Can You Make Your Hair Grow Faster?
Is it possible to speed up our own hair growth? Get The Gloss caught up with Trichologist Glenn Lyons to find out
Whether you’re recovering from a bad cut or hoping for waist-length waves by your wedding day, waiting for your hair to grow can be a rather tedious process.
However, unable to accept the idea that we might just have to ‘wait’ for lengthier locks, the Glossy Posse caught up with Trichologist and in-house expert, Glenn Lyons to see if we had any other options. Disappointingly, Glenn confirmed that: “It’s not actually possible to make hair grow faster. What is possible though, is to make sure that it’s growing at its maximum natural rate by caring for it properly and by limiting the breakage and overprocessing.”
So, with that in mind we’ve gathered a selection of the best tips, tricks and treatments to ensure that your hair is kept happy, healthy and hopefully growing as fast as it possibly can.
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1. KEEP A HEALTHY DIET
What you eat won’t affect the hair that’s already grown, but it will help new growth. In particular, protein is essential for healthy hair growth. Hair is largely composed of keratin, a protein made up of amino acids. So, to grow new hair your body must produce more amino acids, which it can only do from consuming protein. Healthy protein sources include lean meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, and soy products.
Healthy fats are also indispensable to hair growth because they help the cells within the follicles work at their best, while also helping to produce vitamins that are necessary for hair growth, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend, £21.99 is a great product for cramming in all the essential fatty acids that are key in helping you to maintain a hydrated, glossy and marvellous mane.
2. STYLE IN MODERATION
The quickest way to make your hair look longer is to keep it from breaking in the first place - so lay off excessive heat styling if you can. Indeed, while treatments such as straightening, curling, bleaching and colouring are key to women’s beauty regimes, they’re extremely damaging and tend to weaken the hair, leading to increased hair breakage and even hair loss. Don’t panic though, we’re not saying go cold turkey, just be mindful. Give yourself perhaps two or three days a week where you try to avoid tonging, teasing or straightening. You’ll survive, we promise.
For those days when you just can’t go without, make sure to use a heat protection spray such as the Label M Protein Spray, £13.75, that works to protect from heat styling and UV rays whilst also leaving a natural, healthy shine.
Getting your hair trimmed between every 10-12 weeks is also a good move. Don’t get us wrong - it won’t make your hair grow faster (that’s an old wives’ tale), but it can prevent damage from spreading further up the strand, which can lead to the appearance of slower or less healthy hair growth.
3. INVEST IN SOME POWERFUL PRODUCTS
Indulging in a deep conditioning treatment once or twice a month is also essential for ensuring strong, healthy hair growth. Try a deep re-moisturising pre-shampoo treatment conditioner such as Philip Kingsley’s multi-award winning Elasticizer, £29. Or, if you’re in need of an extra boost, the Elasticizer Extreme, £30.
Additionally, using an oil before or after washing can help improve the condition of hair and in turn help to minimise the chance of getting split or damaged ends. We recommend the award-winning Kerastase Elixir Ultime, £31.00, which can be applied before cleansing to instantly nourish and visibly regenerate hair, or before styling to leave hair supple and protected.
For a more immediate fix it’s worth noting that the secret shortcut to longer, more luscious looking hair is by making it appear thicker. The Nioxin Hair Kit For Noticeably Thinning Hair, £19.15, is perfect for those with finer styles looking to build up volume and depth. Formulated using a unique blend of innovative technologies, this three part system works to cleanse, optimise and treat each hair strand for a fuller, more lustrous finish over a period of 30 days. The added peppermint oil and white tea extract also work to revitalise and renew the scalp, which is vital for encouraging healthy and prolonged hair growth in the future.
