5 Ways to Make Your Hair Grow Faster and Stronger
Men and hair have a long-standing love-hate relationship. Some men love their hair because they have good genetics and have a head full of hair, while others hate their hair as it keeps running away from their forehead a little every year. Some are unlucky as their hair goes away in their early 20s, while some can keep their hair on their head later into mid-age with good eating habits, better sleep, and hair maintenance. Many men also face hair loss simply because of their lifestyle and work. They work in stressful jobs or shifts where sleep is not a friend anymore, killing hair health and making it fall off faster. However, even with regular employment and untimely eating, there is still hope for many if consistency is practiced in taking care of hair. There are multiple hair-growth foods, supplements, and remedies that can condition the body for hair growth. But first, let's understand hair, its development, and what affects it;
How does hair grow?
Hair growth has its cycle in which it is born, grows, and then falls off naturally. This cycle cannot be stopped. There are three different stages of hair growth-
Anagen- the hair is born and actively starts growing for the next 3-10 years.
Catagen: In this transitional phase, hair stops receiving nutrition, stops growing, and stays rested for 2-3 weeks.
Telogen is the stage where the hair starts losing its grip on the follicle and falls off, continuing for 3-4 months.
The anagen phase is where 90% of the hair on your scalp is growing and will continue to grow for the coming years. The hair that you see falling on your pillow and which falls automatically on your books or keyboard are the 9% of hair that was in the telogen phase. The other 1 percent of hair is in the catagen phase, where it has stopped growing and will enter telogen in a few weeks.
You must be curious whether the anagen phase can be prolonged to have more hair growth. Well, there are no concrete ways to aim directly at this phase. The anagen phase depends on how much the cells in your follicles are dividing to become cells of hair. Follicles have matrix cells, which are known to shed their structure as they reach closer to the skin; this shedding then combines with the keratin protein to form hair strands.
What are the factors that affect hair growth?
Hair growth is affected by many factors that vary from person to person. Here are a few common factors that affect hair growth-
Genetics— Your hairline greatly depends on your bloodline. Many times, it is seen that a father with less hair has a son with thick hair. It is simply because the father had resting genes from a grandparent or ancestor that came to life in the son. However, most of the time, if your father or any of your uncles have low hair growth, it is possible that you got it from them. Most hair growth remedies fail in this case.
Changes in hormones—Hormones also play a big role in hair growth. A balanced testosterone level, along with balanced estrogen, gives you good hair growth. Very low or very high testosterone is the reason for hair balding. It can also be caused by unnaturally increasing testosterone with injections. Ever wonder why The Rock has that smooth head?
Stress is poison for the entire body. Since it starts in the head, it affects the blood vessels in your scalp and prevents nutrition from reaching the follicles, causing hair loss. Breathe in, breathe out, and chill at the end of the day.
Trauma- trauma increases the stress hormone cortisol semi-permanently. It is very much possible to lose a lot of hair after the death of a loved one or if you were in a life-threatening accident.
Nutrition: Hair growth requires many minerals, proteins, and vitamins. If you've been eating nutrition-less food, maybe it's time you started with fruits, nuts, and a well-balanced diet of veggies and eggs.
How does it increase the chances of hair growth?
You can't directly increase your hair growth; all you can do is support it with maintenance and daily habits, which can slightly increase the chances that your hair will grow. These are the few hair growth remedies that support (not increase) hair growth-
Apply natural oils
Natural oils can penetrate the scalp and reach the follicles. They also contain many minerals necessary for hair growth and matrix cell splitting. Applying these oils every third day and washing them off the next day can be an excellent hair growth remedy. The best natural oils to use are coconut oil, almond oil, castor oil, and olive oil. Mix these oils and warm them up before applying them to increase efficiency.
Eating a hair growth diet
Internal nutrition is one of the best hair growth remedies. Ensure you eat a diet of minerals, vitamins, and proteins for hair growth. Nutrients necessary in your diet are- Vitamins A, E, C, and D, zinc, iron, magnesium, good fats for amino acids and Omega-3, and biotin in supplement form. Foods you should have more of for the above respective nutrients are- carrots, oranges (or any citrus fruits for Vitamin C), eggs, paneer, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, fish, leafy vegetables like spinach, pulses, meat, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and dairy products.
Homemade hair masks
Hair masks can directly nourish your hair and scalp. They can provide proteins and minerals to the scalp, assisting hair growth. One of the most popular hair masks is an egg. Yes, your aunts and mom would have often applied eggs on their hair. Beat a couple and use it to your head directly. If you live alone, you can also beat some eggs in beer; it contains minerals from barley that are readily absorbent, and it also makes the hair soft and firm.
Trimming regularly
You must have seen some people going to the barber every week, and they still have good, long hair. The secret is that trimming about 2 cm of your hair every 8-10 days prevents split ends and creates a need for more keratin in the hair, signaling the hair follicles to increase hair growth. You have to lose something and gain something, is the principle.
Avoid unnecessary shampooing
If you wash your hair daily to look fluffy, you soon won't have enough hair for that fluff. Daily shampoo causes moisture loss in the scalp and hair, making it brittle and easy to break. Shampooing shall be done in breaks of three days, even if that is for people who are going out every day. Shampooing once every fifth day is enough if you are a work-from-home guy. Allow your natural scalp oils to come up and bless your hair so that it can grow.
Another thing you can do is supplement your diet and hair growth remedies with some herbal extracts known by Ayurveda. Try the Qraamen Haircare Capsules, which have Bhringraj, Amla, Brahmi, hibiscus extracts, and many more herbs that improve nutrition reach to your scalp, supporting hair growth.