you’re short on certain nutrients, it can affect your hair. Low iron causes anemia, which can trigger hair loss. Vitamins B and D factor big in healthy hair. So do zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and the B vitamin biotin. Your doctor can test you for deficiencies. Ask them whether you should take a multivitamin or supplement and how much.
Sleep on Satin
Crisp cotton linens feel good against your skin, but they might not be the best choice if you have fragile hair. Some people swear by wearing a satin bonnet to bed or sleeping on satin pillowcases. That won’t make hair grow faster, but it may reduce friction, frizz, and breakage. It feels luxurious, too.
Give Yourself a Massage
A few small studies have indicated that regular head massages might help hair grow in thicker. We need more research on this. But massages are known to help ease stress, and stress can contribute to hair loss. Besides, they feel great. Try a scalp massaging tool. Or gently press, stretch, and pinch your own scalp for several minutes each day.
Consider Microneedling
Microneedling uses a roller with hundreds of fine needles to make tiny punctures in your scalp. It’s shown promise in helping people with hair loss, especially when used with other treatments like minoxidil. Scientists think it helps the medications penetrate your skin. You can buy microneedling kits over the counter, but it’s safer to see a dermatologist. Microneedling is complicated and can even make some conditions worse.
Brushing Too Much
The old “100 strokes a day” beauty tip is a myth. Brushing your hair too much can cause split ends. Over time, it could even lead to hair loss.
Too Many Blowouts
The more often you heat your hair, the more damaged it gets. Air-drying keeps hair its healthiest. When you can’t do that, be sure you keep your dryer’s heat setting on “low” and hold it at least 6 inches from your hair as you dry it.
Not Shampooing Often Enough
Your hair may not need a daily wash (or even one every other day). But it’s important to shampoo often enough to keep oily buildup at bay. That can lead to dandruff and other scalp problems.
Overusing Shampoo
When it comes to shampoo, a little dab will do. Focus on scrubbing your scalp instead of lathering up the whole length of your hair.
Brushing Wet Hair
Water weakens your hair, so treat wet hair with care. To tackle tangles after a wash, use gentle strokes with a wide-toothed comb instead of tugging your tresses with a brush.
Flat-Ironing It When It’s Damp
When heat hits water in your hair, it can turn to steam and cause “bubble hair.” You’re left with brittle locks that have frizzy ends and break easily. Be sure your hair is dry before you use a hot styling tool. Keep it on the lowest temperature you can, and use a heat protectant spray before you style.
Toweling It Dry
Wrapping your hair gently in a towel after a wash is fine (air dry is best). But rubbing it with a towel will damage the strands.
Sticking to the Same Tight ‘Do
If you leave weaves or hair extensions in too long, or you pull them out without a professional’s help, it can cause big-time breakage. Same goes for braids, buns, and ponytails — too tight for too long, and you’ll start to see split strands. Mix up your ‘do to keep hair healthy.
Too Much Chemistry
Perms, relaxers, and hair coloring all use chemicals to curl, straighten, and dye your hair. These chemicals can do a number on your hair and scalp, including breakage and irritation. So use them wisely.
Being Reckless With Relaxers
You may want to straighten your hair yourself. It’s best to leave it to the professionals, so you don’t fry your hair. Never use relaxers on hair that’s already gone through the process. After your hair gets straightened, avoid blow-dryers, flat irons, and curling irons, which can further wreck your tresses.
Going Hatless in the Sun
Summer (and winter) rays can dry out your hair and make it break. Cover up your coif when you can to protect it — and the skin on your scalp — from sun damage.
Going Capless in the Pool
Chlorine can be mean on hair. It can dry it out and cause split ends and breaking. For the best protection, wear a cap when you take a dip in the pool. If a swim cap isn’t your thing, be sure you rinse your hair right after you swim. When that’s done, wash with a swimmer’s shampoo and follow up with conditioner.
Skipping Your Trim
It seems backward, but if you’re trying to grow long, healthy locks, the best thing you can do is get regular haircuts. The cut culls out split ends, which helps your hair look healthier.
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