Do you ever struggle with what seems to be the slowest hair growth? Your friends are going for haircuts multiple times a year and using the best software for salons whereas you’re stuck with an annual haircut? Maybe you’ve tried all sorts of products and treatments for a solution but with no significant improvement? Or perhaps you’ve even committed to switching up your diet and supplementing it with vitamins and medications but to no avail?
Well, if you’re still looking for the answers to these questions, allow us to shed some light on the possible factors affecting your personal hair growth and realistic and viable solutions to improve it.
The Biology of Hair
In order to nurture hair growth, we must first understand how they grow in the first place. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), human beings are born with all the hair follicles they’ll have in the lifetime, which is an estimated five million. However, not all of these follicles are found on your scalp — only 2% of them are. Moreover, out of these 10,000 follicles, it’s natural to lose about 50 to 100 hair strands a day.
Hair starts its growth from a follicle root located beneath the skin surface. Afterward, blood is transferred from your scalp to your follicle, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the hair root and thereby nurturing growth. That hair strand will continue to grow this way as it pushes past the skin and oil gland to protrude from your scalp and grow into long strands.
How to Promote Hair Growth
Now that we’ve established how hair grows naturally, we can proceed to consider the various factors affecting hair growth — either promoting or impairing it.
- A Proper Diet
Just as how scientists have pined over the age-old debate between nature versus nurture, hair growth is no stranger to it. Genetics isn’t something that we have tangible control over. It’s embedded in our DNA and determined since birth. However, there are other variables like diet that actually plays a huge role in hair growth.
Restricting one’s diet may impede an individual from receiving essential nutrients for healthy hair. This can be largely accrued to the fact that hair growth isn’t a top priority or concern on the list of repercussions affected by diet changes. However, the reality is that dietary changes may inadvertently subject your hair to unnecessary stress.
- Protein Repair
If you didn’t know, hair is made up of a protein called keratin (also found in your skin and nails). Hence, it becomes apparent on the importance of incorporating a substantive protein intake into your diet. Without sufficient protein, your hair becomes susceptible to shedding. Thus, having an overall well-balanced diet inclusive of protein is good. This would look to be around 50 or more grams of protein daily.
- Caffeine-infused and Other Alternatives
This tip is for all the caffeine addicts out there. While most people swear by caffeine as a necessary part of their daily routine, a recent study also showed that caffeine may also encourage hair growth at molecular, cellular, and organ levels. If you’re keen on introducing caffeine into your hair routine as well, we recommend the following products:
- Glimmer Goddess’ Organic Caffeine Hair Growth Conditioner
It has a unique blend of ingredients like caffeine, vitamins, premium oils, and other organic plant-based materials. Thus, you can rest assured knowing that your hair will receive only the most natural ingredients.
- TruePure Natural Caffeine Shampoo
This caffeine-infused shampoo also comprises other beneficial ingredients such as niacin, red clover, and vitamins. Niacin is useful in facilitating hair growth because it helps dilate blood vessels to repair hair damage at each follicle. By encouraging greater blood circulation from capillaries to follicles, your scalp and hair will thank you later. Red clover on the other hand promotes hair anchoring and reduces hair shrinkages.
Apart from caffeine, other nutrients like biotin, vitamin C, D, E, zinc, iron, omega-3, and omega-6 have been proven to be effective in preventing hair loss. Among these, omega-3, omega-6 and zinc are among the more prominent and popular choices. However, promising clinical research discussing the efficacy of biotin has also revealed encouraging improvement in hair and nail health.
You can choose to obtain your hair vitamin supplements from popular brands like LesLabs Hair Health or Sugarbear Hair. Both brands are no strangers to having a loyal arsenal of customers and brand endorsements by celebrities.
- Essential Oils
If caffeine isn’t your cup of tea, consider trying essential oils as another great alternative. According to two separate studies conducted, essential oils were shown to demonstrate promising benefits to hair growth in men and mice respectively.
For men, 400 milligrams of pumpkin seed oil capsules were enough to promote hair growth as much as 40% in terms of follicle number, follicle depth, and dermal thickness.
Whereas for mice, they were exposed to treatments comprising ingredients like saline and jojoba oil, resulting in significant hair growth too.
Rosemary oil has also been praised as an effective ingredient promoting hair growth.
- Treat Yo Scalp
For a more hands-on approach, you might consider indulging in a scalp massage or two. Other than relieving stress and providing relaxation, it can also improve your hair’s health.
A study has shown that a daily 4-minute scalp massage over a course of roughly 6 months greatly improved the lushness of men’s hair. In theory, this makes sense too because massaging helps promote blood circulation by widening narrow blood capillaries beneath the skin. Therefore, more blood can flow to the hair follicle roots and thereby result in stronger and longer hair.
The best part about this treatment is that you can either seek a professional massage parlor or incorporate it as an extra step in your self-care routine. It’s very flexible and tailorable to individual preferences.
Conclusion
Although we’ve come to the end of our list, there are plenty more treatments out there with impressive results for healthy hair and growth. Don’t feel limited by this list but rather, be inspired to conduct your own further research into finding the treatment that best works for you. Everyone’s scalp and hair are different. One treatment might work for some, but not necessarily work for others. Health and wellness are truly a personal, individual experience so don’t be afraid to try out treatments that interest you. Engage with numan healthcare to know more.
Northern girl Laura is the epitome of a true entrepreneur. Laura’s spirit for adventure and passion for people blaze through House of Coco. She founded House of Coco in 2014 and has grown it in to an internationally recognised brand whilst having a lot of fun along the way. Travel is in her DNA and she is a true visionary and a global citizen.