How to make your hair grow faster and longer

From movies to advertisements, long hair is an obsession. Having long luscious hair is a fantasy of many women. Did you know that hair takes the credit for being the second fastest growing tissue in the body? That’s right! Hair grows between 0.3 to 0.5 mm per day, 1 to 1.5 cm a month and 12 to 15 cm a year. Wondering how you can make your hair grow faster, longer and healthier?

 
From oldwives’ tales to so called ‘natural’ hair masks, all promise long hair. A simple search of how to make hair grow faster on the internet will give you thousands of search results. Beware of the things mentioned below for better hair care:

1. Chemical treatments like dyeing, perming and highlighting your hair can lead to damage. It further contributes to breakage, slowing down hair growth.
2. Washing your hair every day removes dirt and build-up, leaving a clean canvas to style, right? Wrong! In fact, over washing your hair leads to dry damaged hair, as we are stripping our hair of its natural oils.
3. Just like over washing your hair, the constant friction from excessive brushing can lead to breakage and weakened hair strands, preventing it from growing faster.

Let’s focus on the dos now, shall we?

1. If your hair is damaged or has split ends, trimming your hair regularly is a necessity. Split ends stop hair growth as the ends constantly split and break, leaving hair strands stuck at the same length.
2. Bath towels made of microfiber/ synthetic fiber which are extremely fine and absorbent are recommended. Since we tend to wrap our hair in a towel after shower, it can cause breakage of fragile strands of hair especially around your face. Using microfiber towels ensure frizz-free hair that dries and grows faster.
3. Focus on putting more care into your hair and the way you take care of it on a daily basis; patience is key. Be gentle and avoid using chemical induced products that may damage your hair. Getting the right nutrients such as folic acid (vitamin B-9) can also promote overall healthy hair.

It is clear that there are many ways to help your hair grow faster, but it may take some time for you to see the results. But what if the reasons are beyond these?

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, it's normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 100 hair strands per day. For people with longer strands of hair, losing it may be more noticeable. The first thing you do when you see more hair falling out is to ascertain whether you are actually losing more hair or just experiencing normal shedding. If your answer is former then it is imperative to find the right hair treatment.

Hair loss is not just an external problem; it may indicate underlying health issues. Did you know that your scalp can provide insights into a host of latent disorders such as thyroid problems, diabetes and heart diseases much before a clinical diagnosis is established? Shocking but true!