Start with your scalp
New strands are produced in hair follicles on the scalp, so making sure the skin there is healthy is important in promoting new growth. The number one thing you can do: Regular scalp massages help encourage blood flow to the skin (and with that blood comes nourishing nutrients). Good times to sneak in a massage? Whenever you shampoo or condition, when you brush your hair (soft, bendable bristles are best)—or after applying dry shampoo. Just use your fingertips to knead the skin and distribute product through your roots. You can also apply weekly scalp treatments to support scalp health. At Prose, our scalp masks for those with thinning hair contain pea sprout extract, a botanical used to encourage hair growth.
Feed new growth
A balanced diet that’s especially rich in strengthening protein can help ensure your scalp—and the hair that grows from it—gets the nutrients they need. You might also want to consider popping a hair-specific supplement (common ingredients include biotin, fish oil, and protein), to act as an insurance policy. The scalp and nails are typically the last areas of the body to receive nutrients from food (life-sustaining organs like your heart and liver are near the front of the line), so taking a little extra of what your hair needs most can minimize chances your strands get neglected.
Keep up with your hair cuts
It sounds counterintuitive to get trims when it’s growth you’re going for, but you do want to make sure both ends of your hair are getting good care. Splits and breakage can erase length by whittling away at the bottom of your hair, so do try to see a stylist at least every ten to twelve weeks and ask for a “dusting” of your ends. This just means enough trimming to keep things healthy, but not enough that you’re losing significant length.
Don’t scrimp on conditioner
Similar to the rationale for getting regular trims, you should also be applying a moisturizing conditioner from your mid-length to your ends every time you shampoo. The longer your hair, the older (and more vulnerable) your ends, so it’s important that you treat that area with strengthening proteins, nourishing lipids and plenty of hydration. At Prose, our conditioners are filled with ingredients designed to maximize hair’s health at every length: Silk proteins support strand strength, while oils, such as plum, jojoba, and argan all help improve hair’s elasticity, making it less apt to snap. You can also up the ante with bi-weekly deep conditioners, whose benefits are boosted if you top them with a shower cap, enabling your body heat (trapped by that cap) to improve penetration.
Be mindful of chemical treatments
Heat styling, coloring, keratin treatments, perms: The things you do to make your hair look better may also lead to damage like splits and breakage. Work with your stylist on a treatment and styling schedule that works for your individual hair type and needs. For example, if you color every six weeks, consider reducing the frequency of your blow-dry sessions. The goal: to reduce growth-inhibiting damage.
To ensure what you’re using in the shower is helping support speedier growth, create a customized regimen with that hair goal in mind. Get started here.
