Reasons Your Hair Might Not be Growing

If growing your hair and achieving length is a goal of yours it can be disconcerting to feel as though your hair just won’t or can’t grow. It’s especially frustrating if you are actively trying to achieve length without much if any satisfaction. Maybe you’ve noticed no additional length at all or maybe it is taking you several months to notice the smallest progress. Whatever your situation, it’s somewhere most of us have been, so if it makes you feel at all better, then know you are not alone. You can and will figure this out.

There are several reasons why your hair growth may have plateaued. Dietary deficiencies, stress, or breakage are among the causes, and once identified, steps can be taken to correct the problem. Most often, growth is achieved when you’ve unlocked the perfect combination of products and practices that works for you, so keep trying and pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. It may take time, but it’s not rocket science. Let’s look at reasons for slow hair growth.

Breakage

Breakage is more or less inevitable. As hair ages, the ends (oldest parts) become weaker and may break off. Seeing a few tiny bits of hair shouldn’t alarm you, but lots of tiny or not so tiny pieces are definitely a cause for concern. Most people experience a quarter to a half-inch of growth each month, however, when your hair breaks at a similar rate, then the net hair growth is zero and your length stays the same.

Breakage is also practically inevitable because it has so many potential causes. Potential causes of breakage are:

Harsh Styling

Hair is not invulnerable and handling it harshly is guaranteed to cause you discomfort and result in damage and breakage. We’ve all gotten frustrated with our hair at some point during styling, but it’s important to handle hair and scalp gently to prevent breakage and retain length. This means avoiding tight hairstyles and making sure you brush or comb your hair with care at all times.

Heat Styling

Heat styling is a personal choice that comes with a certain amount of risk of damage to the hair. Minimizing those risks means taking proper precautions. If you are having issues retaining your new growth, consider using heat less or not at all for a few months to see if that helps. Treat hair with a gentle protein treatment and deep condition to help undo any damage that’s already occurred.

Over-Processing

Chemical treatments such as hair dyes, relaxers, and perms are great for changing up your look, but they alter hair strands and can weaken them and cause damage. Making the effort to treat your hair between chemical processes can minimize the risk of damage and help you retain length as your hair grows.

Diet

A healthy body and healthy scalp are essential for proper hair growth. To accomplish all three, you need a healthy diet that contains all the essential nutrients and adequate amounts of water. Foods such as eggs, leafy greens, avocados, beans, and berries help provide the body with the nutrient it needs for healthy hair growth. A multivitamin to help fill in any gaps in your diet is also something to consider.

Stress

Stress is the gift that keeps on giving. First, you get stressed then you get stressed out about the fact that you are stressed, so your stress level climbs and you start gaining or losing weight, start losing your hair or biting your nails, etc. Depending on the severity, stress can do serious damage to your health and impede your hair growth so if you aren’t able to totally remove the source of your stress, finding ways to cope with it is the next best thing. Meditation, exercise, and getting adequate sleep are great ways to combat stress and its effects.

Split Ends

Split ends weaken the hair strand but what’s worse is that they don’t stay at the ends. They keep going up the strand, weakening the hair as the split extends up the hair strand. The only remedy is to trim them off as soon as you see them so there is no opportunity to compromise more of the hair strand.

Incorrect Hair Care Regimen

Not giving your hair what it needs, when it needs it is the surest way to impede its growth. Using too much or not enough product, rough detangling, using a shampoo that’s too harsh, or rubbing hair dry are surefire ways of begetting a hair disaster. Try not to use too many products at once so that you can identify any that may not agree with your hair. Introduce new products into your regimen one at a time and get regular trims to prevent split ends. The focus of your hair regimen should be to grow and maintain healthy hair. Try scalp massages and seal your ends after you apply your leave-in and hair moisturizers. Once you’ve mastered health then the length will follow.

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. Master that and watch the inches add up. Happy growing!