When it comes to hair growth, there are all kinds of folklore methods and cures. But what are the tried and true methods for boosting your hair’s length, the natural way? Let’s take a closer look at the two largest predictors of hair growth success, plus a few fun bonus tips guaranteed to help you achieve your hair growth goals.
Hair and Your Diet
There’s nothing wrong with indulging in an occasional fast food meal, or a less than healthy snack or two, but if your diet includes too many treats, you might actually be slowing your hair growth progress.
Junk food gets its name from nutritional emptiness. While it might be tasty to go to town on the occasional late night snack binge, if your diet consists mostly of convenience foods, odds are your body isn’t getting the nutritional support it needs to grow longer, stronger strands.
In general, by making sure that you’re “eating the rainbow,” getting in fruits and veggies of every color throughout the week, and consuming plenty of whole grains and protein, your hair will be much happier. But there are a few specific nutrients you might want to stock up on to encourage hair growth:
- Iron
Found in leafy greens and nuts, iron helps maintain your hair’s texture and strength. Without adequate iron, your hair may become dryer and more brittle, or even begin to fall out. So grab a bowl of kale chips to help strengthen those strands!
- Vitamin E
Olive oil, avocados, and almonds are all foods that give your body a vitamin E boost, helping to keep your hair healthy while encouraging new growth. Basically, any fatty plant is your hair’s secret weapon.
- Vitamin C
Not only does Vitamin C promote hair health,it also improves hair health, supporting the growth of new strands. Aside from your morning glass of OJ, enjoy tomatoes, cantaloupe, and more of those leafy greens to make sure you’re getting enough of this essential vitamin.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Found in seaweed, flax seeds, and edamame, Omega 3 Fatty Acids help keep hair healthy, shiny, and full.
- Biotin
The most powerful mineral weapon in the fight against hair loss, Biotin has been shown to reduce hair loss, and even slow down the balding process. Find biotin in sweet potatoes, bananas, and peanut butter.
How Lifestyle Impacts Hair Growth
But when it comes to natural hair growth, you’re more than what you eat. While diet plays a critical role, exercise and stress levels are tied as the two-second most important factors for encouraging hair health.
Working Out, the Hair Healthy Way
There are a number of reasons why getting your recommended half-hour of physical exercise per day is essential to supporting hair health.
When your heart rate is elevated, it boosts blood flow throughout the body–including the scalp. This helps ensure that your hair follicles are receiving the nutrients, and oxygen, they need to support new growth.
Studies also show that moderate exercise can help lower dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the body–excellent news for those suffering from hair loss as a result of elevated DHT.
Stress and Your Strands
Living in a state of stress can cause your body to go into telogen effluvium–hair loss caused by significant stress levels which cause your strands to enter their resting phase.
To prevent this, try adding stress reduction to your daily routine. A simple guided meditation, or walk through nature can help lower your body’s levels of stress hormones.
You should also make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Stress and sleep loss are deeply connected, so if you aren’t getting enough shut eyes your body will produce stress hormones.
The Takeaway
The key in encouraging successful hair growth is to keep it simple. Make adjustments to your existing lifestyle that will be easy to maintain over the long term. For example, supplementing your healthier diet with hair growth gummies designed to support healthy looking hair is a great way to ensure you’re getting the nutrition you need, even on days when you decide to indulge in a little junk food snack session. Starting off your new exercise routine with a daily walk through your neighborhood or online yoga class, rather than trying to break any Guinness World Records at the gym, is a more sustainable way to go!
The average rate of hair growth is about ½ an inch per month, so setting achievable daily goals to get that number just a little higher will go a long way to supporting your holistic hair health over the long term. By making a few simple changes in your diet and lifestyle, you’ll be setting your hair growth progress up for success!
