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OBSESSIVE TESTER 15 Ways to Convince Your Hair to Grow Faster and Longer 12 COMMENTS

OBSESSIVE TESTER U P D AT E D F E B . 2 6 , 2 0 2 4

15 Ways to Convince Your Hair to Grow Faster and

Longer
By Erica Smith Additional reporting by: Bianca Nieves

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Really long hair is beautiful and all, but it takes a lot of effort. Either you
shell out for removable fake hair, or you undertake the painstaking process
of growing your own out. The latter is more cost-effective, but requires a lot
of willpower and patience — both of which are often in short supply.

If you want to finally be rid of your bowl cut or grow an all-natural ponytail
that skims your butt while in self-isolation, there are a few things you can do
to help the process along. First, mentally prepare yourself do a lot of
waiting; even more than you already are. Seriously — hair grows up to half-
an-inch a month max, and that’s if it’s in prime condition. It’s gonna take a
while. Next, follow these 15 hair-growth tricks to nudge those leisurely hair
follicles in the right direction.

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1. Stop Demonizing Scissors

Let’s get this one out of the way first: Yes, trims sound counterintuitive and
eating a spoonful of Jif every day seems like it’d be more effective, but you
should continue to trim your hair sometimes. Trims get rid of accruing
damage and the split ends that end up screwing you over in the long run.

Every eight weeks or so is the general benchmark, but it doesn’t need to be a

strict, recurring appointment. Just keep an eye on your ends, especially if
you have a coarse texture, or heat-style or color often, and make sure your
stylist is only taking off what’s necessary when you see them — ask for a
dusting (a baby trim)! Or if you’d rather try it at home, consider getting
some hair scissors and learn how to trim thanks to YouTube videos.

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The secret to maximizing the hair-growth process is babying your hair at all
times, including in the shower when its wet and vulnerable. “Use a very 3. Madame Clairevoyant:
gentle, naturally based cleanser,” says Dr. Dominic Burg, a trichologist and Horoscopes for the Week of
chief scientist at Evolis Professional, “and avoid things like SLS and SLES, February 25–March 2
parabens, and silicones, which is often seen as ‘dimethicone’ on labels.”
These harsh ingredients can build up on your scalp, clog your hair follicles, 4. Can Parents Prevent Their
and sabotage your grand hair-growth plan, so go with something effective Sons From Sliding to the Right?
yet non-stripping, like the formulas below.

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3. And Maybe Spend Less Time With It

After you’re done squinting at labels, consider spending some time apart
from cleansing products if you tend to shampoo a lot. That squeaky-clean
feeling may mean you’re stripping your scalp and hair of its natural oils,
which can lead to brittle hair and breakage, and leave you frustrated that
your hair has been the same length for months.

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4. But Keep Conditioning

A hair-growth journey is an excellent excuse to treat yourself to a quality
leave-in conditioner, an Audrey Hepburn–approved pre-poo conditioner, a
luxurious hair mask, or just an upgrade to your usual conditioner. Anabel
Kingsley, trichologist at Philip Kingsley, says the added moisture in these EDITOR’S PICKS
treatments helps plump the hair shaft, improving elasticity and strength
over time, which means less breakage and more length retention for you.
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5. Stop Doing That Towel Thing

Are you still doing that towel thing? It’s very fun to flip your head over and
rise with a chic turban of sorts, but the combo of twisting, tension, and
fabric-rubbing on super-fragile wet hair is not great for hair growth. Try
swapping your usual towel for a gentler microfiber hair one (no rubbing, just
blotting), and if you have curls, try the cotton T-shirt plopping method. If
you’re really hard-core, try drying your hair with nothing but air.

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6. Brush Up on How to Brush

If you need to brush your hair, do not employ the Marcia Brady 100-stroke
method. Only brush your hair gently when you truly need to, and make sure
it’s with a gentle brush. “Opt for one with rounded, plastic prongs and a
vented, cushioned base,” Kingsley advises. Whether you’re brushing,
combing, or detangling, always start from the ends and work your way up to
avoid breakage and a disturbing Princess Diaries situation.

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7. Then Give Your Hair Some Space

Beyond the gentle brushing, try to leave your hair alone as much as humanly
possible. That means cutting down on hair-drying, flat-ironing, curling,
chemically straightening, dyeing, teasing, baking it in the sun, and yes, even
crimping. The less you alter it and mess with it, the more it can truly thrive.

Air-dry! Photo:
Heather Hazzan

8. Learn to Love Low Ponytails

You can still style your hair, but avoid high-tension styles like these
ponytails. Instead, stick to something relatively innocuous, like the low pony
(here are some low ponytails to put on your vision board and discuss with
your hair later), or make sure to get ponytail holders that won’t damage your
hair, like silk scrunchies.

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9. Sleep on Silk
For the thousandth time, encouraging your hair to grow to impressive
lengths means treating it like the fragile baby it is, so start sleeping on silk
pillowcases to cut down on tangles, breakage, and damage, and preserve all
your hard work from following the aforementioned steps. This step is a fun
one because silk pillowcases feel really nice and are good for your face, too.
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10. Chill Out

Burg admits this is probably the hardest tip to follow, but if you want your
hair to grow, you need to calm the eff down. “Your body knows that your hair
isn’t essential to maintaining your life, like your heart, lungs, and brain are,
so when your body is under stress, it will move any available nutrients and
energy to those essential organs and away from your hair.” If you’re freaking
out, you risk prematurely sending your hair follicles into the resting phase,
which means any growth will proceed at a glacial pace while your body
focuses on more important things. If you’re really feeling it, calm your
nerves with some aromatherapy or jot something down in a gratitude
journal. One thing you can always do (and for free) is to get your body
moving, go on a walk, or break out the yoga mat and YouTube classes, if you
prefer to be indoors.

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11. Try Massaging Your Scalp
One easy way to start mellowing out right this instant is by massaging your 3. Madame Clairevoyant:
scalp. Forget all that “increasing blood flow to the scalp” rhetoric — it’s Horoscopes for the Week of
actually the self-care part that helps with hair growth. “Scalp massage can
February 25–March 2
boost mood and relieve the stress that has a negative impact on the hair-
growth cycle,” says Kingsley. The two most common methods are called 4. Can Parents Prevent Their
effleurage (circular stroking movements) and petrissage (gentle kneading Sons From Sliding to the Right?
and lifting of the scalp). Kingsley advises you start at the front of your scalp
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12 . And Treat Your Scalp Like Your Face

Speaking of jade-rolling, both Kingsley and Burg agree that you should
basically treat your scalp with the amount of care you treat your face, so give
it a skin-care routine outside of shampooing. Avoid harsh physical scrubs
and look for familiar ingredients like our good friends salicylic acid and
alpha-hydroxy acids to gently remove dead skin cells. Also good: natural
ingredients with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, such as
green tea, mangosteen, goji berries, rosemary, and lavender.

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Eat Some Gummies and Supplements If You

13. Want

Vitamin gummies taste delicious and they probably won’t hurt (unless
you’re trying to curb a sugar addiction), but don’t put all your faith in them,
either. “Hair-growth gummies, or any hair-growth supplement for that
matter, have the potential to work, provided there is a nutritional need,”
Burg says. So if you’re extremely stressed, having trouble chilling out, or on a
restrictive diet of sorts, popping some supplements may make a noticeable
difference.

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14 . But Eat Regular Food, Too

If you’re already maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of iron, B vitamins,
vitamin E, protein (which, fun fact, is what hair is made out of ), and zinc,
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consider upping your intake via red meat (if you eat meat), dark leafy Outdated Renovation
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De-stress. Photo:
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