So everyone always asks me how they can grow their hair. As a professional hairdresser, I felt obligated to have an answer for them. The truth is, there isn’t just one answer. Many factors come to in to play. So I want to talk about some of those factors here.  I like to start at what I call the basic fundamentals. Maintenance, Nutrients, and Patience. 

Keep scrolling to see my tips and clickable links to products that will help!

1. Maintenance 

How are you manipulating your hair? Do you use excessive heat? I don’t believe that everyone has to be heat free, however, too much heat isn’t good for anyone. Alternate the days you will decide to use heat and be sure to use a heat protectant when blow drying and heat styling. 

Are you wearing a style that promotes breakage? Using rough accessories such as rubber bands, and snagging hair clips? Watch out for accessories that contribute to hair breakage, especially around the hairline.  

Are you color treated, is the color lifted more than 2/3 inches passed your natural color?  This isn’t to say color is bad, however it will require a more thoughtful  and committed process to feed your hair the nutrients it needs. 

Don’t forget your 2 Ts....Trims and Treatments. Even if you are natural with no heat styling, you will still need a trim at least every 8-10 weeks or so. This will help keep down single strand knots, split ends, and tangles. When it comes to treatments, think about protein or moisture base containers to keep your hair strong and elastic. Remember, never overload on the protein conditioners, use only when needed. 

2. Nutrients

So everyone always thinks to grab their nearest bottle of biotin to solve all their hair problems. Yes, biotin is amazing for hair growth, but large amounts of pure unbalanced biotin can contribute to acne and other skin challenges.  Instead you should look at having a balanced diet full of mineral possessing greens and wash it all down with as much water as possible. Water and vegetables help keep your entire body nourished, resulting in great skin and nails.

When thinking about supplements and vitamins, they should aid and enhance the nutrients you’re consuming and producing naturally. I only suggest one vitamin that I have found to be tried and true, HAIR, SKIN, NAILS by ItWorks. Not only is it packed with biotin, collagen and keratin, it’s loaded with Vitamin A,C, and zinc too! I consider this a daily multivitamin that focuses on hair,   This vitamin is plant based, easy on the stomach, and has no shedding if and when you pause from taking them. I’ve personally used them to grown my own hair and I was blown away with the results. With my hair the longest and thickest it’s ever been, I began to recommend them to my clients. My multicultural clientele have seen great results from our number 1 Hair vitamin. 

Just like taking vitamin supplements are great, think about adding veggie supplements to your drinks to ensure you’re getting all of the nutrients your body needs to produce healthy shiny hair. My Favorites are Super Greens or Celery Root Powder. Both packed with amazing essential minerals. 

Some people are crazed about collagen, as they should be! Collagen has been proven to be an age defying not so secret weapon. My fav hair vitamins already encourages collagen production, however if you want to add a Collagen Supplement to your beauty regimen, do it! 

3. PATIENCE  

Listen, we have to allow our body time to do what it does best. We must do our part by monitoring the way we manipulate our hair and what nutrients we’re feeding it. Then we must trust the process and wait! Don’t go changing the plan every 2 days because you ‘measured your hair with a ruler and it didn’t grow’. Have some patience and you will look in the mirror one day, pleasantly surprised at how much your hair has grown. 

Of course, while doing all of this, remember to protect your hair with a silk scarf or pillowcase. I’ll get into the deets about that in another post! Happy Hair growing!

xo, Shay

*as always, you should consult your doctor before consuming any supplements.