This one goes out to all the girls who’ve ever gone into a salon appointment and made a split-second decision to cut off five inches. One minute you’re casually saying that you “just want to change things up a little,” the next, you’re leaving with a chin bob and baby bangs.
You know this feeling too well if you’ve ever gotten a bad haircut. Sometimes we just don’t pick the most flattering cut. How could we have known?
What comes next is a six-month awkward phase of growing out the chin bob and baby bangs. Sadly this is not an instant gratification scenario. We get desperate. We’ll do anything to speed our strands up.
There’s no holy grail secret. Let’s go ahead and clear that up. But you can do a few things to help make your hair grow faster this month, next month, and the month after. That’s when you’ll notice.
It’s all about taking steps that will make your hair the healthiest it has ever been. Healthy hair grows at a better rate than damaged hair. It’s like the difference between running flat-ground versus uphill. In all cases, we’d much rather stick to the flattest of flat roads.
Ideally, you can expect hair to grow about a half-inch per month.1 How can you make sure that happens? We talked to five hair experts about how to make your hair grow faster, and this is what they had to say.
Products to Try
Take the vitamins—but mainly eat healthily
On the topic of health, just because those gummy vitamins look tasty doesn’t mean they will help your hair grow. Some swear by these coconut oil-infused capsules, while others swear this French supplement fortified with fatty acids and antioxidants is worth the splurge.
We’re more inclined to go the natural route with a well-rounded diet featuring nuts, berries, fish (like omega-3 fatty acid-packed salmon), and leafy greens.
Purchase a silk pillowcase
“Pro tip: Sleep with hair in a soft scrunchie or a loose braid to keep hair contained and less tangled when sleeping,” adds Sarah Lund, STYLE.MASTER for KEVIN.MURPHY. Besides feeling posh, a silk pillowcase will prevent hair breakage and face wrinkles in one sleepy swoop.
Choose the right hair care products
Look out for products that work to treat heat or color damage, repair dry and brittle strands, and fight off split ends and breakage. Many swear by Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3, but we suggest tailoring it to your texture and specific concern. It’s not the time to grab whichever shampoo has the prettiest bottle.
“As hair damage experts, when we designed our Tip to Root Hair Reboots, we knew that split ends and breakage were going to be the type of damage that everyone wants to fix (since it so cleverly disguises itself as hair loss and slow growth),” adds April Peck, founder of SAVE ME FROM, a damage-specific hair care line. “We based each reboot upon what source of damage you’re going to expose your hair to.”
Everything from pollution, sun, sweat, product buildup, aging, and heat to chemical treatments impacts hair growth.
Try an overnight hair mask
The great thing about overnight hair masks is you have so many options to fit your hair care needs. Leave-in serums and masques condition your hair while you sleep. You can use a rolled-up towel to cover your hair so you don’t mess up your silk pillowcases on a night you choose not to use a mask.
Things to Avoid
Don’t shampoo every. single. day.
If you’re used to shampooing daily, it’s time to get a hobby. We like a clean scalp but don’t want a dry, stripped one. Try to switch to a more manageable “every other day” shampoo schedule, and pick a gentle cleansing formula.
“There are two major ingredients to avoid: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. These are harsh cleansing agents that can strip the hair completely of natural emollients and oils and should be avoided at all cost,” says Lund.
Daily shampooing can strip your scalp of its natural oils, making your hair dry and brittle. Dry, brittle hair will break, split, and keep whispering short nothings to you at night.
Try not to aggravate your strands
We’re talking about all the aggressive behavior we secretly do: that wild towel-drying thing, any hair brush yanking.
Avoid heat styling
Imagine how your strands feel if you’re sick and tired of hearing about split ends and breakage. It all comes down to keeping all sorts of damage at bay. One of the easiest ways to do that is to skip the hair straightener—and curling wand.
Don’t keep over-processing your hair
As far as we’re concerned, over-processing and heat damage are like two birds of a feather. Consider pushing back your touch-up appointments, focusing more on root touch-ups, or asking for demi-permanent color. All-over bleach blonde is not your friend.
“Stay away from big changes, like dying brown hair to platinum blonde. If it’s your normal maintenance touch-up at the roots, that won’t have too much effect on your growth,” says Ricardo Dinis, Global Artistic Director at Aveda.
Practices to Try
Make sure to condition, condition, condition
Dry, brittle hair means one thing: breakage. Breakage means “slow-growing, sister.” Introduce deep conditioners, hydrating hair oils, and moisturizing hair masks to your hair routine.
A few favorites include Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, fan-favorite Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil, and REPAIR.ME.RINSE from KEVIN.MURPHY.
Hydrated hair is healthy hair, and healthy hair will grow.
Be a little colder
It might also be time to embrace the air-dry. Blast your roots with the cool setting on your blow dryer for added volume and lift after it’s almost totally air dry. Another way to cool things down is to use colder water when washing your hair.
If you must blow-dry, use a heat protectant, like Aveda’s Heat Relief. Otherwise, turn the temperature lower on other heat-styling tools to minimize damage.
Try a scalp scrub or massage
You’ll find talk of stimulating your roots (location of hair follicles) to encourage faster growth. Using a scrub like Ouai’s foaming Scalp and Body Scrub works to decongest your strands and get rid of product buildup. Not to mention, spending time on self-care practices like this is always beneficial.
“When you’ve got a night to yourself, try to work in a super moisturizing hair mask and invest some extra time in massaging the scalp as this will stimulate the scalp and help to promote hair growth,” says Christinah Nicolaisen, CEO of Nikita Hair.
Regular Maintenance
Don’t cancel your trim
We know that you’re thinking, “Not there. Not again!” Hear us out. It might seem counterintuitive to cut off more hair when trying to make it grow longer, but trimming off split ends will keep the damage from moving up—and up, and up—your hair shaft, which can slow down your hair growth.
“After a while, your ends get damaged from wear-and-tear and begin to fray into split ends. Shorter hair needs to be trimmed about every four weeks (on average) to maintain the cut, with longer hair about every six to eight weeks is best,” says Michelle Blaisure, certified trichologist at Bosley Professional Strength.
It might sting at the moment, but consider yourself playing the long game. And the long game always wins.
Brush hair regularly
It might sound like basic healthcare or beauty maintenance, but regular hair brushing can help remove loose or damaged hair and encourage new growth by giving yourself a mini massage.
Detangle before shampooing
“While it may seem like your hair isn’t growing very fast or isn’t growing at all, your hair is more likely experiencing breakage. When the damage is treated and avoided, and the hair is being nourished, then it will appear to grow more and faster,” says Peck.
Reduce stress
We know you have work, family, kids, and other daily stresses keeping you up at night worrying—along with worrying about your bad haircut. These worryings will not favor your hair, as stress can increase hair loss—healthy living leads to healthier hair.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to say goodbye to the bob and hello to long and luscious locks.
