There is so much false information out there that it can get a bit confusing. I’ve even read that you should cut an inch off your hair every month and your hair will grow out 6 inches in a few months and I met a girl who was actually doing that for a month or two. Luckily I stopped her in time. I explained to her that her hair doesn’t even grow out a full inch each month and she’s cutting off more than is growing out. But she was so convinced by the before and after picture on a site that she was sure this would work. I’ll give you 4 realistic steps that will help along your growing process.
Step 1 – Using good shampoo and conditioner
Let’s say your hair is damaged from previous chemical procedures like bleaching and you are using a cheap shampoo and conditioner for volume. That shampoo will not repair or strengthen your hair and your hair will keep chipping. It all starts with a good sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. My favorite is AG Colour Safe. Sulfate free shampoo will not dry out or strip your hair of color and this will help your hair stay healthy during the grow out process.
Step 2 – Use a good reparative shine serum
This is a very important step. Remember our scalp produces natural oils and keeps the hair at the root moisturized but our ends get no oils unless we apply a good shine serum to them. Shine serum should be applied to damp hair after showering. One of my favorites that I use is Loma Reparative shine serum. It will keep your ends from chipping off and that is our main goal for good hair growth, to keep our ends strong.
Step 3 – Make sure the ends of your hair are trimmed from split ends
If your hair is full of split ends and is slowly chipping, nothing you do will stop that unless you cut some of it off. You will see how much is damaged and you can determine how much needs to be cut off. Or your stylist can recommend the amount that should be cut off to get your hair to start growing out. Just be sure to let your hair dresser know you are trying to grow your hair out and you want to cut off only what is splitting and breaking off naturally.
I know lots of the time when we ask a stylist how often we should trim our hair and they reply with every 4-6 weeks. Well, that’s just for clients who want to keep the same hair cut and length they have. For those of you who are trying to grow your hair out I would recommend every 2-3 month and just a little, half inch or less. But of course this is taking into consideration that you are following all the other steps I recommend.
Step 4 – Take care of yourself from the inside out
Try taking supplements for hair, skin and nails to get the best results. I take 5000mcg of Biotin and I buy it from Costco. Lots of people lack nutrition these days with our fast lifestyles and over processed foods so I try to at least take a vitamin to help boost my system. And of course most of all drink plenty of water to stay healthy because beauty starts from the inside.
Conclusion
The goal is to make sure the ends of your hair are healthy. I believe with all these steps combined you will see results. Most of the people I talk to who are trying to grow their hair out don’t know how to do it effectively. But with a few very simple tips you will have faster hair growth. Your hair will stop breaking from the ends and will finally grow out. I don’t think a magic pill is the answer but a little bit of effort on your part will grow a long way.
Photo credit: Makeup by Makeup Jewel Hair cut by Julia Belzetsky
