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Long, healthy hair: everyone wants it, but few know what really helps it grow. Social feeds overflow with wild hair hacks and quick fixes, but seasoned stylists know the truth. Real, visible growth comes from science, patience, and pro-approved habits.
If you’re tired of doing the hair growth thing with no results, you’re in the right place. Let’s cut the noise and get serious about entering the hair growth era—read below for the step by step.
Avoiding Common Growth Inhibitors
Some things are obvious, like don’t play with fire. Some things are sneaky, like what’s quietly wrecking your hair. Want to grow your hair faster? Stop sabotaging your own progress.
Skip the scorched-earth approach.
Heat styling isn’t evil, but daily flat ironing, curling, and blow-drying? That might affect your hair, especially if your goal is length. Stylists agree: air dry when you can, but if you can’t – ALWAYS use a heat protectant (try Amika’s Blockade or L’Oreal’s Sleek It Iron Straight), and turn down the temp.
Say no to chemical stress (at least for a while).
Frequent bleaching and harsh dyes push hair over the edge, leading to split ends that travel north. Don’t break up with color, just spread out appointments and stick to gentle formulas. Make sure to use bonding treatments to help repair any damage (keep reading for recommendations).
Loosen that ponytail grip.
Tight buns, braids, and rubber bands pull at your scalp and can trigger traction alopecia—a fancy term for hair loss from tension. Rotate your styles, give hair a break, and swap to coil hair ties like those from Invisibobble to reduce stress.
Bye, cheapo brushes.
Yanking through tangles with a rough brush spells disaster, especially on wet hair. Use a wide-tooth comb or a Detangler Brush from Wet Brush or Tangle Teezer. They’re gentle, and your shedding will shrink.
Cleansing and Exfoliation
Now, let’s talk about cleansing. Clean scalp, happy follicles. Dirty scalp, cranky follicles.
Wash as frequently as needed (but not more than that).
Over-washing strips away all the good oils your scalp needs to stay healthy. Unless you have hair that gets greasy overnight, stick to washing every other day or a few times a week.
Ask yourself – are you washing your hair daily because it needs it? Or because you’re addicted to your daily styling routine? Leave your hair alone as long as it looks non-greasy – this helps to cut don’t on heat and that aids with hair growth. Dry shampoo (hi, Living Proof or Dove) can give you that extra fresh look if you feel like you need it.
Choose shampoo that’s good at cleansing.
You want a shampoo that is making your scalp and hair feel squeaky clean. The cleaner your hair feels after you wash it, the longer it will stay that way, so you’ll cut down on washing and styling – all very beneficial when you’re trying to grow your hair.
Oil and buildup begone!
A clarifying shampoo, once every one or two weeks, can break up heavy residue. Living Proof’s Clarifying Detox keeps things fresh without stripping natural oils. Don’t use it every day; it’s more of a hard reset button, not a daily essential.
Exfoliation isn’t just for skincare lovers.
Product and dead skin can clog hair follicles, slowing new growth. Use a scalp scrub (try the OUAI Scalp & Body Scrub) once a week or a gentle silicone scalp brush in the shower. Massage in circles, but don’t scratch—think good vibes, not road rash.
Hair Products That Support Growth
Great hair isn’t born; it’s bottled (sort of). Regular use of the right products can make a big difference.
Shampoos for Growth.
Look for formulas loaded with strenghtening ingredients. Try Amika The Kure for strengthening and length retention or Nécessaire for their hydrating formula. We also love Pureology Hydrate, L’Oréal Absolut Repair, or Dove for an efficient budget version. These products work to reduce the appearance of breakage, and to strngthen your hair, so even slow-growing hair looks longer over time.
Hair Masks and Conditioners.
A hair mask or conditioner hydrates and repairs, so make sure you’re using one or the other after every wash. OUAI Treatment Masque or Amika Soulfood gets a stylist’s stamp of approval for deep moisture. If you need serious TLC, Olaplex No. 8 or Living Proof Restore Mask can bring brittle hair back from the brink.
Leave-In Conditioners and Serums.
Don’t skip this step if you wrestle with tangles or heat styling. A good leave-in product can improve your hair look to the point where you won’t need to use as much heat, which is super important for hair growth.
OUAI Leave In Conditioner & Heat Protectant spray is a crowd favorite—it detangles, protects, and smooths in one shot. For split end repair, better strength, and heat protection you can also try Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate.
Bond builders: the secret weapon.
If your goal is to grow and strengthen, bond builders like Olaplex No. 3, epres, or K18 offer legit damage repair. They reconnect broken bonds inside hair, not just on the surface—think duct tape for your split ends, but cuter.
Don’t fall for snake oil.
If you can’t find peer-reviewed research or stylist recommendations, think twice. Growth magic doesn’t come in a mystery dropper. It’s a combination of consistent effort, minimizing damage, and patience.
Scalp Massage Techniques
Massage isn’t just for stress—it can help stimulate your follicles. Some people swear by it as another tool in your hair growth routine. AND – there’s even some scientific research showing that scalp massage can help with hair thickness.
Benefits you can feel.
Massaging your scalp can help boost blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to hair roots. Like a little wake-up call for sleepy follicles. Also, it feels fantastic.
How to do it, pro-style:
- Use your fingertips, or get one of those scalp massage tools
- Gentle, circular motions, moving across your scalp for 4-5 minutes
- Keep it consistent – try doing it at least every other day
- Apply a light oil (like OUAI Scalp Serum or a drop of rosemary oil) if your scalp feels dry
- Massage every day or every other day to see the best results
- Best to do before you wash your hair, in case all the touching makes your hair greasy
Pairing your massage with a scalp brush feels extra-luxe, and the added exfoliation helps too.Not only it might help with your hair growth efforts, but it also feels downright amazing—total “me time” energy, and we’re here for it.
