Naturals usually identify slow natural hair growth as their number 1 challenge.
Genetics does play a role in the hair growth game by setting the maximum speed at which your tresses will grow.
Let’s stop right here . . . I know some of you just thought, “Well, I am screwed if it’s based on genetics.”
However, that way of thinking misleads you into failure before you begin.
Why?
Lots of other factors also impact the rate of hair growth.
Furthermore, you can keep yourself from experiencing your genetic maximum hair potential through poor behaviors.
So, hope remains for you to grow your natural hair faster.
Join me in this post as we uncover 7 powerful natural hair growth strategies to help you jump start (or restart) your journey to longer hair.
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The views presented here are strictly informational and educational in nature. Nothing within constitutes, or is meant to constitute, advice of any kind. If you require advice in relation to any legal, financial, or medical matter, you should consult an appropriate professional.
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 1: Maintain Healthy Ends
You may not naturally think about the ends of your hair when speaking about growth.
After all, this thinking seems counterintuitive because new hair comes from the root.
But, keeping the ends of your natural hair healthy can give you a growth rate an assist.
Damaged ends take up valuable resources (nutrients, water, etc.) that could be directed to other areas for stronger growth.
Also, ends in good shape have less potential to damage other hair strands, which could lead to breakage.
As a bonus, maintaining ends in a healthy state helps to retain length.
Thus, you see longer hair more quickly.
You can keep your ends healthy with a few simple steps.
First, you need to moisturize hair regularly, paying special attention to your ends.
This will help prevent damage and knot formation.
Additionally, don’t forget to seal in the moisture with an appropriate oil.
Second, learn to live in protective styles.
These are hairstyles that keep your ends protected, reducing moisture loss and potential harm.
Strive to wear protective styles at least 5-6 days a week or opt for a long-term hairstyle that keeps ends covered.
Third, you should have your hair trimmed when needed.
Stop letting fear keep you from performing this step.
Trimming every 6-8 weeks serves as a well-established rule of thumb.
However, your trimming frequency could be reduced to 3 or 4 times a year with a good moisturizing routine, heat styling tool avoidance, and robust protective styling.
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 2: Water, Water, Water
Most naturals who have grown their hair long will probably agree that water consumption played a key role.
Why? Drinking plenty of H2O supports key body functions and provides building blocks for many body parts.
Your blood, saliva, sweat, and tears have water as the main component.
Even your natural hair needs a 15%-17% water content, according to Schwarzkopf.
When your hair lacks the water it needs, it has less elasticity and manageability.
Moreover, low moisture leaves the hair more prone to damage.
And, we already know damage can suck the life out of any hair growth journey.
So, how much water is enough?
The National Academies of Science Engineering Medicine provides the following recommendations for water intake:
- Women – 91 ounces (roughly 11.5 8-oz glasses) of water from all beverage and food sources
- Men – 125 ounces (roughly 15.5 8-oz glasses) of water from all beverage and food sources
This just an estimation.
The actual amount of water you need to keep yourself hydrated depends on various factors.
Your location, weight, and level of activity all influence how much water you should consume.
A much-utilized rule for water consumption is intaking ½ your body weight in ounces each day.
For instance, an individual weighing 150 pounds would need to intake 75 ounces of water each day at a minimum.
However, if you work out (as you should be doing) or live at higher elevations, you will need to consume more water to keep hydration levels optimal.
Setting alarms, putting reminders in your calendar, or using a water reminder app can help prompt you to drink more.
Furthermore, eating foods with high water content can also help you reach your H2O goal.
Watermelon, celery, cucumbers, strawberries, and lettuce all have lots of water, according to healthline.com.
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 3: Improve Your Diet and Exercise Regimen
Yes, diet and exercise can affect the quality of your natural hair growth.
Remember, the old adage . . . “You are what you eat.”
Although many may not realize it, this is a literal statement.
Your body constructs and repairs itself with components taken from the food we consume.
Moreover, many of the processes of the body won’t work without the nutrients we get from our diet.
As for exercise, it helps our body, particularly our cardiovascular system, perform more efficiently.
That means better oxygenation and blood flow.
I say it all the time . . . Hair reflects your overall health.
You will encounter problems with hair growth if you don’t get the nutrition you need to make new hair.
Additionally, you have a better chance to grow your natural hair faster if your body works more efficiently.
Even starting with small diet and exercise changes now can help to impact health and hair growth in the long-term.
Try balancing your diet by getting rid of junk foods, which tend to be high in sugar, fat, and/or salt.
Replace the junk with meals favoring veggies, fruits, and lean protein.
Make your plate look colorful for variety in taste and nutrients.
Incorporate healthier fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds into your diet sparingly.
For workouts, strive to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.
To start you may decide to break that 30 minutes into three 10-minute sessions or two 15-minutes periods.
Diet and exercise changes are hard for most people because they involve behavior modification.
So, start small to get some easy wins behind you.
Then, you can build on that success to begin tackling the larger stuff.
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 4: Practice Scalp Massages
Can massaging your scalp really promote hair growth?
Yes, it can!
Massages to the scalp help to encourage increased blood flow, which supports the follicle to grow hair.
It also helps with the absorption of topical treatments for the scalp.
These could range from simple water for moisture, DIY hair remedies to support growth, or products to address scalp issues.
We will talk more about nourishing your scalp momentarily.
Scalp massage is one of the easiest things you can do to help kick start hair growth.
Just use the pads of your fingers to rub your scalp for 5 minutes twice daily.
You will want to make sure you cover your entire scalp with a pressure that is comfortable for you.
Also, you can do this with or without oil or cream.
Strive to find goods oils and creams formulated to deliver growth-supporting nutrients and/or antioxidants to the scalp.
If you are just a little lazy (like me), you may want to invest in a head massager.
The Queenwill Electric Handheld Hair Massager may just fit the bill for you.
You can use it wet or dry, allowing for versatility in how you use it in your hair growth regimen.
Also, the “fingers” are made from soft materials so you can get the benefits without worrying about harming your scalp or hair.
If you want to go even further with scalp massage for growth, you may consider combining massage with the inversion method.
This technique helps to encourage even more blood flow to the scalp.
Just massage the scalp for 5 minutes as described above.
After the massage, tilt your head upside down (place head between knees or allow the head to drop off the side of your bed).
Stay in this upside-down position for an additional 5 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone so you know when your time is up.
Repeat this massage-inversion combination once a day for 7 days in a row.
Then give yourself a break of about 3 weeks and start the cycle again.
Ultimately, you should try to complete one 7-day inversion method cycle each month to help grow your natural hair faster.
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 5: Supplement Diet If Needed
When your nutrition misses the mark, dietary supplementation can help fill in the gaps.
Even a near-perfect diet may not supply in sufficient quantities all the key nutrients for optimal hair growth.
Let’s face it . . . for some of the nutrients, you’d have to consume several servings of a single fruit or veggie to get what you need.
Vitamins A, C, D, E, and biotin along with the nutrients of zinc and iron should be consumed in healthy amounts regularly to support hair growth.
Moreover, you also need protein building blocks (amino acids) because the body uses the protein keratin to construct hair strands.
With such a list, a gold multi-vitamin can serve as a convenient time-saver to round out your diet and cover all the bases.
A word of caution . . . consult your physician before beginning supplements, especially if you are taking prescription medication.
Some supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of the drugs you are taking, and you do not want that.
If you are not already taking one, start with a quality multi-vitamin each day to help mitigate slow natural hair growth.
A multi-vitamin will help to support your nutrition in numerous places. It is like a general catchall.
You could consider Dr Tobias Adult Multivitamin as a to help get the vitamins and nutrients you need.
The formulation provides antioxidants from non-GMO whole foods to fight damage from free radicals.
This vitamin also provides support for multiple body systems, including the immune, nervous, endocrine (hormones), and digestive systems.
As a bonus, the supplement also already contains biotin, which is often suggested to improve hair health.
Some individuals may feel they have most of the other areas covered but need a little help getting enough biotin.
If you are looking for just Vitamin B7 (a.k.a., biotin), you may want to try Eu Natural Biotin 5000 mcg.
You only have to take one of these capsules each a day to help support healthier, growing hair from the inside.
This vitamin has pure bioavailable ingredients to make it easier for the body to use.
Another biotin product you can look to is Sports Research Biotin 5000 mcg with Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.
The supplement is both vegan certified and non-GMO project verified, so you are getting natural nutrition from plant-derived sources.
No conversation on dietary supplementation for natural hair growth would be complete without mentioning collagen.
Collagen is a protein found in cartilage, skin, tendons, and ligaments.
As a protein, it contains some of the amino acids used in hair production.
Furthermore, collagen may help fight free radical damage, offering some hair follicle protection.
More building blocks and follicle defense could add up to better hair growth.
We use 2 different collagen supplements in my household in conjunction with our Paleo and Keto diets.
For us, the potential benefits to our hair growth are bonuses.
You can check out our choice collagen products below:
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 6: Pamper and Nourish the Scalp
Hair growth starts in your scalp.
Too many naturals pay extra attention to their hair but then neglect their scalps.
Furthermore, scalp challenges may impede efforts to grow your natural hair faster.
We have already discussed some strategies to nourish and pamper your hair from the inside.
Just think about the extra nudge you could provide your hair growth journey if you added a little scalp tender loving care from the outside, as well.
Hair rinses can provide many benefits to your scalp.
All you need to do is give your scalp a little rub after applying the rinse.
Check out some popular hair rinses and the value each one can bring to a natural hair journey below:
- Onion juice rinses supply lots of sulfur to support hair growth.
- Rosemary tea can help increase scalp blood flow.
- Black tea works to strengthen and stimulate follicles.
- Aloe vera juice assists with pH balance to create a great environment to grow your natural hair faster.
You can also engage in great scalp care by performing a scalp detox.
Apple cider vinegar works well to clarify the scalp and hair while supporting proper pH.
Moreover, garlic juice helps clear hair follicles, has antimicrobial properties, and contains key hair growth nutrients.
Certain hair masks also possess great scalp detoxifying qualities.
The standard clay mask continues to be the leader in this category.
However, Thirsty Roots also has a DIY baking soda, cinnamon, and olive oil detox mask that’s worth a try.
Last but not least, scalp exfoliation serves as another easy way to pamper and nourish the scalp.
We sometimes forget that our scalps are just the skin that covers the tops of our heads.
As such, ridding the scalp surface of old, dead skin cells can go a long way to support health and natural hair growth.
For the best results, exfoliate your scalp while damp.
You’ll find below some product options to consider if you decide exfoliation is a must in your natural hair care routine:
- Kirkland Organic Virgin Coconut Oil applied and rubbed to the scalp with a soft-bristle toothbrush
Natural Hair Growth Strategy 7: Don’t Neglect the Doctor
So, let me tell you a story . . .
At 16, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, a condition that affects your thyroid gland.
After battling for 3 years to try to bring my high thyroid hormones levels back to normal, I eventually underwent radioactive iodine treatment to destroy the gland.
It worked; except I was left with no way for my body to produce thyroid hormone.
And guess what . . . thyroid hormones play a role in hair follicle development and support, according to Medical News Today.
But, of course, no one told me this (or a host of other important facts) before I had the treatment.
So, I am on hormone support forever (which is not as good as what nature created), and I have to be regularly monitored by a doctor.
I also need to be careful about some of the things I consume in my diet (i.e. kelp, seaweed, biotin supplements, etc.).
For years I suffered and wondered why I could not grow my natural hair faster and longer than shoulder length without breaking.
Through self-education, lifestyle changes, transitioning to natural, and gaining control of my disease, I have gotten better hair growth and retention.
Yet, my disease remains my elephant in the room when it comes to my natural hair journey.
Sometimes a poorly controlled or undiagnosed medical condition may be one obstacle along your path to longer natural hair.
Disorders like diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune conditions, hormone imbalances, etc. affect overall health and by extension your body’s ability to grow strong, healthy hair.
Take some wisdom from someone who continues to live with one of these diseases every day.
If you have a chronic medical condition, make sure you follow the instructions given by your healthcare provider to ensure proper management of the illness.
Moreover, don’t wait to consult a physician should you begin to exhibit signs of a hormonal imbalance, identified by Medical News Today.
The symptoms of a potential hormonal imbalance could be an indicator of a more serious issue, needing medical management.
Finally, you cannot be an advocate for your best health if you do not have all the facts.
So, take it upon yourself to research and learn about your condition and how it can affect your overall health, including hair growth.
More Natural Hair Growth Articles for You
Keys to Successful Natural Hair Length Retention: 5 Steps to Protect & Nurture Your Ends
Update Your Regimen with a Scalp Massage for Natural Hair Growth
Lifestyle Factors for Healthy Natural Hair and Body – Part 1
Final Thoughts
You can improve the likelihood of longer, healthier hair with a simple, actionable list of natural hair growth strategies.
The steps presented here are grounded in common sense for overall health.
So, you have been given the what . . . now, it is up to you to pursue the natural hair you desire.
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Slow Natural Hair Growth? Here’s How to Start Fixing It.
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