How to grow long hair?

Some like their hair short, just because it is more convenient that way. Some others are blessed with effortlessly long and thick hair. Definitely, one of the factors for hair growth is genes. But, all of us can have longer hair with little effort from our side, instead of envying others.

Trim your hair:

Trim your hair regularly. Damaged hair, especially split ends will be cut while you trim your hair. This ensures that your hair grows everyday.

Watch your diet:

Eat a balanced diet with minimum eight glasses of water. Make sure you are getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals , especially iron, calcium, zinc.

Eating nuts, green leafy vegetables and fruits is a great way to keep in shape and keep your hair long and shiny. Eating curry leaves, amla and ponnankanni regularly will definitely help grow hair.

No smoking or drinking:

Smoking and drinking alcohol is not only injurious to your health, but also to your hair. Avoid them or atleast limit in moderation.

Stress free:

Stress is the root cause of all health problems. Hair fall is no exception. If you want thick and long hair, forget about fights and worries.

Hair care basics:

Please follow the hair care basics mentioned here.

Don’t use hot water. Tepid or lukewarm water is ideal for washing hair. It opens up the cuticles of your hair which helps absorption of essential oils and nutrients in your conditioner or herbal hair pack. You can finally rinse with cold water to close the cuticles and seal all the nutrients.

Hot water will damage the skin and hair, making it dry and frizzy.

After hair wash, wipe dry it with towel (don’t tie it tight) or  leave your hair free, to dry on its own. If you like, you can stand in sun for 5 minutes to dry it.

Do not comb wet hair.

Combing:

It is very important to comb your hair. But do not overdo it. Combing improves blood circulation in the head.

Wooden combs are better than plastic ones that create static energy. Always use wide toothed comb first and remove all the tangles with hand, whenever comb gets struck. After removing all the tangles, use a smaller comb to unite them and do whatever styling you want to do.

Always make it a habit to comb and plait your hair, before going to bed everyday. Leaving hair loose, while sleeping makes it frizzy and full of tangles.

No colouring or styling:

Colouring or styling even if done occasionally are harmful to hair. They are harmful to skin as well.

Massage your scalp:

Oil massaging stimulates blood circulation on the head, facilitating hair growth.

2-3 drops of castor oil helps cool the head and increases hair growth. But it stinks and needs to be used minimally.

Coconut oil also helps grow hair. Actually massaging with virgin coconut oil before shampooing is highly recommended.

Go natural:

Use herbs tried and tested by our ancestors to take care of your hair.

Eggs, apple cider vinegar, onions, curd, saw palmetto and henna make good hair mask. You can try different hair masks with these and pick one which suits you most.

Try using shikakai and reetha hair pack instead of shampoo to wash hair. For procedure on how to prepare hair pack, see here.

Hair growth isn’t an overnight process. Though hair grows everyday, hair fall upto 100 strands a day is needed and inevitable as every strand of hair falling makes space for another new hair.

Be happy and maintain your hair. You will see the long lasting hair growth sooner.