Hair is an important topic for most women. Either we have too much hair or we don’t have enough. This guide is for people who want long hair, but we all know that getting it is a slow process, and some of us don’t have a lot of patience.
There are so many ways mentioned online to get longer hair, but not all of them work and not all of them are safe to try. Wanna know hot get healthier and longer hair? Keep on reading.
*Remember to do an allergic test first, if you have never tred some of these options. You don’t need to suffer to have healthier and longer hair.
1. Cut it
It is recommended that people cut their hair so it can grow stronger and healthier. Most importantly, cutting your hair helps to get rid of split ends. Split ends occur when the outer covering of the hair breaks. They begin at the end of the hair, but they will move up if you don’t get treat them.
The best advice is to cut your ends every two months, unless you have very damaged hair that will require a new short cut. This will boost hair growth. Who knows: this may be all you need to improve your hair’s overall health. Remember it’s all about a balance of feeling soft and looking healthy. Also, I recommend more conditioning and less heat styling tools.
2. Braids
Braids are really easy to do and, best of all, they are free. The key is to have braids for a long period. Some people say that braids don’t help with hair growth while others say that it does.
The braids prevent breakage. However, if the braids are tiny or you don’t take care of your hair when it’s braided, they will eventually cause breakage. Some good tips if you decide to have braids: condition the hair before braiding it, take care of your hair by washing, conditioning and moisturizing it, and spritz it with water twice daily. Another benefit of braiding is that they can create a natural wave in otherwise straight hair
3. Say No to Silicone Shampoos
Silicones makes the hair look smooth and silky, and are present in shampoos and hair products. They only create the illusion that hair is healthy and shiny though. We want our hair to look like that, but it could also be clogging our hair follicles.
This means that the hair stops growing and we don’t want that to happen. As time passes, the hair has only a coat over it. It is not able to breathe and is either flat or dry.
Another reality is that marketing and publicity trick people into thinking that a shampoo is silicone-free or sulfate-free so people buy it. To be certain if a shampoo is sulfate- or silicone-free, check the label for ingredients that ends with “-methicone”, such as: Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone and Phenyl Trimethicone. A good clarifying shampoo will also help to reduce product build up.
4. Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills have progesterone in them. Progesterone is a hormone that stimulates and regulates important functions, such as maintaining pregnancy, preparing the body for conception and regulating the monthly menstrual cycle.
This hormone is also responsible for hair growth and preventing hair loss. For example, there is the Progesterone Cream and other hair loss products that contain progesterone as their main ingredient.
You can create your own version by crushing your birth control pills and adding them to your shampoo. It doesn’t matter if they’ve expired. 10-15 pills are recommended, which makes this approach one of the more expensive ones on this list.
5. Shampoo to Treat Alopecia in Horses
Tail RX is a shampoo to treat the growth of tail hair in horses. The treatment has three steps and is designed to maintain the condition and health of the hair. The first step is a cleanser, which is responsible for penetrating the follicles to unclog skin cells.
The second is a strengthener that conditions and strengthens the hair shaft, while the third is a leave-in treatment that helps to produce more Keratin and stimulates blood circulation.
The 3-step regimen costs $76 and it is created by the award-winning celebrity hair stylist and amateur equestrian Mary Brunetti. It was created to relieve skin problems because when hair stops growing, it’s not always a hair problem. One set lasts three months or 16 applications, but the results vary from person-to-person.
6. Oils
Oils are really good for any type of hair because they add shine. They are fantastic multi-taskers because they function as a lubricant, so they’re great for detangling wet hair; a sealant, so they seal the cuticle, and a great heat protectant. The application is also super easy and fast.
The best oils to use for hair growth are coconut, rosemary, bear, fly and castor oils. You can mix them with shampoo or use individually. Remember to use them at night and to wash your hair as usual in the morning. Some of them don’t smell good, but the smell is not overpowering. These oils can also be used to promote growth of eyebrows and eyelashes.
There are no strict rules: you can personalize the mix of oils for your hair type or your hair necessity, put them in your shampoo or buy hair products that have oils in them. In brief, oils are a good choice because they promote hair growth while adding moisture.
7. Biotin
Biotin is a vitamin that can be found in different foods, but in small amounts. It is used to treat different conditions such as hair loss, brittle nails, skin rash in infants (seborrheic dermatitis), diabetes and mild depression. It can also be found in certain pills and shampoos.
The recommended pill dose is 30 mcg for adults (over 18 years old) and pregnant women. Both the pill and shampoos are great for our hair, but the key here is patience. The results may vary, but the hair eventually begins to look healthier and more voluminous.
8. Shampoo for Horses
Mane ‘n Tail is another horse shampoo that can promote healthier hair, but overusing it can lead to dry and brittle hair. The shampoo is heavy rather than liquid. If you purchase the shampoo from an agricultural store, it’s not too expensive, and a bottle tends to last fairly long.
However, make sure not to use it too often or in too concentrated a form as it can have the opposite effect on your hair. Follow up with Color Protect conditioner, which contains Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf and Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed and leaves your hair feeling silky.
9. Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera has been used for centuries to treat many conditions in numerous countries, including: Greece, Egypt, India, Mexico, Japan and China. Affluent people like Nefertiti and Cleopatra used it as a beauty treatment while Alexander the Great and Christopher Columbus used it to treat wounded soldiers.
In the early 1800s, Aloe Vera was used as a laxative in the United States, but in the mid-1930s, was also used to treat chronic and severe radiation dermatitis. It’s really good for the skin because it leaves the skin feeling incredibly soft.
With hair, it promotes stronger and healthier growth. Use the clear liquid version of it by itself or add it to your shampoo. Leave it in for 15 minutes or more and then rinse your hair as normal.
10. Inversion Method
This method is becoming very popular on YouTube, but inversion therapy has been around for thousands of years. For example, in 400 BC, Hippocrates—the Father of Medicine—used to hang his patients upside down to relieve back pain and pressure on the spine by using a complicated system of ladders and pulleys.
He said that in hanging the body upside down, the weight of your body naturally “stretches” the spine and relieves tension. Others have also argued that inverting the body can increase circulation, stimulate the brain, enhance glandular system functioning and relieve pressure on the abdominal organs.
For hair, hold your head upside down for four minutes and massage your scalp with your fingers. Don’t exceed the four minutes because you can get dizzy. Do this for seven days only. Another option is to use oils (hot or cold) on your scalp.
While I didn’t know about this method specifically at the time, I used to do this as a high school student. The results were unbelievable: within in four months, my hair grew from roots to my ears!
11. Onion Shampoo
Another method that is becoming popular on YouTube and shows faster results is opinion shampoo. To reduce the odor, try mixing it with coconut shampoo. Don’t worry: the onion smell disappears as your hair dries.
Add onion slices to a shampoo and let the mixture stand for 15 days to allow the shampoo to absorb the vitamins from the onion. Onions are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Germanium and Sulphur.
They not only promote hair growth, but also cure scalp infections, reduce hair loss, relieve itchiness and dandruff, open blocked pores and increase blood circulation thanks to the Sulphur they contain—all while making your hair stronger and shinier.
12. Cinnamon
Herbalists use cinnamon to treat infections because it contains volatile oils, such as eugenol and trans-cinnamic acid, which have antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant properties. So, why do we use it for hair growth? Because it increases blood circulation, cleans the scalp, stimulates the hair follicles and relieves hair loss.
For the mix, you need a spoon of olive oil, a spoon of coconut oil (optional) and a teaspoon of cinnamon powder (not oil). Leave it on the scalp for 15 minutes and then wash your hair. You can do the treatment once a week, not more, and it only needs to be applied to the scalp.
Some people say that it itches at first while others have had allergic reactions to it, so remember to do the pretest to avoid this. Also, the cinnamon could change your hair color to a lighter shade.
13. Coffee
Caffeine works by targeting DHT, the hormone responsible for hair loss. “DHT restricts the follicle’s ability to produce hair growth,” says Robert Dorin, D.O. ACOFP of True & Dorin Medical Group.
He adds, “Caffeine has been shown to stimulate hair shaft elongation, prolong the hair’s growth cycle, and stimulate the hair matrix keratinocytes, which are the cells responsible for hair growth”. In other words, it increases the scalp’s blood circulation and helps stimulate the roots of the hair.
Coffee is rich in phytosterols, which promotes excellent moisture retention and quick product penetration. You need to apply the coffee to your scalp to see the results. There are hair products that have caffeine in them, but I prefer to use coffee directly on my scalp.
You can make a mixture with it, for example, using an oil of your preference with some coffee powder. Leave it on for an hour or apply it before you go to sleep. Coffee is also good for treating cellulite, and is a good exfoliant for the scalp and the skin. A possible side effect, the coffee could darken your hair or give it a slight reddish hue.
14. Unflavored Gelatin
This not only gives you healthier and longer hair, but also helps to maintain healthier and longer nails. Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs. You have three choices when it comes to incorporating gelatin in your healthy hair plan.
The first option is to take gelatin pills, which you can make by inserting a small amount of the powder into empty capsules. You’ll need to take one pill per day. The second option is to mix gelatin powder into your preferred drink in the morning.
Finally, you can create a hair gel by mixing one spoon of powder with one cup of water, heating it and then putting it in the fridge to set. It’s also possible to make a hair mask by adding a bit of olive oil to the gel mixture. The easiest solution is simply to add some gelatin powder to your shampoo.
As you can see, getting healthier hair does not have to be expensive. Have you tried any of these methods? Or, do you know other effective ways to improve your hair’s health? Please share them with all our readers.