If you want your hair to grow fast, keep your hair---and yourself---healthy. What you eat can accelerate hair growth. How you care for your hair can also affect growth. Brushing your hair, keeping it trimmed and shampooing less often may also contribute to how quickly your hair grows and how it looks.
Nutrition
Step 1
Eat adequate amounts of protein. A research team at the University of Chicago found that the protein B-catenin may cause hair to grow. Add up the number of calories you eat daily, and multiply that number by 15 and 30 percent. Eat within this range of calories from protein daily. For example, if you eat 1,500 calories a day, you should eat between 225 and 450 calories from protein. Divide your number of protein calories by four to determine how many grams of protein you should eat. Each gram of protein contains four calories, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In the above example, you would eat between 56 and 113 g of protein a day.
Step 2
Take a multivitamin. Choose one that includes a high amount of B vitamins. Dr. Nicole Sundene says that B vitamins are "crucial" to hair growth in her article, "How to Grow Your Hair Super Fast!" Sundene is editor-in-chief of the online health magazine Kitchen Table Medicine.
Step 3
Drink 1 tbsp. of flax oil or fish oil daily, says Dr. Sundene. Flax and fish oil are high in omega-3, which will help your hair grow strong and look shiny.
Haircare
Step 1
Rinse and condition your hair daily. Use shampoo at most every other day so your hair is not robbed of essential oils, say Dr. Sundene and Dr. George Michael. Dr. Michael is a long hair expert and is known as the long hair guru.
Step 2
Brush your hair every morning. Do 50 strokes from the base of your neck to the ends while bent over, as advised by Dr. Michael. Being upside down also increases blood flow to the scalp, with the added benefit of stimulating hair follicles.
Step 3
Lie on your bed and hang over the side to get that blood flowing to your scalp, unless you're a gymnast or an advanced Ashtanga yoga practitioner, in which case you can do handstands. Do this a few times during the day, or at least when you wake up and before bed.
Step 4
Tell your massage therapist to spend extra time on your head. Massaging your scalp can increase circulation to your head to nourish your hair follicles. Massage your scalp yourself, or ask your partner to do it for you before brushing.
Tips and Warnings
- Add rosemary and mint oils to your shampoo, or use a shampoo with the oils already added (see Resources). Dr. Sundene says these two oils speed hair growth.
Things You'll Need
- Brush
- Flax oil
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training: Course Manual;" National Academy of Sports Medicine; 2008
- A Visit with Dr. George Michael
- Move Over, Rogaine
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