How to Grow Long Hair Naturally
Once upon a time my hair looked like straw, the ends had frayed off rapidly and my hair length went from being just past my chest to shoulder length without any haircuts. Why did this happen? I was in my first year of design school, pulling multiple all-nighters, bleaching my hair blonde; I drank too much alcohol, ate the wrong types of foods and was smoking cigarettes (ew, I can't believe I was so unhealthy). Looking back now, considering all the damage I was doing to my body and spirit, I am surprised I had any hair left at all.
In January of 2012, I decided that I was going to change my life for the better. I started eating a plant-based diet, drinking tons of water, using only natural products on my hair and on my skin. I noticed a huge difference within the first week of using natural products in my hair, it was shinier, healthier looking and easier to brush out the knots. Now my hair is past my chest again, it is healthy, curlier and more natural looking. I could be happier that I was able to save my hair from all the damage my lifestyle had caused and I want to share how I did it with you, so you can have long healthy looking hair, FINALLY!
1. Eat Well and Often
I cannot stress this enough! Your diet is so influential to the way you look and feel. If you are not feeding your body with the proper nutrients it requires your interior will lack the fuel it needs to produce a healthy exterior. A plant based diet is ideal for growing healthy, strong hair as fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals which promote hair growth. Don't forget about healthy fats, they give your hair that shine and resilience! Plant based healthy fats can be found in avocados, nuts and legumes.
2. Exercise Regularly
Not only does exercise increasing blood flow which stimulates hair growth, but it also reduces stress and anxiety levels which can be large inhibitors to the health of your hair.
Yoga is a great exercise to increase hair growth as it increases blood flow to the scalp, similar to the inversion method.
3. The Inversion Method
This is a method of hair growth where you flip your head upside down while massaging your scalp with warm oil. This method is said to increase some individual's hair length by 1" in 7 days. I did not experience an inch of hair growth when I tried it but I did see growth of roughly 1/4"-1/2" in 7 days. To avoid becoming lightheaded you should not exceed 4 minutes of head tilting. Avoid using this method of hair growth if you have any of the following conditions; pregnancy, hernia, low or high blood pressure*, recent stroke, heart or circulatory problems, glaucoma, conjunctivitis (“pink eye”), detached retina, spinal injury, swollen joints, osteoporosis or an ear infection.
4. Take Vitamins and Supplements
If you do not have a balanced diet, vitamins and supplements can allow you hair to grow faster if you take them regularly. The best vitamins to take for hair growth are everyday multivitamins (centrum.com), hair skin and nails supplements (hairskinnails.com), biotin and Vitamin E oil.
The vitamins I take daily...
Morning: 1 Multivitamin, 1 Hair Skin & Nails and 1 Biotin
Evening: 1 Hair Skin & Nails and 1 Vitamin E
5. Natural Hair Masks
A few times a week I like to drench my hair in healthy hair masks to increase shine, reduce frizz, moisturize and make my curly hair more manageable. The following are products that are fantastic to use in a natural hair mask:
-Olive Oil
-Coconut Oil
-Castor Oil
-Vitamin E Oil
-Avocado Oil
-Aloe vera Gel
-Mashed Banana
-Mashed Avocado
-Coconut Yogurt
6. Trim the Split Ends
Every couple of months if I notice that my hair is dry at the ends and I see a lot of split hairs I will take scissors and trim them off. I only trim off the pieces of hair that are split, none of the others. This allows me to keep the length of my hair and promote growth in the damaged strands of hair. Though this is a tedious process, it is very helpful. Some people think that in order to grow your hair long you must go to the hairdresser to get it trimmed every 6-8 weeks, this is not true (and very expensive). Most people's hair only grow 1/4"-1/2" per month, so if you are getting a trim every 6-8 weeks you are going to see little growth in the length of your hair, if any. There are many YouTube videos out there to show you how to trim your own hair if you are uncertain about doing it yourself. Perhaps I'll make one sometime in the near future ;-) .
7. Don't Wash Your Hair Everyday
Washing your hair every day can detrimental to its appearance, texture and overall health. Every time you wash your hair you are stripping it of its natural oils. It is important to wash your hair with natural shampoos and conditioners, as they clean your hair without drying it out. Also, many natural shampoos and conditioners contain oils that promote hair growth, such as the ones listed in #5.
8. DO NOT USE HEAT ON YOUR HAIR
This is the big one. No matter how much you love your curling wand and those bouncy waves it creates, no matter how badass you look with that sleek straightened hair, STOP DAMAGING YOUR HAIR. Styling products and appliances like curlers, straighteners, hair dryers, crimpers etc. will ruin your hair. Yes, using heat protectant sprays does help, but it doesn’t prevent all the damage that those tools can do to you hair. If you want you hair to grow, stay far away from heat, heat is not your friend in this process.
To see any real change, you must adjust your everyday life. How we spend our days is ultimately how we spend our lives.
If you have any comments or questions please feel free to post.
