As is known, the desire to make a haircut and grow hair to the waist perfectly coexist in a woman’s soul. And as soon as you make a choice in favor of one of them, the second immediately begins to prevail! If you are at that stage, when you want your hair to grow to the waist, then you will definitely need the tips from this article. We have selected only those recommendations that work without a hitch.

1. Diagnose

The first thing you need to do is determine your hair type and condition. Most people tend to characterize their hair type as “normal”-and many get screwed. Some people underestimate the problem (e.g., believing that split ends are a necessary evil rather than a result of over-dry hair), while others are simply unaware that there is a problem (e.g., unaware of certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies). In addition, the condition of the hair is affected by the condition of the scalp, which may also need treatment.

The easiest and most informative (and costly) would be to go to a trichologist, who will determine your hair type and perform a spectrum analysis. This test will visually demonstrate what microelements your hair is lacking and will cost you no less than 4-6 thousand rubles.

Even if you are not yet ready to go to a trichologist, it is important to understand what type of hair you have. Of course, if you have oily hair and you wash it with a shampoo for dry hair, nothing bad will happen, but the systematic use of inappropriate products can really hurt. In order to understand what type of hair you have, you should assess the following parameters: the shine along the entire length in the daylight, the condition of the ends, the speed of pollution (how often you wash your hair), the condition of the scalp (itching, tightness, dandruff).

Keep in mind that your scalp type and hair type can be different. For example, hair at the roots can quickly become greasy, indicating an oily scalp, while the ends will be dry, like a tumbleweed. In any case, shampoo should be chosen with your scalp type in mind, and balms and conditioners should be chosen with your hair type in mind.

2. Adjust your diet.

Even before you start taking active measures to stimulate hair growth, it’s worth reconsidering your diet. It can’t be a fast way: it may take a long time before your diet changes will have an impact on the condition and length of your locks, but as you know, your health has to come from within. This means that you should not skip this step in any case.

Micronutrients and foods that help accelerate hair growth:

• Iron. If it is deficient, hair becomes dull, brittle, begins to fall out. Include red meat and rabbit meat, buckwheat, pomegranate, liver, spinach, green apples in your diet. A rosehip decoction would also be helpful.

• Selenium. Lack of this trace element leads to dryness, dullness and stunted growth. Brazil nuts, pistachios, eggs, cottage cheese, and wholemeal bread are rich in selenium.

• Silicon. Helps to produce elastin and collagen, which are critical for healthy hair. Rice, oats, chickpeas, wheat and semolina, and apricots are recommended.

• Iodine. An important element that affects hair loss. However, its use is directly connected with the state of the thyroid gland. If you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism and / or autoimmune thyroiditis, it is likely that iodine supplements are contraindicated to you (but do not forget that the consultation with an endocrinologist is always preferable to any articles on the Internet). Iodine-rich foods: seaweed, cranberries, prunes, white beans, strawberries, cod.

• Copper. Its deficiency can cause thinning of hair and early graying. The following products are rich in copper: kidneys, liver, peanuts, hazelnuts, seafood, grains and beans, and cocoa.

If you do the spectral analysis that we talked about in the first point, it will be much easier for you to adjust your diet and choose special supplements.

3. Wash your hair as often as necessary.

How to grow hair: 12 tips that really work

On the Internet you can find advice to wash your hair less often, to “accustom” the hair to get dirty slower. Unfortunately, the sebum secretion of the scalp does not depend on our actions, but on a dozen internal factors. One of the most important among them is the hormonal balance. For example, many women who started taking combined oral contraceptives (OCs), have noticed how dramatically the oiliness of the scalp changes – sometimes for those who washed their hair every day, it becomes enough to wash it once a week. Of course, it is not very sensible to take OCs just to regulate sebum secretion, but this example clearly shows how much more important the inner workings of the process are than trying to ‘tame’ the scalp.

Advice to wash your hair less often is harmful in the first place, because sebum and sweat literally attract dirt and dust, hair and skin under them does not breathe. This can provoke inflammation, make hair dull, not to mention the fact that aesthetically dirty head attracts few people. So the verdict is this: wash your hair when you see it’s necessary. But do not go too far – to wash without a special need is also wrong.

4. Brush your hair the right way.

How to Grow Hair: 12 Tips That Really Work

On the Net, there’s another bizarre suggestion: avoid hair loss by combing more frequently. This myth is a result of the fact that when we comb our hair we always find that hair has fallen out on the comb, so it seems that it was combing that caused the hair loss. However, if you’ve chosen the right comb, if you comb carefully and gently, without pulling the hair or making harsh aggressive movements, you can by no means comb out extra hair. Trichologists do not recommend to refuse combing even in case of alopecia, i.e. increased pathological hair loss.

It is better to choose combs and combs made of wood or horn, smoothly processed, with non-sharp teeth. If you choose a brush, you should pay attention to the bristles: they should be firm enough, but not stiff, long, on a rubber base. A daily combing would stimulate blood circulation, improve nutrition of the roots. You should comb 3-5 times a day, alternating the smooth movements of a comb with stroking the hair with your free hand. If hair is wet, it would be better not to comb it at all, but to gently smooth out the locks with your hands at most. In addition, do not forget to regularly wash and clean the brushes.

5. Head massage

This procedure is not only useful for the hair, but also useful as a spa treatment for relaxation. A gentle massage can be done before you wash your hair, or you can use oils for this. It is sufficient to warm 1-2 tablespoons of any suitable oil (burdock, olive, coconut, jojoba), dip your fingertips and massage the skin on the head in a gentle circular motion for 15-20 minutes. Then you can leave the oil for half an hour as a mask and wash your hair as usual.

6. Natural Masks

The benefits of natural ingredients are undeniable, although the process of preparing masks takes time. We recommend to pay attention to recipes which include the following ingredients: egg yolks and whites, honey, bananas, yoghurt and aloe juice. Be careful with masks that include pepper and mustard. Yes, they cause a rush of blood to the scalp, which stimulates hair follicles, but they can also cause dry skin, irritation and even burns.

7. Hair Oils

Using oils is a little easier than regular home masks – they’re easy to mix and easy enough to apply. And the choice of useful oils for hair growth is very wide: olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, burdock oil, castor oil, avocado oil, pumpkin seed oil, grape seed oil. In addition, you can add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender or peppermint to the mix of oils. You can increase the effect by using a hair dryer: apply the oil to your hair, put on a shower cap, wrap a towel on top and heat with a hair dryer.

8. Give your hair a rest.

This means that you should reduce or cancel all procedures that are destructive to the structure of the hair: blow drying, using irons and curling irons, coloring, bleaching, extensions. It also includes tight hairstyles, bunches and ponytails. In addition, it is worth to refuse to use dry shampoos – they accumulate on the scalp, not allowing it to breathe.

9. Protect your hair from the sun and frost

We tend to underestimate how much damage the external environment can do to our hair. It is in your power to minimize the damage – in summer it is worth to use sunscreens and, for example, to hide your hair under a scarf or a hat at the beach, and in winter colds be sure to hide the ends of your hair under outerwear or scarves.

10. Maintain water balance

Hydration balance is one of the most important components of hair health. While it’s easy to drink water, it’s something we tend to neglect. If you consistently forget to drink your daily quota (about eight glasses of clean drinking water), try pouring it into small bottles and placing them around the house. They will constantly be in sight, and you will clearly see how much you have already drank. If you work outside the home, the principle is about the same – just keep the bottle in plain sight (for example, by your work computer).

11. Trimming the tips.

Many hairdressers advise to trim the ends of hair on 1-2 cm every 2-3 months. This is indeed a useful procedure, but it alone does not increase the rate of hair growth. Moreover, some women are faced with the fact that hair grows very slowly, and they have to cut exactly what has had time to grow. As a result, you don’t see any progress, and you’re convinced that you just can’t grow your hair back. If you recognize yourself in this description, first of all, make sure that your ends are healthy (you will need to give them extra care, moisture and protection), second, apply all the other tips from our article (they will accelerate growth and improve the condition of the ends, so they will remain longer groomed) and, third, look for the frequency of trimming, which will suit you. If you do it a little less frequently than recommended, there’s no harm done.

12. A healthy lifestyle and a minimum of stress

Sounds like universal advice for all occasions, and it really is. But if you want to grow beautiful long hair, it should be taken seriously. Scientists have found that prolonged severe stress and up to 70% (!) of hair stops growing and gradually falls out. Do not panic – you should not part with your hair overnight, because the process of hair loss lasts for months and may seem intensified, but not radical. However, after such shaking the hair will not remember any healthy growth for a long time, it will have to recover, and only after 5-6 months it will return to its original state.