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Growing hair

hjgbujhghg

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I have always had my hair slightly below the shoulder length, armpit length during the longer periods, but never longer than that. I've always wanted long hair, but whenever my hair reaches the armpit length it just stops growing and gets really unhealthy, dry, so I always have to cut it.

I wash my hair every second day, because it tends to get oily quite fast. I naturally have very thin and soft hair that is prone to getting oily fast, but I have very dry ends because I dye it. I use a shampoo that is sensitive to skin, because I'm also prone to all sorts of skin allergies and intolerance. I use a conditioner specially designed for dyed and dry hair. Once a week I also use a special hair mask for dry hair or coconut/olive oil for the tips. I also use a special hair oil for the tips after every wash. I apply a serum for hair growth about twice a week.

I haven't been using the serum for long, so the results might just not be visible yet, but I still want to know, if you guys have any tips on growing the hair faster and making it more healthy, when it's naturally really soft and I dye it often?

I had a long hair once, well longer than usual, almost to the mid back length about 4 years ago. I remember my hairdresser gave me a professional keratin treatment that was extremely expensive, but made my hair healthy for the first time in my life, and so it also grew faster. I can't get the treatment again, because it also made my soft hair even softer and it had no volume and looked greesy all the time.
 

ceecee

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I have always had my hair slightly below the shoulder length, armpit length during the longer periods, but never longer than that. I've always wanted long hair, but whenever my hair reaches the armpit length it just stops growing and gets really unhealthy, dry, so I always have to cut it.

I wash my hair every second day, because it tends to get oily quite fast. I naturally have very thin and soft hair that is prone to getting oily fast, but I have very dry ends because I dye it. I use a shampoo that is sensitive to skin, because I'm also prone to all sorts of skin allergies and intolerance. I use a conditioner specially designed for dyed and dry hair. Once a week I also use a special hair mask for dry hair or coconut/olive oil for the tips. I also use a special hair oil for the tips after every wash. I apply a serum for hair growth about twice a week.

I haven't been using the serum for long, so the results might just not be visible yet, but I still want to know, if you guys have any tips on growing the hair faster and making it more healthy, when it's naturally really soft and I dye it often?

I had a long hair once, well longer than usual, almost to the mid back length about 4 years ago. I remember my hairdresser gave me a professional keratin treatment that was extremely expensive, but made my hair healthy for the first time in my life, and so it also grew faster. I can't get the treatment again, because it also made my soft hair even softer and it had no volume and looked greesy all the time.

Are you using an at home coloring kit or having it professionally colored?
 

hjgbujhghg

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Are you using an at home coloring kit or having it professionally colored?

I’ve tried having it professionally coloured, but it just washed out in a month. I use hair products that last much longer than that, but I do it at home by myself. I suspect hairdressers to use colours that wash out sooner, so the costumers would have to come more often. I’ve tried more than one salon and the effect is always very short lasting and far more expensive than the products that last longer and I can use them at home.
 

ceecee

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I’ve tried having it professionally coloured, but it just washed out in a month. I use hair products that last much longer than that, but I do it at home by myself. I suspect hairdressers to use colours that wash out sooner, so the costumers would have to come more often. I’ve tried more than one salon and the effect is always very short lasting and far more expensive than the products that last longer and I can use them at home.

Just wondered. I have hair that's on the thinner side and at home color is crap for my hair. Professional colors last at least a couple months - my hair grows fast so I get my roots done and they pull through the color. Then again I don't highlight, I don't bleach or process, the color is very close to my natural color so there isn't much chance for big damage. The only thing I would think would help growth is no color or processing at all.
 

Snow as White

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There isn’t much you can do that’s real to your hair when it’s at that stage since hair is dead.

You’re better off taking biotin supplements (they help a ton with hair and nails... at least in my experience). You’re also better off refraining from dying as that is a continuous source of damage that will exacerbate normal wear and tear on hair such as the sun, pollutants, etc.

Any hair products may help in the extreme short term to have your hair feeling better but I don’t think they do much long term being that you can’t really repair it at that point.
 

Luminous

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Related to the post above, make sure you're eating enough protein.
 

hjgbujhghg

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Related to the post above, make sure you're eating enough protein.

I'm a vegetarian so protein might be a bit of an issue, though I try to eat enough food rich in protein.
 

oxyjen

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Everyone has their own personal genetic markers to how long their hair can grow. There is a certain phase where the hair grows, before it stops, then the hair will eventually release/shed. I'm not sure if there is a way to lengthen the anagen (hair growing) phase of your hair. You could try the above tricks to make the hair more attractive when it's at its maximum length though.
 

Yuurei

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Do you get it trimmed? I know it seems counter-productive to growing it out but if the ends aren’t healthy they will get dry and brittle and break.
 

rav3n

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One way to increase hair thickness is to increase healthy fats in your diet. Since you're a vegetarian, consume more avocados, chia seeds, whole grains and almonds.

Perhaps you should stop dying your hair for awhile until your hair gains strength.
 

ceecee

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Do you get it trimmed? I know it seems counter-productive to growing it out but if the ends aren’t healthy they will get dry and brittle and break.

This is true. I mean I never thought it mattered much but mine looks and feels thicker after a trim. I also use Pureology and even though it's expensive, I think it makes a huge difference. Plus a bottle lasts me months.
 

staticundertones

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My hair is very long. Because you're a vegetarian, I hope you're taking a good quality B vitamin supplement. Other than that, the best trick is to use rice water. It works amazingly well to thicken, strengthen, and help your hair grow. I don't believe these things until I try them, and this is something I use so I'm happy to be able to pass it along. There are many good videos on youtube that explain how to make rice water. I use Jasmine rice, soak it for about 12 hours or more, put the water in a spray bottle. You can add a couple drops of essential oils if you want it to smell nice. Soak your hair with that and leave it on for a couple hours, then rinse it out with plain water. Try that a couple times a week and I really think your hair will grow. Also I will point out that for me at least, trimming my hair slows down the growth. I notice that after I use rice water, dead ends and split ends aren't so much a problem. My hair gets a trim whenever the length starts to annoy me, maybe once or twice a year, but I also don't use heat on my hair, so it really has less trauma to go through.
 

Peter Deadpan

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There aren't many substances that have been proven to prevent hair loss or encourage growth, but ketoconazole has shown some promise. It's the active ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos, and you can find it in some high quality natural products. I'd aim for that, and look for one that is borderline organic, with lots of essential oils for stimulating blood circulation, and moisturizing bases like aloe, jojoba oil, etc. Try to get down to 2 washes a week. You could try dry shampoo in between at the roots, and just wear your hair up those days if you have to. Regular lights trims (every 6-8 weeks, just the ends) will prevent breakage, and always use a protective serum before blow drying and heat styling.

I use Aveda hair products. I'm not sure if they are available to you, but they have a good serum, and 2 types of boosting/plumping sprays. I just started using these and love them. Aveda is also a good option for dyeing because they try to be more gentle/natural. My color still looks great after 8 weeks.
 

cascadeco

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To echo what Peter Deadpan mentioned and maybe expand a bit on it, there are many types of hair thinning, as well as simply the texture and quality of the hair, that are simply genetic and no amount of diet change or supplements will help to grow it back, or make it thicker, or whatnot. But while in many cases you can't change the nature of it or make it suddenly thicker or growing back if you have male or female pattern baldness (thinning) for example, I think there are definitely lots of things that can either give the illusion of fuller hair, or improve the health of what you already have. People have already mentioned many. And, like people have mentioned, excessive dying isn't going to be healthy for the hair.

I do think it will vary highly by individual, in terms of what your body might be lacking, nutrient-wise, or what you might be intaking that could be harming your body, whether it's hair, skin, or other parts. So anything I say will likely just be anecdotal for me and my own body chemistry. That said -- Aveda products do seem to keep my scalp much healthier (I've learned the scalp is just as or way more important than taking care of the hair itself), and I throw in the Invati products, designed for hair thinning, into my repertoire (I do think it helps my hair, but it's primarily targeting the scalp, which in turns helps the hair). Also, though it's possibly in my imagination, I do feel my hair is a lot healthier and might even be a bit fuller now that I've gone gluten free for almost a year and a half. I had over the years acquired a gluten intolerence and I wouldn't be surprised if it impacted my hair as well -- after all it is an allergic sort of reaction that had become chronic for me. I also probably eat a lot more protein now, and probably higher levels of fats. None of it has impacted my weight; if anything I've lost weight. I say this simply because: Everyone will have their own challenges with food and diet --- it just means what we eat (or equally importantly, what we do NOT intake enough of ) -- will ripple out into the health of everything.
 

rav3n

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Yeah, the majority is genetics since genetics can drive the strength and thickness, and also how the body processes the foods consumed. My hair's down to my upper thighs with no split ends or breakage. It's presently growing around an inch a month. You can literally floss with it and yes, I've used it in emergency situations. Maternal and paternal sides have strong, thick hair, resulting in all five kids having even stronger, thicker hair.
 

Tellenbach

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I've been taking roughly 1200 to 1600 mg niacinamide in divided doses (100 mg/hour) for mental alertness, and I've noticed that one of the side effects is rapid growth of my mustache; it's growing about 30% faster than usual. Also, some of my white hairs on the side have turned dark at the roots. Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B-3.
 

Yuurei

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Yeah, the majority is genetics since genetics can drive the strength and thickness, and also how the body processes the foods consumed. My hair's down to my upper thighs with no split ends or breakage. It's presently growing around an inch a month. You can literally floss with it and yes, I've used it in emergency situations. Maternal and paternal sides have strong, thick hair, resulting in all five kids having even stronger, thicker hair.


i have accidentally cut myself with my hair by getting it wrapped to tightly around my fingers. But never considered flossing with it. I odn't think I could do that to something I love so much.
 

LittleCat

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If you’re able to, it might not be a bad thing to get your nutrient levels checked. I recently found out I’m quite vitamin D deficient, a common deficiency to have, which effects hair health, along with a host of other things (bone health, energy levels, immunity to sickness, and so on). I’ve been dealing with some hair loss, so found the results to be useful.

Additionally, I agree with the others about being careful about the hair dying, although I absolutely get the appeal. Colorful hair is so much more fun!
 

hjgbujhghg

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If you’re able to, it might not be a bad thing to get your nutrient levels checked. I recently found out I’m quite vitamin D deficient, a common deficiency to have, which effects hair health, along with a host of other things (bone health, energy levels, immunity to sickness, and so on). I’ve been dealing with some hair loss, so found the results to be useful.

Additionally, I agree with the others about being careful about the hair dying, although I absolutely get the appeal. Colorful hair is so much more fun!

I do have vitamin D deficiency and I take vitamins for it, so it should be getting better. I've had awful hair ever since I remember though, even as a little kid and throughout my whole life, so I think it's more genetic than nutrition thing.
 
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