I think many times we have “goals” or aspirations but not much of a plan to back it up or even the right mindset to help ourselves succeed. BUT, I want you to be successful and head into this journey in the right frame of mind. So here is what you need to have a successful hair growth journey:
The Understanding that Hair Growth Takes Time… like a lot of time. On average hair grows about a half an inch per month. That’s only 6 inches per year! 😱 Obviously the goal is to take excellent care of it (and yourself) so that you can have a higher average. But having a baseline of what’s “normal” really gives you some perspective. It’s also important to realize that it takes time for your body to adjust to the new intake of vitamins, supplements and nutrients and translate that into hair growth. Then comes the actual hair growth which, even at a faster growth rate than normal, isn’t going to yield mermaid results in the first 6 months.. maybe even a year. The flip side to this is addressing what’s already on your head. If you have a lot of damage and split ends that are halfway up the hair shaft, this process is going to take even longer. Unless you decide to cut off every little bit of damaged hair/split end, you’re going to have a balancing act on your hands for a while of trims, taking care of your hair, and how you’re fueling your body. This will basically go on until you’ve gotten rid of the damage and can start seeing growth past where you started. And since we’re talking about it, it’s also important to note that if your hair is already really long you might not be able to get it a whole lot longer. I’m not saying you can’t, but who knows how long your hair stays in the anagen phase (the active growth stage) and therefore how long it can ultimately get. Now, I don’t say all this to discourage you but to give you realistic expectations of how long this process actually takes. Otherwise, three months in you might start to lose your mind because you’re not seeing life changing results yet. I don’t want you to throw in the towel at three months just because somebody somewhere gave this illusion that “if you do these certain things you’ll see crazy hair growth in just 30 days”… or whatever click bait promise you’ve been told.
Now that you understand this is going to be a while and you’re in it for the long haul, settle in and stock up on the tools that will help you along the way. First and foremost, a quality shampoo and conditioner that is meant for your hair type. You can ask your stylist for a recommendation or reach out to me for one. You’re also going to need a microfiber towel, a silk or satin pillowcase (having a silk bonnet is helpful too but not “necessary”), scrunchies, and a wet brush. Some other optional but definitely helpful things to have are heatless styling options such as the Octo Curl, a standard heatless curler (or just the belt from your bathrobe!), or wave formers. Braids are also a great heatless option and there’s tons of styles you can do with all sorts of braids. I will have another post coming soon with the basics of how to care for you hair and of course lots of posts with heatless styling options and ideas so stay tuned for those!
Lastly, but definitely not least, you need the right supplements and diet. You can do all the things to take care of your hair and have the best hair products but hair growth starts from the inside and for the fastest growth, what you put into your body is super important. I have another post about the best supplements for hair growth where I go into detail about why each one is helpful so you can check that out here, but I’ll list them here for you as well. When it comes to your diet you need lots of protein, omega-3s, Vitamins A, C, D, E & B vitamins. You also need iron and zinc. While you can most definitely get all of these in your diet, most people don’t simply because of the modern diet and lack of whole foods. Not only that but even if you do eat a lot of greens and vegetables, pesticides and gut health often get in the way of nutrient absorption. Even still, there are ways around this, such as buying only organic and getting in lots of prebiotics and probiotics simultaneously. But realistically this isn’t doable for everyone. I certainly am not able to maintain such a regimented diet. This is where supplements come in. With the right supplements you can easily get in all the nutrients you need, balance your gut for optimal nutrient absorption and even get in some protein. That being said, the best supplements for hair growth are Modere’s Liquid Biocell Collagen, Axis Phyto Greens, Axis Phyto Reds, Axis Trebiotic, Goldie Locks (blend of hair growth vitamins & essential oils), biotin in some cases, and Omega-3. Make sure you check out my post about the best supplements for hair growth to understand what part they each play further.
So there you have it. The three main things you need to know before you embark on this journey of healthy hair and fast hair growth. You got this!