How to Grow Hair Quickly: Top Tips for Longer and Healthier Locks

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Optimize your hair growth over one month

Co-authored by Patrick Evan and Carmine Shannon

Last Updated: September 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Pampering Your Hair
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• Optimizing Your Diet
|
• Taking Additional Supplements
|
• FAQs
|
• Video
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• Expert Q&A
|
• Warnings

|Show more |Show less

The key to growing your hair quickly is to keep it healthy. By staying hydrated, eating a hair-healthy diet, basing your shampooing frequency on your hair type, and avoiding damaging practices like heat styling and tight ponytails, you can boost growth without too much of it swirling down your drain. While hair only grows about half an inch a month, Patrick Evan, professional hair stylist and owner of Patrick Evan Salon, gave us tips on how to set your hair up for success and retain your length for long, stunning locks.

How to Grow Healthy Hair

• Stay hydrated and eat a diet rich in iron, vitamin D, B-complex vitamins, zinc, protein, and Biotin.
• Wash your hair with shampoo only when it gets greasy—2-4 times a week for straight hair and 2-4 times a month for (dry) curly hair.
• Avoid heat tools and tight hairstyles, and trim your hair if it has split ends.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Pampering Your Hair

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1. 1
   Wash straight hair 2-4 times a week and curly hair 2-4 times a month. How much you should shampoo your hair depends on your hair type. Curly hair is often thinner and, therefore, drier than straight hair, so while grease builds up at the roots faster for straight hair individuals, people with curly hair don’t need to strip their scalp’s oils as often.

   • For example, a study on 1,500 East Asian people found that washing their hair 5 times a week kept it healthy and looking its best. On the other hand, people of African descent have historically had routine wash days for their hair, once a week to a couple of times a month.
   • Overwashing your hair dries out the shaft, which can lead to split ends and breakage, which sets you back on your hair-growing journey.
   • Evan recommends using dry shampoo on your off-days: “[D]ry shampoos like R+Co Death Valley are a must for the days you’re not washing. You just spray them into dry hair, work through with your fingers, then brush [it] out. They refresh your hair and absorb any excess oils.”
2. 2
   Avoid using heat on your hair. If you have to use heat, Evans recommends keeping the temperature low and using heat protection products to prevent damage. He warns that “while most people need to be using 280-325 degrees, [they often use] the 450-degree maximum.”

   • Search for hairstyles on YouTube with the keywords “No heat” for ideas.
   • Heat tools include straightening and curling irons, hot combs, rollers, and blow dryers.
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3. 3
   Hydrate your hair with leave-in conditioner and oils. If your hair is usually dry and frizzy, use a leave-on conditioner after you shower. To lock the moisture in at the tips (and prevent split ends), work a hair oil into the ends of your hair, or use natural products like coconut oil, olive oil, and argan oil.

   • While argan oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and rosemary oil can help protect your hair and make it look better, peppermint oil can actually help it grow. Unlike the other ones, apply peppermint oil directly to your scalp.
   • You can buy hair treatments at your local pharmacy or beauty supply store, or you can make them yourself.
     • Try using olive oil in a hair mask or making a protein hair mask to heal damaged hair.
   • Apply a mask or other treatment to your hair every week while you’re growing it out.
   • Great household ingredients for hair masks are coconut oil, olive oil, eggs, and yogurt.
4. 4
   Trim split ends and damaged hair. Some people say regular trims help grow your hair, but that’s only true if the trims are removing damaged sections and split ends that can travel up the shaft of the hair. If you’re having trouble retaining length, then a trim might be what you need.

   • If your ends are healthy, you can skip the haircuts.
5. 5
   Avoid bleaching and coloring your hair. Bleach breaks down the protein bands in your hair and makes the strands more porous and brittle. If you frequently bleach your hair, you may experience a lot of breakage. In extreme cases, damaged hair might have to be fully removed to ensure split ends don’t travel up the shaft.

   • Vegetable dyes and henna don’t damage your hair the same way since they coat the hair shaft instead of penetrating it.
6. 6
   Invest in a silk pillowcase. Standard pillowcases are made of rougher fabric that can cause your hair to tangle, break, and frizz. They can also suck moisture from your locks. Swap your pillowcase for a silk one to prevent your hair from drying out or breaking while you sleep.
7. 7
   Wear your hair in loose or protective styles. Tight ponytails and buns can break your hair and cause it to fall out. Switch out your elastics for thick scrunchies and don’t pull your hair tight. If you have natural hair, you may find that wearing a protective style, like cornrows or box braids, can help you retain length.

   • Tightly wrapping your hair after washing it can also cause it to break. Try scrunching your hair with a cotton t-shirt instead.
8. 8
   Brush and detangle with a wide tooth comb or wet brush. Start by combing out the tips of your hair, then work up to the roots. Go slowly to prevent putting too much pressure on the hair, especially if you’re detangling your hair while it’s still wet.
   

   Jen Atkin, Celebrity Hairstylist

   Brush your hair every day. "Brushing hair is the easiest way to keep hair healthy. It increases blood circulation to the scalp, which helps to bring oxygen and nutrients to the hair stem. The act of brushing can help to remove product build-up, dry skin and other impurities found on the scalp and hair. "
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Section 2 of 4:

Optimizing Your Diet

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1. 1
   Eat a diet rich in iron, vitamin D, B-complex vitamins, and zinc. You can get iron in foods like spinach, egg yolks, lentils, and red meat. Vitamin D comes from sunshine, but if you’re in a less sunny climate, eat fish, 2% milk, egg yolks, and foods fortified with vitamin D. Eggs are also a good source of B vitamins!

   • Hair stylist Patrick Evan says, “Healthy hair growth starts internally. Making sure you’re eating a balanced diet and drinking lots of water is your first step.”
   • Several vitamins fall under the umbrella of B-complex vitamins. You can also get them from whole grains, milk, and avocados.
   • Good news – you can get some of your zinc requirements through dark chocolate! Other sources include cheese, meat, and shellfish.
2. 2
   Drink 8 cups (1.9 L) of water a day. Drinking water keeps your cells healthy and your hair strong, so stay well-hydrated throughout the day. Replace your soda, juice, and coffee beverages with water if you don't think you're getting enough.

   • Think of drinking water like watering a plant. The water you drink will nourish your hair from the scalp, just like plants are nourished from their roots.
3. 3
   Eat a high-protein diet rich in foods like fish, beans, and milk. Meat is a great source of protein, but vegetarians can get it through foods like beans, nuts, whole grains, spinach, and peanut butter. When you don’t get enough protein in your diet, you’re more likely to experience shedding and breakage.

   • While it’s more important to eat healthy, high-protein foods than it is to eat a set amount of protein a day, you can estimate how many grams you need to aim for by multiplying your weight (in pounds) by .36.
     • Multiply your weight by .8 if you measure in kilograms.
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Section 3 of 4:

Taking Additional Supplements

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1. 1
   Take a daily multivitamin. While it’s always best to get your vitamins and nutrients through your food, you can help prevent any deficiencies by taking a multivitamin every day. While most daily multivitamins will do the trick, double-check to make sure yours has Biotin, vitamin C, and your B-complex vitamins.

   • If you have any allergies, talk to your doctor before starting a multivitamin. Sometimes, inactive ingredients in the vitamins can cause allergic reactions.
   • Multivitamins can interfere with certain medications. It's extremely important that your doctor knows your medical history, your current prescriptions and medicines, and has given you the all-clear to start taking multivitamins.
2. 2
   Try Biotin supplements. When someone is deficient in Biotin, a B-complex vitamin, they can experience hair loss. Therefore, it is often recommended to take a Biotin supplement that’s at least 500-700 micrograms to prevent becoming deficient. Biotin supports hair growth by making the hair more elastic and thus less likely to break off.

   • You may have to take Biotin for months (ideally 3-6 months) before seeing big results, although it can start benefiting your hair within a month.
   • Biotin is generally safe, but if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, double-check with your doctor before beginning this supplement.
3. 3
   Take a fish oil capsule daily. Fish oil has numerous benefits for your body, and healthy hair is one of them. The fatty acids that you get from fish oil help to strengthen hair. Strong hair is more likely to grow and resist breakage. Plus, fish oil can make your hair shiny, too!

   • Low doses (less than 3 grams) of fish oil is typically safe. In high doses, fish oil can prevent blood from clotting, decrease your blood pressure, or cause rashes and diarrhea.
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Section 4 of 4:

Frequently Asked Questions About Hair Growth

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1. 1
   How much does hair grow in a month? Hair normally grows .5 inches (1 cm) in a month. Your hair follicles go through three different stages as they grow: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (rest). Because of the different states your hair follicles could be in, hair growth is variable, but often grows about .5 inches (1.3 cm) a month.

   • Anywhere up to 15% of your hair will be in the telogen phase at a given time. This phase can last up to a year on your scalp, and means that you may have some months where you don’t see as much growth as previous ones.
2. 2
   How long is two inches of hair? Two inches of hair looks different on different hair types. If your hair is very straight, 2 inches of hair looks to be about 2 inches long. However, if you have very curly hair (4C, for example), 2 inches may only look a fraction of the length unless you wet and stretch your hair.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Can diet improve hair growth?

  

  Patrick Evan
  Professional Hair Stylist

  Patrick Evan is the Owner of Patrick Evan Salon, a hair salon in San Francisco, California. He has been a hairstylist for over 25 years and is a Thermal Reconditioning Specialist, dedicated to transforming difficult curls and waves into sleek, straight hair. Patrick Evan Salon was rated the Best Hair Salon in San Francisco by Allure magazine, and Patrick's work has been featured in Woman’s Day, The Examiner, and 7x7.

  

  Patrick Evan

  Professional Hair Stylist

  Expert Answer

  Healthy hair growth starts internally. Making sure you’re eating a balanced diet and drinking lots of water is your first step. After that, supplements like Biotin, Folic Acid, and Vitamin E can assist with hair growth.

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Warnings

• Make sure you talk to your doctor before starting any vitamins or supplements.
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