The #1 Reason Your Hair Won't Grow (And How to Fix It)

First things first: let’s look at the reasons your hair isn’t growing, before we get to the tips.

BAD HAIR HABITS

Hair grows at an average rate of about half an inch a month, which works out at roughly 6 inches a year. If your hair is not getting the care it needs, it can be breaking off at the ends at the same rate it grows from the root. That is why hair can sit at the same length for months: it is growing, you are just losing it at the other end.

HAIR DAMAGE FROM OVER-PROCESSING

Perming, relaxing, coloring and highlighting are all chemical processes that can damage hair and contribute to breakage. Chemicals strip the natural oils, and synthetic dyes lift the outer cuticle. A healthy cuticle lies flat, which is what makes hair look smooth and shiny. A lifted, damaged cuticle leaves hair dull, brittle and frizzy, and that ends in split ends and breakage.

CURLING OR STRAIGHTENING WET HAIR

There is a reason your stylist dries your hair before curling or straightening it: wet hair is far more prone to damage. If you have ever straightened damp hair and heard it pop and sizzle, that is water and heat meeting, and it is not doing your hair any favors.

OVER WASHING YOUR HAIR

Over washing is a major cause of dry, damaged hair. Your scalp produces oils that are vital to hair and scalp health, and washing daily strips them out. Clean hair is not necessarily easier to style, either.

OVER-BRUSHING YOUR HAIR

Too much of a good thing. Constant friction from over-brushing weakens strands and causes breakage in the same way over washing does.

BRUSHING YOUR HAIR FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

It is natural to start at the root and work down, but if your hair tangles, that just drags the knots tighter. Start at the bottom and work up, easing through the knots as you go.

EXCESSIVE HEAT STYLING

Extreme heat dries strands out and leads to split ends and breakage. Before you reach for the curler, straightener or even the dryer, remember that all of them affect your hair over the long run. Give your hair a break so it can regain strength. How you handle it matters just as much, from towel drying to sleeping in a tight ponytail. Rough cotton towels on fragile wet hair, and uncovered elastics instead of soft scrunchies, do more damage than most people realize.

Now for the fixes: read Grow Your Hair Faster: 10 Easy Tips. And if the problem is your scalp rather than your strands, start with What’s Causing Those White Flakes? or Natural Remedies for Dry Scalp.