8 Ways to Stimulate Hair Growth and Get Back Your Youthful Locks
In the past few years, hair has become incredibly important, especially for males. The male grooming industry is worth billions of pounds a year globally, and more and more men are spending a larger portion of their disposable income on hair care, hair styling, and hair growth.
Most men experience a gradual thinning of the hair as they get older, and some men may suffer from male pattern baldness or complete hair loss as they enter their mid-thirties and early forties. This has led to an increase in men seeking out techniques and products that can help stimulate hair growth and help them retain and regain the hair they enjoyed in their teens and twenties.
If you are starting to feel a bit thinner on top, or are beginning to see the signs of hereditary male pattern baldness, then there are things you can do to help retain the hair you still have and even regrow some of the hair you have lost. Here are eight ways you can stimulate hair growth and get back your youthful locks and look.
Get a Regular Haircut
It may seem counterintuitive to get your hair trimmed regularly when you’re trying to keep as much hair as possible, but getting your hair cut helps stimulate natural growth and keep your hair follicles healthy.
Whatever style you wear your hair in, try not to go more than two weeks without a cut. This will help maintain constant and natural hair growth, and prevent longer hairs from splitting at the ends, which can damage the follicle and lead to permanent hair loss.
Use Less Shampoo
In hair care circles, shampoo can be a touchy subject. Though many people may have shampoos that they swear by and use every day, shampoo can actually damage the hair, scalp, and follicles and prevent hair growth.
Shampoos often contain soaps that can dry the skin, and have an abrasive effect on the scalp. They also can wash away natural oils that your hair needs to protect itself through the day. The ‘no-poo’ regimen has become popular with some people, who just wash their hair with warm water most days, and use a natural homemade shampoo for irregular cleansing when they feel their hair needs cleaning. This can give them fuller and thicker hair.
Make Sure You Use Conditioner
Though most men will skip this step in the shower, using conditioner is actually better for your hair than shampoo. Even followers of the ‘no-poo’ regimen still regularly use a conditioner to improve the quality of their hair.
Men with itchy or dry scalps should also invest in deep conditioners or scalp scrubs that can help exfoliate the scalp and remove dead skin and ingrained dirt and oils. The healthier your scalp is, the healthier your hair follicles are, so a well-cared-for scalp is an important part of stimulating hair growth. Deep conditioners and hair scrubs often need to be applied to damp hair and scalps and given time to soak into the skin before rinsing, so make sure you follow the correct steps for your scalp scrub or deep conditioner and check the bottle before use.
Try Hair Growth Vitamins and Supplements
There seems to be a supplement or vitamin combination to treat just about every ailment or allergy these days, but the vitamins and compounds that help stimulate hair growth have been long understood. Shampoo and conditioner companies have been including them in their products for years.
Vitamins like A, C, D, and E are all vitamins associated with hair strengthening, and folic acid and biotin can help your skin, and scalp, stay healthy. You can get a lot of these vitamins and compounds simply from eating a well-balanced diet, and that too has been shown to increase hair growth and the quality of hair. A healthy body will lead to healthy hair, so make sure a well-balanced diet and exercise are a part of your hair growth regimen to give yourself the best chance of stimulating fresh hair growth.
Take Care When Brushing and Combing Your Hair
Regular combing and brushing of your hair can help stimulate growth, but you have to be careful not to damage your hair or your scalp while doing so. How you treat your hair and scalp after washing can have a large impact on the quality of your hair and the amount of fresh hair growth, so be sure to use products and treatments that are gentle to your scalp and follicles.
Heat treating your hair with a hairdryer can be very damaging to your hair and scalp and should be avoided if you are trying to promote growth. Some gels, waxes and sprays can also be damaging, as they can use harsh chemicals to maintain their hold on your hair. Try to use natural products where possible that are suitable for sensitive skin types. The skin of your scalp is very absorbent, and its health is integral to the health of your hair.
Consider a Hair Transplant
If you are suffering from male pattern baldness, you should consider a hair transplant. These procedures are quicker and simpler than ever before and provide lasting results. The service that professional hair transplant services provide can be indispensable to someone that is losing hair rapidly, no matter what methods they try.
A consultation with a hair specialist can provide a wealth of information, as well as a pathway to regaining lost hair. Many people make the mistake of thinking they would be receiving a transplant from someone else’s hair, but these services actually take donor follicles from elsewhere on your body and use them to replace dead or lost follicles on your scalp. You grow your own hair back!
Dry Your Hair Gently with a Microfiber Towel
Having a specific towel to dry your hair may sound extreme, but using the right type of towel in the right way can promote growth and protect your scalp. Most people will dry their hair with a woven cotton towel, and use a harsh scrubbing motion to do it, and this can be incredibly damaging to the hair and scalp.
Hair gets trapped in the weave of towels and breaks, and the scrubbing motion can damage the delicate skin of the scalp and even cause small friction burns. Microfiber towels are incredibly soft and absorbent, and when used gently to ‘pat-dry’ the scalp and hair, are a much gentler way to dry your hair.
Massage Your Scalp, Or Have Someone Do It for You
Scalp massage is a fantastic way to increase blood flow to the scalp, which stimulates hair growth at the follicle. This can also be used along with scalp scrubs and deep conditioners to condition your hair and exfoliate your scalp while you do it.
There are many hair salons and barbers that offer services like this, and that would happily use and apply your preferred product with their professional skills to ensure that your scalp is well cleansed and massaged.
Great hair doesn’t grow overnight; it takes several nights and plenty of days spent caring for and nourishing your hair and scalp. No matter how bad hair loss gets, you have options available to you that will help you stimulate your hair growth and regain your natural, youthful locks of hair.
