5 Things You MUST Do When You’re Trying to Grow Your Hair Out

If you've ever stood in your mirror after a haircut and come nearly to the point of tears, you're far from alone.

There's nothing quite like the pain of staring at the place your hair used to fall, and lying through your teeth to the hairdresser who just chopped several extra inches when all you wanted was a trim, but it's an unfortunately common occurrence. It hurts, but it's nothing to waste your energy stressing out over. Hair grows back, and you can rock whatever 'do you've got for now with all the (even faked) confidence you can muster. While there is no magic potion that will make your hair grow back long and strong overnight, there are some things you can do to try and support it on its journey back to a length that might make Rapunzel herself jealous. With that said, here are some realistic tips for growing your hair out:

1. Maintain a Balanced Diet

Eating healthy sounds simple—we know—but hair professionals will be the first to tell you that the health of your hair starts from the inside. No matter how many overpriced serums and treatments you buy to put on your hair, they just won't work all that well if you aren't fueling your body properly. Vitamins and nutrients are important for all parts of your health and well-being, and your hair—which is made up of dead cells and proteins, things that directly correlate to what you put in your body—is a direct reflection of that. Maintain a diet with enough protein, Omega-3's, biotin, B vitamins and iron to help your hair along—and don't forget to stay hydrated.

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Also read about: 25 Instagram Captions for Your Next Dramatic Hair Change

 

2. Don't Fall for Some Supplement That Claims to Work Like Magic

Like we mentioned earlier, there's no fast or easy route to growing your hair out. While we wish we could just wave a magic wand to get the long luscious locks we've been longing for, an overpriced gummy vitamin or biotin supplement just isn't the magic solution that those Instagram influencers make it seem like it is. If you're eating a well-balanced diet, you probably don't need to be taking supplemental biotin. If you're truly struggling with hair growth, what might actually be worth the investment, though, is a supplement like Viviscal—but it isn't necessarily a shortcut.

 

3. Protect Your Hair From Heat

While this information is probably not news to you, using hot tools on your hair causes tons of damage and breakage that can keep it from growing as fast or as well as you want it to. If you simply must use your flat iron, curling iron or blow dryer on the regular, though, be sure to use a high-quality heat-protecting product. There are plenty of sprays out there that provide this protection, but you can also find leave-in styling lotions if you're looking for a little extra moisture and a lot less mess.

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4. That Goes for Your Showers, Too

Putting down the hot tools is one thing, but asking you to turn down the temperature of your showers may be asking a lot. While we love a sweltering shower as much as the next person, it's been shown time and again that hot hot showers are actually not great for your skin or your hair. We won't tell you to cut them out cold turkey and start taking only cold showers (we aren't that cruel), but you might want to turn the temp down just a tad and consider ending your shower with a few seconds under as cold of a stream as you can bear.

 

Also read about: What to Do With Your Hair After a Bad Box Dye Job

 

5. Moisturize, Moisturize and (You Guessed It) Moisturize

Dry hair is far more prone to breakage, so keep your focus on maintaining locks that are well-loved and well-hydrated. Things that can help with this include hair masks, oil treatments (we love castor oil for this), scalp serums and even at-home glossing treatments. This will improve the shine of your hair, too, so you might even feel a bit happier about the current length as you wait for your longer locks to return.

(via Shutterstock)

 

And if you need a little extra inspiration, click HERE for our list of top hair resolutions for 2023 (it's never too late to start, after all).