We explain how hair grows and what you can do to speed it up.
Hair is of enormous importance in our appearance. Good hair can make us feel better about our personal image , while demonstrating to others our good health and ability to take care of ourselves.
Due to the importance of hair, it is common to find false remedies and advice for its supposed benefit, which take advantage of our credibility so that we consume products that are simply not sufficiently tested, or continue with habits that may be unproductive or detrimental to our hair health.
In this article we mainly look at what we can do to make hair grow faster, explaining some tips for this purpose.
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Hair
Hair health depends on the hair follicles, which are found on the scalp. Taking care of the skin on our head is essential for hair growth. This skin contains about 100,000 hair follicles, each of which can grow an average of 20 hairs throughout our lives .
These hair follicles are nourished by the circulatory system, which transports the necessary nutrients for hair growth through the blood. This growth is not constant, but cyclical. Each cycle occurs independently of the other follicles , so that we will find follicles in different phases of the cycle, which we can separate into three different phases :
1. Anagenic Phase
With an average duration of between 2 and 8 years, it is the phase in which hair growth is continuous. Within the hair follicle there is constant mitotic activity, that is, there are cells in constant division , which explains the growth of hair (formed by keratinized cells)
2. Catagenic Phase
With an average duration of three weeks, it is the transitional step between the anagenic and telogenic phases. Growth gradually stops during this phase.
3. Telogen phase
Phase in which the hair falls out, letting the follicle rest. It lasts about 3 months, after which the hair cycle restarts .
How to grow hair faster
There are several factors, genetic and environmental, that affect hair growth. While we explain some tips for faster hair growth, we will also explain the logic behind some of them.
1. Follow a balanced diet
To begin with, nutrition is a very important factor for hair health. The state of the hair is greatly favored by a healthy diet , which can provide the necessary nutrients to maintain its constant mitotic activity.
We especially recommend consuming:
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Zinc
These vitamins and minerals have positive effects on hair growth. The vitamins we have mentioned increase blood flow to the scalp with vasodilator effects, while maintaining the health of blood capillaries and improving oxygen transport. Zinc improves immune function, which is also linked to hair growth.
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2. Avoid excessive stress
It has been shown that stress worsens hair health, increasing the follicles that enter the catagenic and telogen phases, so we end up losing hair. In addition, certain stress-induced behaviors (head scratching, hair pulling…) exert mechanical stress on the hair, worsening its health .
3. Avoid high temperatures
Applying excessive heat to hair once dry can serve to improve our hairstyle, but we are not doing the health of our hair any favors. By heating the hair too much, it loses its moisture, generating fractures and injuries that contribute to deteriorate its appearance and cause it to fall out sooner.
4. Periodic clippings
Although it is a myth that once cut hair grows faster and stronger, not cutting your hair is not especially beneficial for hair health either. Trimming the ends of the hair every 6 weeks or so prevents lesions that occur on the ends from spreading through the length of the hair .
This does not make our hair grow faster, but it will make it grow healthier, giving our hair a higher quality.
5. Hair massages with oils
Although not everything that they sell us to put on our hair really helps it, a positive effect of certain oils on the health of the scalp and, consequently, hair growth has been observed. Some natural products that you can use to accelerate hair growth would be :
- Grapeseed oil
- rosemary oil
- Sage
- aloe vera
- Hibiscus
- ginkgo
All these components have been proven to be capable of stimulating the health of the scalp, as well as the health of the hair and its growth. The majority through circulatory factors, since good blood flow in the area accelerates growth, but also through other mechanisms such as the provision of specific nutrients or by reducing the levels of DHT, a hormone that inhibits hair growth.
conclusion
Our general good health correlates quite well with good hair health. Improving our health through a healthy diet and exercise, while reducing day-to-day stress, will surely result in hair that is healthy and grows quickly, just as habits such as smoking or certain diseases will worsen hair health.
After all, it is a part of us. Why shouldn’t the same thing go well for the rest of our body?
Bibliographic references
- Mona Semalty, et al.(2011) Hair growth and rejuvenation: An overview, Journal of Dermatological Treatment
- Bernard BA (2016). Advances in Understanding Hair Growth. F1000 Research, 5, F1000 Faculty Rev-147.
- Almohanna, HM, et al. (2019). The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review. Dermatology and therapy, 9(1), 51–70.
- Guo, E.L., & Katta, R. (2017). Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use. Practical & conceptual dermatology.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.