How did I grow my hair four times longer in under 4 years?
The answer really depends on several changes I’ve made in hair care since my last “Bob” style from 4 years ago. After some careful consideration, I’ve narrowed down the top 5 effective routines I have used to get my hair longer.
To begin with remember the speed of your hair growth depends on factors like age, health, genetics and diet. Keep in mind that hair growth for the average person is around is 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) per month, and 6 inches (15 cm) per year.
Although you can’t change factors like age and genetics, you can follow some of the hair routines I consider major contributors to healthy hair growth.
Consume A Diet Involving A Variety Of Raw Nutrients
Consuming a balanced diet with the right nutrients can help promote hair growth. Are you consuming the right nutrients on the daily? A lack of the right nutrients including Vitamins A, C, D and E, zinc, B vitamins, iron, biotin, protein and essential fatty acids may slow down hair growth or even cause hair loss.
Personally I do not take any supplements to help my hair grow.
I contribute a major factor of my speedy hair growth to consuming raw fruit and vegetables as opposed to relying on supplements to fulfill my nutritional needs. I eat 4-6 different fruit/veggies every single day (variety is important) and can confidently say that it helps my hair grow. The key in this routine is to consume your fruit on the daily rather than a couple times a week.
Additionally, there is scientific evidence that the following food may also contribute to hair growth.
Don’t Blow-Dry or Use Heat After Every Wash
I do not blow-dry my hair very often. Not applying direct heat to my entire hair after every wash is very effective in helping it grow. In fact, I only use heated styling products such as blow-driers occasionally when I am attending an event. That’s not say that I let my hair run wild on the regular, but I have found other ways to make my hair appear nice without causing much damage. I brush my hair, allow it to air dry first and then use one of the following techniques.
- Only blow dry strands directly surrounding my face using a small metal brush from Sephora. This gives the hair surrounding my face a shiny polished look, and the rest of hair kind of blends in.
- Use a flat iron to straighten out the static strands around my face, ears, an immediately below the neck where hair tends to be the waviest.
- When rushing, I separate my hair from the middle, form and tie a low tight pony tail in the back of my head and go. This helps keep the little strands around my face straight while they air dry. When I untie my hair later it looks straight on the top and wavy on bottom.
- Watch a couple of a really simple Youtube tutorials on forming a nice bun and become accustom to getting by with a bun. I’ve learned to wash my hair 1-2 times a week. After the 3rd day, my hair will be in a nice round bun until the next wash.
Only Dye The Roots Of Your Hair Instead Of Dying Your Entire Hair
One trick I have learned over the years is to only touch up the very top inch of my roots instead of my entire hair.
Most women I know have a few strand of grey hair and for some of us dying our hair on monthly basis is a must to cover the grays. That’s about 10-12 times a year for me and I’ve learned that only dying the top one inch of my hair doesn’t damage my hair much. It’s good enough to cover grays and refreshes my color and shine. I may still apply the color all the way through once a year but not doing so also given my hair a nice soft ombre look that I enjoy rocking to this day.
Try Incorporating Exercise Into Your Weekly Agenda
Exercise boosts body health and promotes a strong hair growth cycle. It increases the blood flow to scalp and promotes circulation around the scalp, resulting in better hair growth. Exercise can also help reduce stress, which is a major cause of hair loss. I would recommend adding at least 30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week to start and watch your hair become longer and healthier.
Need exercise routines and motivation? Click on my Instagram fitness page to view quick workout tutorials and ongoing motivation to keep yourself actively exercising.
Get Your Hair Trimmed On Quarterly Basis While In Growing Stages
While I was in the growing stages of my hair I would trim my hair once in 2-3 months but not at a noticeable length. Somewhere around an inch of a trim was enough to get my hair to become healthy and grow. Before I knew it, my hair was long and healthy at the same time. I switched to trimming less often after getting my hair to become the length I wanted.
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Remember the cycle of growing healthy hair ultimately narrows down to lifestyle changes that makes the difference. It’s not really an overnight process and if you stick with my basic routines in nurturing your hair you’ll notice longer hair at a faster pace than before.
Oh, and try your best to not be obsessive about every inch of growth. I notice my hair has grown longer only when I haven’t been paying much attention to the length for a long time.
If you found this article helpful or have additional tips for hair growth please leave your COMMENTS below 🙂