Achieving thicker, stronger and longer hair growth requires a little revamp of your hair and scalp regime, as well a handful of healthy lifestyle practices that will boost your hair’s chances for success. However, it is important to approach your hair growth journey with well-managed expectations, with the understanding that healthy hair growth requires patience and consistency, as it forms part of the broader hair growth cycle.
Did you know that your hair grows underneath the skin for a full two weeks before it emerges on the scalp? And that the average hair’s growth rate is around 1cm per month? This is why care and attention during the hair’s incubatory period is essential to healthy hair growth. The solution? As with any hair health journey, the cultivation of longer and fuller locks starts at the scalp.
Although hair growth requires patience, there’s plenty you can do to help encourage the process and ensure you’re doing everything you can to maximise your hair growth environment. Whether that’s introducing scalp massages, targeting hormonal hair thinning, opting for a silk pillowcase or dialling down the heat, there are a number of failsafe hair growth secrets that can promote the fullest and longest hair growth ever.
Here are 7 expert-approved tips to stimulate healthy hair growth…
1. Treat Your Scalp Like Your Face
Taking care of the scalp is at the heart of every hair growth routine. Just like our skin, our scalp can accumulate bacteria, are affected by hormonal fluctuations, pollution, UV radiation, harsh chemicals, oxidative stress and more. It contains hair follicles that are surrounded by blood vessels and nerves and work to regulate hair growth by delivering hormones, nutrients and oxygen that impact the hair’s health and structure. These hair follicles can become clogged, build up with sweat, become inflamed, irritated and directly impact hair growth.
Introducing a holistic scalpcare regime as the foundation of healthy hair will significantly impact the rate of hair growth and the health of the hair fibre. When you give your scalp the love and care it deserves, you are ensuring that blood and nutrients can easily target the hair follicle, helping minimise shedding and thinning.
At MONPURE, scalp health is at the core of everything we do. We understand that as the hair’s incubator, the dermatological condition of the scalp should be treated as an extension of the skin on our face, and that skincare doesn't end at the hairline.
Look out for familiar skincare ingredients like Retinol, Lactic Acid (AHAs) and Salicylic Acid (BHAs) that are relatively untapped treasures in haircare. Considering that the scalp is much oilier and thicker than the skin on our face, it is a breeding ground for microbes, and needs to be nourished and balanced to maintain healthy and growing hair. Alongside these gold-standard staples, look out for powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients, such as Camellia Tea Oil, Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel Water.
Discover skincare staple ingredients in…
2. Target the Hair Growth Cycle
It is normal to lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day, which is about 0.001% of our total hair. However, when you notice that amount doubling or even tripling, that is your telltale sign that your hair growth cycle is too short. Various biological and environmental imbalances can disrupt this state of affairs, including stress, hormones, genetics and diet.
When combating hair thinning or shedding, it is important to get down to the source and minimise hair loss by targeting the hair growth cycle itself. MONPURE’s best-selling Follicle Boost Hair Density Serum contains natural solutions to hair loss and thinning. Formulated on scientific grounds, this invigorating hair growth elixir works like fertiliser to a flower-bed. It initially works to minimise excess shedding and also boosts the growth of new hair follicles leaving the telogen (shedding) phase and entering into a new cycle of the anagen (growth) phase, which usually takes around 6 months.
The product’s star ingredient, Pumpkin Seed Extract, has been scientifically proven to block the 5-alpha reductase enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into DHT, the hair-loss-causing androgen that shrinks the follicle’s growth phase and prolongs its shedding phase.
It also contains Coffee Arabica Extract, proven to offset the effects of DHT through shaft elongation and thickening. What’s more, it’s packed with antioxidants and antimicrobial properties that deliver nutrients and ward off dandruff. It is formulated with Rosemary Oil, which promotes cell turnover, boosts circulation and delivers nutrients and oxygen to the follicles.
The serum is also formulated with skincare-staples Retinol and Lactic Acid, that gently decongest clogged hair follicles, promote healthy cell renewal and enhance the absorption of other ingredients and nutrients.
3. Eat a Balanced Diet
It’s important to remember that healthy hair growth and retention are supported by a healthy diet. If your diet is missing vital nutrients and vitamins, your hair’s appearance and health will reflect that. When your body is starved of the healthy nutrients it needs to grow healthy hair, or you are experiencing a period of intense stress, your body will shut down processes like hair growth to redirect sparse nutrients and energy to the organs that need them more.
If you want to optimise your grocery list for hair growth, look for foods rich in protein, iron, Vitamin B12, omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E. An iron deficiency is often responsible for hair fallout before it reaches its maximum length, so consider upping your intake with some red meat, beetroot and dark leafy greens.
4. Dial Down the Heat
One of the easiest lifestyle habits to change to help your hair grow healthier and minimise breakage is to dial down and heat and ditch your reliance on hot styling tools. A dependence on styling with hot tools can wreak havoc on the health of your hair if not done with caution and using protective measures. Heat opens the cuticle layer of the hair strand, allowing the hair to dry into the shape and formation created when blow-drying, curling or straightening your hair. This process works by breaking down the hydrogen bonds in the hair, allowing heat to restructure and restyle the hair pattern.
Hot styling tools can damage the hair by making it dry and brittle, leading to breakage and shorter hair length. Research has shown that regular heat styling significantly decreases the moisture content of the hair. If you're trying to maximise hair growth, we recommend air-drying your hair when possible and using heat protectant to shield your strands.
MONPURE’s star ingredient, Vegan Silk Peptides, deliver protective properties that regenerate the structure of thermally damaged hair fibres. The application of vegan silk peptides results in 72% thermal damage repair.
Discover Vegan Silk Peptides in…
- Strengthening Silk Protein Shampoo
- Strengthening Essence-Conditioner
- Nourish and Stimulate Scalp Mask
- Follicle Boost Hair Density Serum
5. Minimise Breakage
Having breakage-prone hair can make achieving your hair growth goals nearly impossible, so there are a few habits you can implement to mitigate against physical aggressors.
- Avoid too-tight hairstyles that cause friction and pulling.
- Swap out elastic hair ties for silk scrunchies. Elastic hair ties can cause tension on the root of the hair, leading to breakage down the hair shaft and split ends. The Style & Protect Scrunchie Trio, created with 100% high-grade mulberry silk are exquisite accessories that are extremely soft on delicate strands, holding your styles in place minus the snags.
- Protect your hair with a gentle brushing technique. You should always begin brushing from the tips and working your way up. Starting from the root is a recipe for unnecessary damage.
- Be mindful that your hair is most vulnerable when wet, so be gentle on freshly-washed locks. When hair is wet, its keratin proteins form weaker hydrogen bonds. Wet hair also stretches more easily, deforming the cuticle and causing it to lift and crack.
- Load up on a lightweight, nourishing conditioner to replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft, while sealing the outer cuticle. The Strengthening Essence-Conditioner, inspired by K-beauty regimes, resembles a skincare essence with its lightweight consistency - allowing you to confidently replenish moisture and nourishment back into the scalp without fear of a weighed-down or greasy aftermath.
- Wash out your conditioner with cold water. Cold water lays down the cuticle more smoothly, ultimately preventing moisture loss, snags and heat damage.
6. Scalp Massages
Just like good quality soil is essential for a healthy flower-bed, a healthy scalp is the foundation of healthy hair growth. Research suggests that scalp massages are extremely beneficial in reducing stress, blood pressure and tension. Scalp massages also increase blood circulation to the scalp and follicles, enhancing the strength of the roots and allowing nutrients to permeate the follicles and stimulate hair growth.
The two most common scalp massage methods are called ‘effleurage’, which are circular stroking movements, and ‘petrissage’, which is a gentle kneading technique on the scalp. Investing in a scalp massager or combing technique into your routine not only works to stimulate hair growth, but also forms a calming and relaxing ritual that soothes tension.
Introduce the Heal and Energise Jade Comb into your hair growth regime with an ancient Chinese technique called ‘combing therapy’. Just like the stone Gua Sha and rollers we use on our faces to boost circulation, improve lymphatic drainage and tighten the skin, jade combs can do wonders for the scalp. Using the comb in tandem with the quenching and calming Hydrate and Soothe Scalp Serum, or hair-growth-boosting Follicle Boost Hair Density Serum will stimulate follicles, relieve scalp tension, promote blood circulation, encourage hair growth and boost your overall mood.
Read more about how to give yourself a scalp massage here.
7. Sleep With a Silk Pillowcase
Waking up with matted and tangled hair certainly doesn’t do you any good on your healthy hair growth journey, and your cotton pillowcase may be the culprit. We recommend switching to a silk pillowcase. The soft silk can boost the hair’s moisture retention from products and oils and reduces friction that could cause tangles and breakage.
While this step won’t necessarily speed up your hair growth journey, it cuts down on tangles, breakage and damage, while also preserving all of your hard work in growing your hair.
Healthy hair growth requires a good measure of patience, care and consistency. However, implementing these lifestyle changes, with a strong emphasis on scalp health, is your one way ticket to the fullest, longest and healthiest hair growth yet.
