image via Instagram/kevinmurphyhair
Is your hair stuck at shoulder length? We understand how frustrating it can be when you’re trying to grow your hair, but it just won’t grow!
Here’s why your hair doesn’t seem to get any longer and what you can do to stimulate hair growth.
1. Breakage
Hair grows at an average rate of 1.5cm every month. That means, the average person’s hair grows about 18cm every year. If your hair is not receiving the care it needs and is breaking off at the same rate as it is growing, it will stay the same length all year until you change your hair habits.
Some issues that contribute to brittle hair and breakage include:
– OVER-PROCESSING
We often see hair that has been coloured or lightened at home that has been over-processed. Over processing hair leads to major breakage. Exposing your hair to the harsh chemicals contained in in-home colouring kits strips it of its natural oils, while synthetic dyes lift up the outer cuticle causing damage to the hair strands. Healthy hair cuticles lay flat, making hair look smooth and shiny, while a lifted damaged cuticle causes hair to become dull, brittle, and frizzy. Over-processing leads to split ends and breakage making it virtually impossible for hair to get past a certain length.
– OVERUSE OF HOT TOOLS
If you’re trying to grow your hair it’s important to keep it as strong and as healthy as possible. Hot tools can accelerate damage by drying your hair. Parched, brittle hair can only withstand so much styling before the split ends form and breakage begins. Make sure to always use a good quality heat protectant when heat styling to maintain your hair’s strength and to avoid breakage.
– AGGRESSIVELY STYLING YOUR HAIR
How you handle your hair can greatly affect the quality of your mane and ultimately the ability for your hair to grow out. If you are too aggressive, using uncovered elastics or fighting with your curly or coarse hair, you may be contributing to breakage.
2. Split Ends
We’ve all had to deal with split ends, which are literally ends of hair that have split and regularly break.
Once split ends occur, it is not possible to undo them. The only thing you can do is cut those suckers off and prevent them in the future. Leaving split ends in your hair will just cause them to split further, leading to more hair breakage, and slow hair growth.
3. Genetics
Sometimes, hair growth and health is just dependant on genetics. Everyone has a cycle of hair growth specific to them. Hair stops growing once a certain amount of time has passed, not once it reaches a certain length. Therefore, once the hair has reached the end of its growth cycle, it will no longer grow and will either break off, shed, or be cut off at the hairdresser. Each hair strand has its own growth cycle, which is why we typically have different lengths of hair strands throughout our head. This cycle can last anywhere from two to six years, and no matter how well you treat your hair, cannot be extended simply due to your DNA.
4. Age
Just like your genetics, your age may also be the reason why your hair just won’t grow. In older people the six year cycle can be reduced to a two-year cycle, making the hair thinner, and unable to grow past a certain point. In addition, as you get older, the scalp begins to produce less oil leading to coarser, dryer hair and hair that is more prone to split ends and breakage.
5. Diet
As the old sayings go, “you are what you eat”. A balanced diet, rich in colourful veges and healthy oils, supports a healthy scalp, and strong, long hair.
Iron, Vitamin D, B-complex, and zinc is optimal for healthy hair. Iron can be found naturally in eggs, spinach, and chicken, while salmon, mushrooms, and natural sunshine are great, natural sources of Vitamin D. B-Complex includes biotin, niacin, and cobalamin, which all give the hair thickness and shine—avocados, legumes, eggs, and whole grains are a great source for these. Finally, load up on lamb, turkey, and pumpkin seeds for an extra dose of zinc.
6. Buildup on the scalp
To help your hair grow you need to go straight to the root of the problem—literally! A healthy scalp equals healthy hair. We often forget to give our roots and scalp extra TLC because we are so focused on the ends, however, buildup on the scalp can also impede hair growth.
Whether it’s a buildup of products over the years or our body’s own production of sweat and oil, if hair follicles are blocked, hair simply cannot grow and can even fall out. Be sure to check all of your styling products, if they have silicones, ditch them! Over time silicone-based ingredients build up on the hair, weighing it down, dulling its natural shine, and blocking hair growth. It’s totally normal for hair to fall out, but a blockage on your scalp will stop new hair from growing back in, leaving you with thinning patches of hair.
If you are experiencing an excess of buildup in your scalp, use a clarifying shampoo to wash away impurities and keep hair and scalp squeaky clean.
If all else fails…
Consult your stylist. Our professionally trained stylists are able to assess if your concerns can be managed in-salon or need to be treated by a doctor.
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