Stimulate Hair Growth: What Really Helps

Long, full and shiny hair is considered the number one ideal of beauty. But unfortunately, not everyone is granted a silky mane à la Jennifer Lopez.

For many, giving up is not an option. With shampoos, tablets and tinctures we try to make our hair grow faster. But success is often far down the road.

Which hair growth products really deliver what they promise? And which ones do nothing but tell you that the sky is blue? Let us shed some light in the dark.

The Phases of Hair Growth

How are we supposed to grow our hair faster if we don't even know how it grows? That's exactly why we're going to look at the stages of hair growth together.

Did you know that every hair goes through a life cycle of three phases? Usually, each hair follicle goes through ten to 30 such cycles. After that, it stops. Now the hair follicle can no longer form new hair.

How often and how fast a hair goes through the three phases of the life cycle varies from person to person. The exact number and duration is in our genes.

And it is precisely for this reason that each person achieves a different hair length. For some, the hair sprouts up to the hips, for others it doesn’t even get past the shoulders.

First phase: The growth phase (anagen phase)

Imagine: Most of your scalp hair is active right now. A full 85 percent are currently in the middle of the growth phase or anagen phase. This is when the hair follicles form in the scalp and increase in length and volume over time.

The growth phase takes a long time. It's approximately two to six years in the making.

Second phase: The transition phase (catagen phase)

In the transition or catagen phase, the hair is in upheaval. Everything changes. Suddenly, cell division stops, the supply of nutrients to the hair root decreases and the hair on the head shrinks noticeably.

At the end of the transition phase, the hair root becomes hornified. Now the third and final phase can initiate

Only a few hair roots are in the transition phase at this moment - to be precise, only one to two percent of all head hairs. The next two weeks they have to deal with strong changes.

Third phase: The resting phase (telogen phase)

In the resting phase, the metabolism of the hair follicle comes to a complete stop. And when there is no more metabolic activity, sooner or later it runs out of vitality. The hair atrophies and falls out.

Around eight to 14 percent of your scalp hair is currently going through this dormant phase. For three months, their metabolism decreases step by step - until they are finally lost.

But don't worry: a straggler is already waiting. Gently, the new, strong hair pushes the old one out of the hair shaft and moves into its place. And now everything starts all over again. The growth of the hair resumes its cycle.

The Best Turbo Tips: How can I Stimulate Hair Growth?

Honestly: Who has the patience to wait? If we really want something, we would like to have it immediately - with just a snap of our fingers.

It’s not that simple to achieve fast hair growth just like that, but we can still speed up the procedure a little bit. With these turbo tips you can easily and effectively accelerate your hair growth.

First Turbo Tip: Eat Right and Accelerate Hair Growth

The be-all and end-all for strong and fast hair growth is a healthy and balanced diet. If our body absorbs all the essential nutrients with food, our hair roots do too. In other words, they are well nourished.

And the better nourished they are, the faster and stronger they grow.

Conversely, this means that if our body suffers from a nutrient deficiency, our hair roots automatically suffer as well. They lack important energy donors. And unfortunately, you can see that. They look thin, brittle and weak. In the worst case, they even fall out.

All right, a balanced diet, I can handle that. At least that's what most people think. But eating healthy is often easier said than done. A proper meal plan is a bit of a challenge. These food superfoods should not be missing in any diet:

• Vitamin E: The all-rounder keeps your scalp and its follicles healthy. Tomato paste, olive oil, rye and sardines provide an extra portion of vitamin E.

• Vitamin C: Fancy a little pick-me-up for hair stems  and follicles? Then go for spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and parsley.

• Vitamin A: Our hair loves vitamin A. Why not serve its favorite snack with some fish, nuts, eggs, carrots, spinach, peppers, cherries or grapefruit?

• Zinc: How about a big dose of keratin and collagen? Both ingredients keep skin, hair and nails healthy. But where do you find these beautiful substances? Simple: in fish, eggs, milk, cheese, beef and pork.

• Iron: Did you know that an iron deficiency doesn’t go easy on your hair? In the worst case, you may even lose some of it. Don't let it come to that and supply your hair roots diligently with generous iron suppliers such as liver, sesame seeds, flax seeds, quinoa, pistachios or wheat bran.

  You can treat your hair roots to an especially large amount of iron with legumes. Lentils and beans are real iron grenades.

• Biotin: Just as good as vitamins and zinc, our hair roots are in love with biotin. The healthy all-rounder skillfully strengthens skin, hair and nails. It is found in soybeans, rice, nuts, liver, egg yolk, yeast and oatmeal.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Fuller hair and lively hair growth - how does that sound to you? Good? Then treat yourself to some fish, Brussels sprouts, flaxseed, soy and rapeseed oil.

• Selenium: Suffering from thin, brittle or thinning hair? Maybe a selenium deficiency is behind the beauty flaw. Because selenium is indispensable for full hair.

  The best way to replenish your depleted selenium stores is with Brazil nuts, lentils, asparagus, cabbage and onion vegetables, mushrooms, meat and fish.

 
Good to know: Normally, we absorb all important vitamins and minerals through food. But if our eating habits or our immune system are not the best, a deficiency can quickly develop. In this case, dietary supplements are worthwhile - be it iron, zinc or biotin.

But be careful: Look for high-quality preparations from the drugstore or pharmacy and discuss the supplements with your family doctor beforehand - better be safe than sorry.

Second Turbo Tip: The Right Hair Care

When it comes to hair care, "less is more". The less you stress your hair, the faster and stronger it will grow. Here is our hair care 101:

• Pamper your hair with mild shampoos - organic shampoos are best. Aggressive ingredients such as silicones, parabens or paraffins are taboo. They may make your hair soft and supple at first, but in the long run they only lead to split ends and hair breakage.

  How about high-quality aloe vera natural cosmetics with natural oils like coconut oil or olive oil instead?

• Hair growth booster: Boost your hair roots with caffeine - whether with shampoos, conditioners or professional hair treatments. Caffeine perks up tired follicles.

• When styling your hair, switch to economy mode. Blow-dry your towel-dried hair on the lowest heat setting and avoid using straighteners, curling irons, etc. as often as possible, because heat doesn't go well with our sensitive hair roots at all.

  Especially with long hair, too many styling marathons quickly cause split ends and hair breakage.

• Why so tense? Tight ponytails, braids and chignon do your hair no favors. Why not keep it loose instead?

• Show your true colors: The more often you go without dyes, highlights and colorations, the faster your hair will grow. The reason: far too many dyes still contain ammonia, an aggressive bleaching agent that is used in particular in bleaching. It dries out the hair in no time. Vegetable-based dyes are definitely the better choice.
    

Once does not count:

Brush your hair as often as possible. This way you gently stimulate the blood circulation in the scalp. Because the more active the blood circulation, the more eagerly the hair follicles work.

But that's not all: brushing also gets the microcirculation going and ensures a healthy scalp. The reason: now the vitamins and minerals reach their destination even faster.

Another plus point: When brushing, you distribute the natural hair oil (sebum) into the lengths and tips. This not only makes the hair softer and silkier, but also more resistant to split ends and hair breakage.

A little tip: A brush with natural bristles allows your hair to breathe.

• Speaking of the scalp: Regular scalp massages also keep your hair at their best. It has been proven that they stimulate blood circulation and reduce stress. And the less stress on your head, the healthier and fuller your hair.

  It's best to use a dash of argan, olive, jojoba, grapeseed or coconut oil for the massage. This leaves the scalp wonderfully soft, velvety and hydrated.

• Strength lies in rest: Vigorous rubbing with a towel does not fall into the category of head massages. It's best to gently pat them dry after washing. Because too strong of a mechanical irritation may still put our weak hair roots to rest.

• Don't be so stressed: Stress is poison for the hair roots. The best way to reduce the poison is to exercise, meditate, read, or progressive muscle relaxation.

Autohaemotherapy – The Real Turbo for Natural Growth

Another insider tip for full, strong and healthy hair is autohemotherapy, also known as autologous blood treatment.

Your blood is filled with valuable nutrients and proteins that gently stimulate cell renewal and collagen synthesis in tired hair roots. Sounds good, but how exactly does autohaemotherapy work?

• In the first step, the attending physician takes a small amount of blood from the patient. Usually 20 to 30 milliliters are sufficient for one session.
• Immediately afterwards, they carefully prepare the blood that has been drawn, which contains a veritable flood of growth factors.
• Now they inject the prepared blood with the finest needles into the light to bald spots on the patient's scalp. Step by step, they instill the precious liquid into the lower layers of the skin.
• Now, the prepared blood, rich in growth factors, goes to work. Fully committed, it supports the growth phase of the flaccid hair roots. From now on, the follicles begin to recover.
• To maximize the success of treatment, most medical professionals recommend several sessions in a row. Four sessions at least four weeks apart are ideal. This allows your hair to grow faster and more efficiently.
• Additional components in the blood can also demonstrably increase the treatment success of autohaemotherapy – for example hyaluron. They cleverly stimulate the regeneration processes of the hair roots.

Hair Loss Treatment Made Easy

From shampoos and tinctures to head massages and relaxation techniques to a healthy, balanced diet, many patients spare no expense or effort for a full, shiny coat.

But often the efforts simply do not lead to the hoped-for result. There is still a yawning emptiness on the head.

You too have already tried everything possible, but have still not reached your desired goal?

Maybe our blog article on the subject of hair loss will help you reach your personal hair happiness. Read up and get valuable tips for a fantastically full coat.

By the way: On our blog you will find everything you need to know about the HAIR & SKIN treatment methods – from autologous blood treatment to hair transplantation.

Because who knows, maybe exactly these two successful therapies are suitable for your path to happiness.

Hair Loss – A Problem That Can Be Solved

Many hair loss patients feel almost powerless in the face of bald patches on the scalp. What can they do about it? Far too often, they succumb to their blemish and continue to suffer in silence.

But this does not have to be the case. In the meantime, hair loss can be combated quickly, easily and effectively – either through grandma’s miracle home remedies or through a professional approach, such as autologous blood treatment or a hair transplant.

Find out about your options right now and win back your youthful and fresh appearance. Get a free consultation from HAIR & SKIN and learn exactly what your scalp needs.