Any person can experience hair loss at any age. Hair loss has many causes from medical conditions such as alopecia to treatments for cancer or even just age. For women, hair loss may be especially distressing since many may identify beauty with hair. If you’ve experienced hair loss and want to regrow your mane, there are many different ways to do this, including home and medical treatments.
Promoting Regrowth at Home
1. Practice good hair care
In some cases, poor hair care can cause hair loss or prevent regrowth. Using good and healthy hair care habits can help you regrow your hair.
2. Wash your hair regularly and gently
Clean your hair and scalp regularly and in a gentle manner with shampoo and conditioner. This can help you not only regrow your hair, but prevent damage that may cause further hair loss.
- Wash your hair every other day or as little as necessary. Frequent washing can damage your strands.
- Massage shampoo into your scalp and into the length of your hair.
- Rinse by allowing water to flow from your scalp down the ends of your hair. Don’t rub your hair as it rinses, which may cause damage or hair loss.
3. Apply a conditioner to your hair
After you finish washing and rinsing your hair, apply a conditioner along the length of your hair from ends to scalp. This can help prevent further hair loss through damage, including breaking.
Make sure to use conditioner every time you wash your hair.
4. Dry your hair cautiously
Drying your hair with towels and hair dryers can cause damage and impede hair growth. Dry your hair with caution to help prevent breakage and promote regrowth.
- After you’ve washed your hair, use a towel to rub or pat your strands dry. Avoid the temptation to wrap your hair in a towel, which can damage your hair and cause breakage.
- Let your hair air dry if possible.
- If you use a hair dryer, use the lowest heat setting. Reducing the number of times per week that you use a hair dryer can also promote hair growth.
5. Avoid vigorous or frequent brushing and combing
If you brush or comb your hair, try and do this as infrequently and gently as possible. Reducing how often you brush or comb and changing the way in which you do it can help promote hair growth and prevent damage.
- Only brush your hair to style it. It’s a myth that you should brush your hair 100 strokes a day.
- Allow your hair to air dry a bit before brushing or combing after washing.
- Use a wide toothed comb to untangle wet hair. This will cause less damage than a brush.
- If your hair is tangled, remove tangles gently and use a conditioner to help you if necessary.
6. Style hair wisely
Many people style their hair or use styling products such as curling irons, which are often hotter than a dryer. If you have to style your hair, choose loose styles, avoid heavy products, and use lower heat tools.
- Pulling hair back tightly in ponytails or styles such as cornrows not only can break or damage hair, but also may cause hair loss. Wear your hair pulled back loosely and try different hairstyles every day to allow your hair and scalp to relax.
- Use covered elastic bands to pull back your hair. Rubber can pull and break hair.
- Avoid styling products that are labeled “long lasting hold”. These can damage hair and cause breakage.
- If you use styling tools such as curling irons or hot combs, keep them at the lowest setting.
- If you wear a weave or hair extensions, make sure they are light so that they don’t pull at your hair and scalp.
7. Use chemical treatments sparingly or not at all
If you chemically treat your hair with color, perms, or relaxants, wait longer between treatments or avoid them altogether if you can. This can not only promote growth, but may also prevent damage and breaking.
- Wait 8-10 weeks between touch ups.
- Have only one service at a time. If you are having multiple services, wait two weeks in between them.
8. Protect your hair and scalp from the sun
If you go outside frequently, use a sunscreen or large hat. This can not only protect your strands and scalp from the suns harmful rays, but may help promote hair growth and prevent breakage.
- Any type of wide brimmed hat can protect your hair.
- You can either use a sunscreen specifically formulated for hair or a leave-in conditioner with zinc oxide to protect your hair and scalp.
9. Stimulate growth with scalp massage
Rubbing your scalp stimulates and increases blood flow. Try getting a professional scalp massage or rub your own scalp to help prevent hair loss and promote growth.
- Some massage therapists are specifically trained to help increase blood flow to the scalp with massage.
- Increased blood flow results in increased nutrient absorption, which can in turn stimulate hair growth.
- Massage can help condition the scalp and strengthen the roots of your hair.
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