Tips to Increase Hair Growth

One of my previous articles was about Hair fall: Reasons and Remedies where, I penned down the reasons for hair fall and how to tackle it.

However, this article is about exploring ways with which one could increase hair growth. I am sure you will find similarities when it comes to remedies for hairfall.

While dealing with the nightmare called “hair fall” we often wonder if there are ways where we can increase hair growth. We are ready to give anything a try that claim could increase hair growth.

Well, there truth is, there is no magical hack that can give you Rapunzel like length overnight. In fact, the truth or the fact is that our hair grows on ½ inch every month and that too if it is in a healthy state.

So, in this article I have put together some medical treatments/option, some home remedies and obviously, a little about our diet. According to me genetics and diet play a major role in determining hair growth.  Some other factors that can reduce the rate of hair growth are genes, exposure to UV rays, any medical or hormonal conditions, certain medications, and extensive hair styling and hair treatments.

Here goes…

Diet

As I mentioned before, diet is an important factor to increase hair growth. The process of hair growth involves bringing back to life existing damaged hair follicles. For this the body requires a lot of energy and sufficient supply of nutrients to increase hair growth.

For this to happen, it is important that we avoid any form of restrictive dieting. According to Lindsey Bordone, a dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University, restrictive dieting could lead to decrease of important nutrients that are essential for hair growth. This form of dieting could put the body in stress and since hair growth comes secondary compared to other bodily functions, the process of hair growth is stalled. And at times, one might find that the hair shedding process might continue despite resuming a healthy diet.

Hence, to help increase hair growth, make sure that your diet is nutrient rich and if not, then you could opt for certain supplements that could fill the gap.

Up you Protein intake.

Protein is not only important for your chief bodily functions but is equally important to increase hair growth as it forms an important constituent of hair. The required amount of protein for optimal bodily functions is 0.8 gm per kilogram of your body weight (of course if one is into heavy workouts, the demand for protein goes up and one could ingest up to 2 gm per kg of body weight).

Opt for supplements.

We need to add certain supplements in our daily regime to improve hair quality and increase hair growth. These are: Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin C, Iron (in the form of Ferritin) and Vit D.

Apart from these, you could consider opting any of the below mentioned treatments to increase hair growth:

PRP Treatments

PRP (Platelet-rich plasma) treatment for hair loss is a safe and popular choice for people who are trying to increase hair growth and halting hair loss. This procedure involves drawing the patient’s blood and separating the plasma component of the blood which contains several nutrients that support hair growth. This is injected back into the scalp. It is believed that this technique improves bool circulation to the hair follicle and enhances hair growth.

Many practitioners often combine PRP with other hair loss treatments. This technique requires several sittings.

Stem Cell Treatment

This treatment is mostly used to treat male and female pattern baldness and promote hair growth. This can also be opted to increase hair growth. The procedure involves in removing and using a small skin sample from which hair follicles are harvested. These follicles are then replicated in the lab and planted back into the scalp.

Microneedling

Well, most of us have heard about microneedling for treating skin scars. But now it has also considered as an effective method to increase hair growth. In this process, a roller with many tiny needles is rolled on the scalp which causes minor bruises to a point of slight bleeding. Then various products which promote hair growth is applied on to the scalp and is easily absorbed through the minute channels that are created due to the rolling process. This procedure is also used to induce stem cells and even PRP (this is for people who fear injections or being injected on the scalp).

Laser Treatment

This non-invasive technique uses UV light to treat thinning hair in women and men. Again, this is a popular choice which results in thickening of hair and increase of hair growth.

Alternative options that you can try at home:

Explore Essential oils

Now, to be honest there isn’t much scientific evidence about the efficacy of essential oils but despite that there is a large section who swear by theseessential oils to help increase hair growth (including myself). These not only promote hair growth but also help in thickening of hair and enhancing the strength and shine of the hair.

These oils are not to be directly applied to the scalp. They need to be diluted in a “carrier oil” such as virgin olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil and jojoba oil.

Essential oils that claim to help increase hair growth are: Lavender, Saw Palmetto, Cedarwood, Sage (mostly used for premature greying and thickening of hair), Clarysage, Peppermint, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Basil, Thyme and Bergamot.

Caution: Though the oils are natural and absolutely safe to use, one must check for any kind of irritation caused during using these oils. Also, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers need to consult with their doctors before trying these oils.

One can prepare several combinations according to their needs and liking. Massage your concoction on to the scalp, leave it for 30 minutes to an hour and then wash it off.

If you are dealing with dandruff issues, then you might want to include for Tea Tree and Lemon essential oils in your preferred combination.

Alternatively, you can also add few drops of these oils in your shampoo or conditioner as well.

Home Remedies

Here there are a lot of thing one can try. And there is a lot of information available online. The most popular choices are: Curry leaves, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek, Hibiscus (both flowers and leaves), Moon Flower (Datura), Sesame seeds, Indian Gooseberry (Amla) and Almond.

My recent discovery includes “Egg Oil” which help increase hair growth, prevents premature hair loss and premature greying. Personally, this oil has worked quite well for me. Hope you could give it a try as well.

Caution: The smell isn’t very pleasant, and one might tend to use excessive shampoo to get rid of the smell. This in turn could strip off moisture from your hair which might lead to dryness and breakage.

Depending on your choice the above-mentioned ingredients can be boiled in either coconut oil or olive oil. It can be stored and used according to your convenience.

Certain things to keep in mind.

Make sure that you massage your scalp once a day to improve and increase the blood circulation.

While having a shower, rinse your hair in cold water as hot/warm water might strip the moisture from your hair.

As we all know, heat damages the hair. So, avoid excessive blow-dry or ironing of the hair. this could make the hair brittle and lead to breakage.

Investing in a good quality hair serum would work wonders as it prevents tangles, hair damage, hair breakage and gives aa good shine to the hair.

Finally, please do not stress about hair fall or hair growth. I know it is easier said than done, but stress would certainly worsen the condition and cause other health issues as well.

I have kept this article simple and to the point so that you could get a general idea of the options you could try.

I would be writing another article in which I would mention how to prepare various oil blends and their uses.

Till then stay safe! Keep smiling! ?