Did you know there are 3 stages of hair growth?

They are the anagen, catagen, and telogen phase.

Each phase plays an important role in helping your hair grow nice and long. When you know how to take care of your hair, it can grow as much as ½ an inch, every single month! However, if you’re not taking the right steps to protect your strands, you can damage your hair follicles, stunting your hair’s progress.

To help you learn how to make your hair grow faster, we’ve created this guide all about the best hair care tips. We’ll teach you everything you know from how to avoid hair loss, to the best vitamins to speed up hair growth.

Read on to learn 12 of the best hair growth secrets!

1. Match Your Scalp to Your Shampoo

Did you know you can learn how to make your hair thicker with the right type of shampoo? To get the right type of shampoo you’ll first need to determine what type of scalp you have. If your scalp’s greasy, even after washing it, you probably have an oily scalp.

For oily scalps, you’ll want to look for non-moisturizing shampoos that offer volumizing benefits. Why? Volumizing shampoos are great for removing your scalp’s excess oil.

However, if you have a dry scalp, you’ll want to avoid volumizing shampoos. Instead, dry scalps need to get as much moisture as possible from your shampoo, so look for products that promote hydration and moisture retention.

2. Avoid Hair Loss With the Right Diet

Are you getting enough calories for your hair to do its thing? The number of calories you need to eat each day will vary depending on your sex, age, and lifestyle. You can use an online calorie calculator to find your ideal calorie range. While it’s okay to cut out a few calories if you’re trying to lose weight, overly strict diets will make it hard for your hair to grow.

On top of getting enough calories, if you want to avoid hair loss, you’ll also need to make sure you’re eating the right types of foods. For instance, your body needs a diet that’s rich in protein to keep your hair follicles fed.

Foods like greek yogurt, garbanzo beans, eggs, and cheese, are all great sources of protein. On top of helping your hair grow, eating the right amount of proteins will also help your skin and nails look great.

Next, you’ll want to eat foods that are rich in iron such as peas and red meat. Iron helps your body produce hemoglobin, and hemoglobin gives your hair cells the oxygen and nutrients they need to thrive. Also, make sure you’re including fruits and whole grains into your weekly meal plans.

3. Dry Your Hair With Cotton

Are you drying your hair with the same towel you dry your body with? Towels can cause your hair to frizz which can cause hair breakage. Instead of using a towel, we suggest you use a 100% cotton T-shirt.

When your hair’s wet it’s vulnerable, and cotton T-shirts are more gentle than most towel materials. On top of minimizing frizz, cotton T-shirts also help your hair stay tangle-free. The best part is that your soft T-shirt will prevent damage to your scalp, making it easier for your hair to grow.

4. The Right Way to Brush Your Hair

Moving on, using a gentle hairbrush will also protect your scalp, which helps promote hair growth. For instance, a thin comb, or a boar bristle brush will help detangle your hair, without causing any damage. Next, make sure you’re brushing your hair in the right direction.

You should be starting at the bottom, and then work your way up to your roots. If you’re going to brush your hair after getting out of the shower, leave a little of your conditioner in for an added layer of protection.

5. Safely Buy Hair Grow Supplements

Are you thinking about using hair growth supplements? While supplements can be a wonderful way to help your hair grow thick and long, you have to make sure you’re making a safe purchase. To avoid wasting your money, or harming yourself, make sure that you’re only buying supplements from trustworthy brands.

To check a brand’s reputation, you can visit the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Once you’re on their website you’ll be able to explore different products, while also keeping an eye out for FDA warnings and recalls.

Next, read customer reviews before you invest in any hair growth supplements. You’ll want to read several reviews to make sure you don’t become a victim of an online supplement scam.

Once you have a few trustworthy brands to choose from, start doing some comparison shopping. You’ll want to find companies that offer guarantees, along with a return policy.

6. Wash Your Hair Like a Pro

If you’re washing your hair every day, you’re stripping it of its natural oils. Instead, you should only wash your hair every other day, or even just a couple of times a week.

Next, make sure you’re saturating your hair with water before you start using your shampoo. When you get in the shower, wait 3-5 minutes for your hair to get nice and wet, and then start using your hair products.

7. Top Trim Tips

We hate to break it to you but over trimming your hair won’t help it grow any faster. Instead, you should only trim your hair after every 12 weeks of letting it grow out. When you get a trim, you only need to take off about a quarter to a half-inch of hair to promote growth.

However, if you’re using heat to style your hair, you may need to trim it more often. Straighteners and curling irons can damage your hair, and cutting off the damage is the easiest way to help your hair stay healthy.

8. Don’t Bleach Your Hair

Stay away from chemical hair treatments like bleach or highlights while you’re growing out your hair. For starters, bleach mishaps can damage your hair follicles, causing instant hair loss.

While chemical treatments can dry out your hair, making it brittle and prone to breakage. Instead, wait 3-6 months while you let your hair grow healthy and long before you try coloring or bleaching your hair.

9. How to Make Your Hair Grow Faster With Vitamins

Next, let’s look at how to make your hair grow faster with the help of vitamins. Here are a few vitamins your hair needs to look it’s best:

• Vitamin E
• Vitamin D
• B-Vitamins

You can ask your doctor for a blood test to find out what your current vitamin levels are. If you’re lacking in vitamin D, we suggest you start eating iron-fortified cereals, orange juice, or milk. You can also up your daily dose of vitamin D simply by spending a little time in the sun every week.

Next, diets that are lacking in B-vitamins can contribute to hair loss. Luckily, there’s a ton of food sources you can get your B-vitamins from such as eggs, fish, nuts, and avocados.

Since B-vitamins are water-soluble, your body can’t stock up on them. You might need to consider using B-vitamin supplements if you’re older or following a plant-based diet.

You can also use hair vitamin gummies to help your hair get the perfect amount of nutrients to promote growth. Next, vitamin E is a wonderful antioxidant that can protect your hair from free radical damage. Sources of vitamin E include foods like spinach, almonds, and fish.

10. Sleep on Silk

Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is great for your face, and it’s also great for your hair! Unlike other bedding materials, silk is smooth and won’t create any friction for your hair. Your silk pillowcase will also help your hair stay hydrated through the night.

11. Switch up Your Hairstyle

While you’re regrowing your hair, you’ll want to avoid certain hairstyles. For instance, tight ponytails, and braids can stress out your hair, which slows down the growing process. Instead, try out these hairstyles:

• Loose and wavy
• Low loose bun
• Gentle scrunchies
• Colorful headbands
• Loose braids

For a timeless braided look, you should learn how to do a loose french braid.

12. Avoid Toxic Ingredients in Hair Products

Last but not least, make sure you’re avoiding toxic ingredients in all of your hair products. Here are a few ingredients you’ll want to avoid:

• Parabens
• Triclosan
• Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Polyethylene Glycol
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Phthalates
• Dimethicone
• Triethanolamine

In addition to the list above, you should also steer clear of hair products that include certain types of alcohol. For instance, propyl, and isopropyl alcohol will dry out your hair, which can stunt your hair growth.

Enjoy Your Full Head of Hair

Learning how to make your hair grow faster won’t make your hair grow overnight. However, if you’re patient, and you follow all of our tips, you’ll be on the right path to having the head of hair you’ve always wanted.

Go ahead and kick off your new hair routine by going out and buying the right type of shampoo for your scalp. You’ll feel great knowing you’re taking the right steps to help your hair grow healthy and long. For more ways to feel good, read another one of our articles.