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Wash your hair gently
Your hair is a natural part of your self-expression. Grow your hair naturally by being gentle with your hair, adopting healthy lifestyle habits, and seeking medical treatment.
Your hair is a natural part of your self-expression. It’s common to want thick and healthy hair. Whether your hair is falling out or you just want more volume, you might wonder: how can I make my hair grow faster and thicker? These 11 home remedies might help.
Thin hair and hair that falls out are weak and easily damaged, so it’s important to use a gentle shampoo that doesn’t strip your hair of moisture. After you wash, use a moisturizing or leave-in conditioner to coat your hair and protect against split ends and breakage. Wrap your hair in a soft microfiber towel instead of rubbing it with a towel or using a blow dryer.
A healthy scalp is also essential for hair growth. Fungi live on your scalp and feed on your natural skin oils. If you have too much oil, these fungi feast and grow, causing skin cell build-up and flaky skin. An unhealthy scalp can lead to brittle hair and breakage. Keep your scalp clean and use a medicated zinc shampoo if you have dandruff.
Limit heat styling
Heat damages your hair. Hot tools dry your hair and make it weak and prone to breaking. If you’re trying to grow your hair, limit your hot tools, like blow dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, hot combs, and hot rollers, to once a week. Avoid hot oil treatments, too.
Leave your hair loose
Pulling and tugging on your hair can cause damage and lead to permanent hair loss over time. Stop wearing your hair slicked back into a tight ponytail or bun and avoid other tight hairstyles, like braids, cornrows, or pigtails. Leave your hair loose and avoid backcombing or brushing with a bristle brush.
Don’t color, perm, or relax your hair at home
Hair color, chemical straightening, perms, and relaxers are tough on your hair. The chemicals can damage your hair follicle, and hair won’t grow there once that happens. If there’s a lot of damage, you can get a bald spot.
Don't do it at home if you want to color or change your hair. Go to a hair salon where a professional can look at your hair and scalp and choose the best products. They will usually use a moisturizing conditioner after a style treatment, but double-check to make sure.
Eat a healthy diet
Your body needs nutrients to make new cells and stay healthy. If you don’t eat enough calories or get enough protein, your body doesn’t have the energy and the building blocks to grow hair. A lack of vitamins and minerals, like iron, can also lead to hair loss.
Make sure to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and healthy fats. Generally, women should eat 2,000 calories a day, and men should eat 2,500 calories. Less than 1,200 calories a day can lead to health problems.
Stop smoking
Smoking causes damage and inflammation throughout your body and in your hair follicles. It also affects some enzymes and hormone conversion and can lead to low levels of estrogen, all of which can lead to hair loss.
Try peppermint oil
Early studies suggest that peppermint oil on the scalp might raise blood flow to the hair follicle, leading to hair growth. One animal study showed that peppermint oil applied to the skin led to thicker and longer hair. Try massaging peppermint oil into your scalp. It can irritate your skin, so mix it with a fatty oil first.
Take a daily multivitamin
You need iron, B vitamins, vitamin A, and zinc to support healthy hair. A lack of vitamins and minerals can lead to hair loss. But getting too much of some of these vitamins can have the opposite effect and also lead to hair loss. High doses of some vitamins can be dangerous and lead to serious health problems.
Don't take hair growth supplements and don’t take high doses of one vitamin unless your blood work shows you have low levels. Instead, take a daily multivitamin. You’ll get a safer amount of vitamins and minerals you need.
Use an at-home laser cap or comb
At-home low-level laser therapy devices might help promote hair growth if you have hereditary hair loss. There aren’t many studies, but the results from a few are promising.
A review of the studies showed that patients who used a laser comb or cap for hereditary hair loss had a higher volume of hair and overall thicker hair than those who didn’t. These devices are safe and cheap methods to promote hair growth. Still, they’re new, so more research is necessary.
Consider microneedling
Microneedling uses a handheld device with lots of fine needles to the skin. Studies show it can help stimulate hair growth, but it’s probably most effective if you use it with certain medications. You can buy microneedling devices to use at home, but these can damage your skin. If you want to try this, talk to your doctor first.
Use minoxidil
Minoxidil is a medication that can stimulate hair growth and slow down hair loss. It helps with early hair loss but doesn’t help grow back an entire head of hair. It can take 3 to 6 months to see any changes, and your hair loss will return if you stop using it. You can buy it over-the-counter at your pharmacy.
How fast does hair actually grow?
Managing your expectations is essential because your hair doesn’t grow that fast. Each hair on your scalp averages about 1 centimeter of growth in a month. It’s normal to lose a few hairs every day, but some medical conditions can cause more significant hair loss. Your habits can stress and damage your hair and lead to hair loss, too.
Bottom line
While medical treatments can reverse hair loss or encourage hair growth, it's also important to change your habits. Easing any stress on your hair can help. If home remedies don't help, talk to your doctor.
