We all want to grow healthy strong hair and get some major volume to it. For most of us, when we were teenagers, we were unaware of what hair issues were. And thanks to the growing phase of our lives, we probably had lustrous and luscious hair. Right now, if you’re here, you are probably trying to get back to the days when your hair looked like that.
What are the Causes of Hair Loss?
Many women (and men of course) suffer from hair loss as they move into the adult phase of life. This is due to hormonal changes, stressors in life, genetics, and sometimes this could be nutritional deficiencies or bad eating habits too. What we want to focus on is all the areas we can control and let the powers that be, take care of the rest.
So what are the ways you can control hair loss and get back on track to growing healthy strong hair fast and voluminous? Let’s get right into it.
1. Hair Growth Shampoos
One of the fastest ways to curb the hair loss and regenerate hair growth, is to check your shampoo and conditioner. You could unknowingly be causing your hair strands to weaken by using products that do not support healthy hair. A lot of marketing tactics are used to push you to buy products that you shouldn’t be using. And the industry that produces shampoos are using those tactics too.
To start off, make sure you are using products that are safe for your hair. Or at least try to get something that is focused on re-growing your hair without being sold on how great the packaging is or how good it smells. This list of shampoos has been curated to get the best shampoos that will curb your hair loss and regrow you hair fast. Try any one of these for at least 4 washes before you start seeing results. And while this is a great start at removing harmful shampoos, this is not the only thing you need to do. Read on.
2. Deep Oil Condition Twice a Week
Deep condition your hair with oil. I have used so many other salon deep conditioning treatments, but I feel the texture of my hair changed for the worse when I did that. It made my hair fall increase too. While this may not be the case for everyone who tried a salon deep condition, this was and is my story. Eventually, I stopped doing that, chopped off all my hair (well, I got a bob), and started oil conditioning it.
Regardless of how much moisture your hair needs, use an oil treatment on your hair at least twice a week. The best hair oil for all hair types is coconut hair oil. HOWEVER, there are so many oils that I have used on my hair that have given me great results, and I’ve added that to a separate list here. This list is based on your hair type and how much time and focus you have to put into conditioning your hair. Try our any one of these 5 hair oils, and let me know below if they worked for you.
3. Do Not Rub or Tie Your Wet Hair
As women with longer hair, one of the most common mistakes we make is to tie up our hair or rub the s*it out of it, once we get out of the shower. Stop doing this immediately. What we were not taught as young girls (okay maybe some of you were taught this), is that wet hair is very susceptible to anything we do to it. When your hair is wet and dragged into a brush/rubbed/tied up – it is more likely to break, develop split ends and cause dryness.
Pay your hair down with a microfiber towel, or an old or pre-washed cotton t-shirt and let it break and air dry. If you really need to get somewhere and need it dry, use a hair dryer WITH a diffuser on medium heat. Dry just the roots and the rest will dry by the time you do your make up or eat your breakfast.
Also, if you’re sleeping with wet hair, STOP IT!
4. Use Fingers Not a Brush
If you were like me, man you loved that brush going through your hair every day. Twice a day, sometimes. But that type of aggressiveness is not needed on your hair. Unlike popular belief, we do not need to comb our hair that often. If you’re trying to get rid of knots, make sure you are using a earth-friendly conditioner in the shower. While conditioning, run your fingers through your hair to get the knots out. That level of “brushing” is sufficient.
If you absolutely have to use a brush, get a natural brush with wider teeth that don’t pull on your hair. Hopefully you conditioned well in the shower so there is no tugging when brushing. This will help you have healthy strong hair and it wouldn’t have cost you a thing.
5. Sleep on Silk
Get yourself a silk pillow case ASAP. When you sleep, your hair tugs on the pillowcase. And since most of our pillowcases are cotton, they cause more damage than good. And Egyptian cotton isn’t any better. Invest in a silk pillowcase and allow your hair to easily slide through your twists and turns during the night. The one I have is this mulberry silk case from Amazon this one on Amazon.
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6. Scalp Massages
Scalp massages are a forgotten gem when it comes to growing back healthy strong hair. If we are not very active, the blood doesn’t circulate well around the scalp. And if fresh blood isn’t making the journey up north, your hair isn’t getting the regeneration it needs. Help the process and massage your scalp.
Every day, take about 5 minutes of your time to give yourself a scalp massage. Lightly tap the crown of your head with your palm about 10 times, and then use your finger tips (not nails) in circular motion around every section of your head. Make sure you can feel your scalp skin move a little.
One of the best ways to get blood flowing to your scalp, is to lay on the end of your couch with your head upside down for 5 minutes a day. That is surely going to get the blood rushing to your scalp.
7. Nutritional and Vitamin Deficiencies
I’ve left this for last, because this is a big one. Also, it will take time and money to get this done and evaluated. Get a doctor (preferably a Trichologist) to write up some blood work to check your iron (ferritin) level, Vitamin D, Biotin and general overall heath. Most times we may not even realize that there is some underlying cause for our hair loss that we keep chasing after something that might not be – like blaming the shampoo. You may be able to narrow down the culprit and treat the source of your hair issues. Once that is back on track, you can work your way to having healthy strong hair without the stress.
In Conclusion
While hair issues are primarily physiological, they have an intense psychological impact on us – whether men or women. And unlike some dermatologists who cough it up to genetics, I think you have the power to change the trajectory of your own body and mind. With persistence and patience, you WILL find the answer and you can creak the cycle of any genetics that may have played a role. Use these other tips to get your hair back to the luscious head-turning glory it was. I hope you can add these tips to your weekly routine and see the results within a couple of weeks. Good luck on your journey.
What tips have you or will you try? Drop a note below!
Featured photo courtesy of unsplash.com
Article last updated on September 14th, 2021
