Why won’t my hair grow?
Why can’t I retain length?
What could I be doing wrong?
As these and a million other questions run through your mind, we want you to just breathe and relax…
Hair growth is one of the most pressing of the hair trials and tribulations. You feel like your hair growth is stagnant, that no matter what you do (like all the promising hair masks) your hair just won’t go past the length that it is now. But like anything else, it can be figured out.
There are plenty of reasons why hair decides not to grow past a certain length. Anything from your diet, chemical imbalances, or the products you may be using can make it challenging for your hair to grow.
We all want long, healthy, shiny and damage-free locks, and we know how frustrating it can be when that doesn’t seem obtainable.
We promise that (in some capacity) it is, and luckily for you, we have broken down the reasons why your hair may not be growing and some tricks to aid in the hair growth process.
Why Won’t My Hair Grow?
1. Genetics
So when it comes to an individual’s hair growth, each person has a hair cycle growth phase where their hair has the potential to reach its longest length.
The terminal length of hair is the maximum length that it could possibly reach without being cut or damaged. Hair does not necessarily stop growing when it reaches a specific length but it does once a certain period of time has passed (the cycle of your hair growth).
The growth phase of hair is mostly determined by genetics and can last anywhere between two and six years. On average, most hair grows about half an inch per month and each hair finishes the cycle at different points (the reason people have multiple hair lengths on their heads).
2. Shedding
Everyone sheds hair! Shedding hair is completely normal and natural.
It is a part of the hair growth process. Old hair is shed so that new hair can grow. Even the healthiest of scalps shed up to 150 strands of hair a day.
When your hair loss starts to occur faster than your hair regrowth, then you run into a problem of your shedding being excessive and probably caused by something else (like many of the other reasons we will talk about).
3. Age
Similar to your genetics, age can also be a reason why your hair won’t grow. Age affects hair growth because your hair’s growth cycle becomes shorter as you get older.
Also, as you get older your hair tends to get weaker because of everything you put it through throughout your life, like styling, processing, bleaching, but also your food habits and physical health. Your original six year cycle trickles to a two year cycle, making hair thinner and unable to grow past a certain point.
4. Stress level
Stress seems to affect pretty much everything about our health, including our appearance.
Emotional and physical stress are linked to hair loss and an overall decrease in the quality of hair. Stress is detrimental to our hair growth as it restricts the hair growth cycle.
Treating yourself to relaxing activities to decrease stress levels will not only improve your mental health, but also the health of your hair.
5. Hair Breakage
Breakage is probably one of your hair’s arch nemeses. The average person’s hair grows about six inches every year. If your hair is not being cared for properly (too little care or too much care) and it is breaking off just as fast as it grows, then your hair will stay the same length until some habit is changed.
Some of the most common ways to cause hair breakage are:
Heat Styling
We think you all might get it by now, but if you haven’t, excessive heat is bad news!
Every time your hair comes into contact with a hot tool just keep in mind that the damage you are causing affects your hair growth. If you want to grow out your hair, you have to keep it as healthy as possible, and frying your hair with hot tools will cause your hair to become brittle and break, ruining any dreams of gaining length.
If you need a replacement for your hot tools, try a RevAir Reverse Air Dryer. You can dry and straighten your hair without the frying that the other hot tools give you. Plus the RevAir can help smooth your cuticles which promotes healthy and shiny hair.
Over-processing
While experimenting with hair dye, relaxers, perms, and highlights may be fun, it is not the best when you want to grow out your hair. Exposing your hair to chemicals strips it of its natural oils and dyes cause your cuticle to lift (when it should be flat), ultimately leading to split ends and breakage. Which, again, breakage makes it almost impossible to grow your hair past a certain length.
Aggressive Styling
Styling your hair can be frustrating, but you don’t want to take it out on your locks by being aggressive. Tight hairstyles, using uncovered elastics, brushing your hair forcefully, are all ways to cause breakage to your hair.
If you need more tips on how to keep your hair happy (without aggression) check out our blog post filled with ways to keep your hair healthy.
6. Split Ends
Split ends are almost as bad as breakage, but if deal with them they don’t have to be. Split ends are not good for hair growth because although your hair may be growing from the root, it is ultimately breaking off from the bottom, making it seem like your hair is stuck at a certain length.
To remedy this, you must get a trim and cut off the split ends. Leaving split ends will only cause them to split further up the hair shaft, leading to more breakage and no hair growth.
So, don’t just ignore them, cut them off and try to prevent them in the future.
7. Diet & Exercise
Like stress, your diet and exercise habits affect a lot about your physical health. Just like your skin loves when you drink your water for the day, your hair loves when you eat a healthy, vitamin-rich diet.
Here are five foods that you can incorporate into your diet to help your hair stay healthy:
Eggs
Eggs are a great source of biotin and protein, both of which promote hair growth. Protein is important for hair growth because the follicle is made of mostly protein. Biotin is needed to produce keratin which is a hair protein.
Spinach
Spinach is one of those healthy greens. It is loaded with iron and vitamins A and C. Vitamin A helps skin glands produce sebum which helps moisturize the scalp to keep your hair healthy.
Berries
Berries contain a lot of vitamins and antioxidants that can promote hair growth. Antioxidants help to protect hair follicles from damage. Strawberries, as an example, contain Vitamin C which helps produce collagen, another protein that helps to strengthen and prevent it from breaking.
Avocados
In case you didn’t already love avocados, they are a great source of vitamin E. Vitamin E protects skin, like your scalp, from the stress and damage of oxidation.
Beans
Beans are a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and biotin, all are important for hair growth. Plus beans are versatile in how you can eat them and typically very inexpensive.
8. Poor Hair Care Routine
Having a poor hair care routine is a sure-fire way to make sure your hair does not grow past a certain length.
Doing things like towel-drying your hair, using too much product, using too little product, brushing your hair aggressively, washing your hair with steaming hot water, etc, are all things that can lead to breakage and therefore lead to no hair growth.
To build a good hair care routine, you want to understand your hair and also learn about things your hair doesn’t like. Your end goal is to keep your hair as happy and healthy as possible so that it wants to grow and can retain any length.
What Can I Do?
Become an expert on your hair. The best way to keep your hair healthy is to understand what your hair needs and wants from you. To do that you have to understand things like your hair type, your hair’s porosity, and then take that information and create a hair care routine that fit just for you.
Obviously things like genes and age cannot be taken care of, but if you work hard to reverse all the other damage you may be doing to your hair then you just might be able to retain the length you want (and deserve!).
Be Your Hair’s Best Friend & It Will Be Yours
If you need more hair care tips or just have a question, contact us. We’d love to help you figure out how to get that healthy, shiny, damage-free hair that you want. In the meantime, keep reading our blogs.
Do you have a blog topic in mind? Do you have some burning hair care questions? Let us know here and we can try to accommodate your request!
