10 Reasons Your Hair Isn't Growing
1) Unhealthy scalp environment
2) Lack of hair strand balance
3) Lack of hair care regimen
4) Too much YouTube Experimenting
5) Wrong Styling Tools
6) Too much tension
7) Wrong product choices
8) Too much improper heat
9) Vitamin & Nutrient Deficiency
10) Medical Condition
Wondering why your hair isn't growing? Nature gives us all follicles and if you have follicles, then there is hair growing out of those follicles, whether it seems to be or not. Therefore, the first step in establishing how to fix your problem is identifying why your hair isn't growing.
1) Unhappy Scalp Environment
Because your hair grows out from follicles in your scalp, the scalp is an extremely important factor in hair growth. However, most people only concentrate on the hair strands without giving the scalp proper consideration. An un-cleaned, clogged, and un-stimulated scalp can slow hair growth while also causing the hair to break at or close to the scalp, giving the appearance that your hair is not growing.
2) Lack of hair strand balance
Hair growth is all about a balancing act. For optimal growth, your hair strands need a balance of hydration and protein to fortify (infuse) and strengthen each and every strand. Dry and weak hair strands break, giving the appearance of shorter hair, which makes people believe their hair is not growing. One of the best ways to ensure hair growth is to make sure that your strands have enough hydration to keep them supple and moist, while also ensuring they are fortified with enough protein to keep them strong and growing long.
3) Lack of haircare regimen
Identifying your hair goal(s) is the first step in creating an effective and customized hair regimen. Most women and men who aren't achieving their hair goals have not created or do not follow a tightly defined regimen. Frequency, tools used, water source, moisture & protein balance, products used, and outside environment are all factors that should contribute to creating a well-thought out and practical regimen that will ultimately help your hair to grow.
4) Using YouTube as a sole source for information on how to care for your hair can be a big contributor to your hairs lack of length retention. Making sure the person on the video has the same texture(s) as you is most important. Additional factors often overlooked include the environment in which the YouTuber lives and how their hair reacts to different products and humidity levels in the respective climates.
5) Yes, even wide-tooth combs can be detrimental to the hair. Plastic combs are made by fusing 2 or more pieces of plastic together creating seams, which can really tear textured "natural" hair. Metal combs, Denman brushes, and bone combs are great for dry hair, while using a metal comb is a top choice for wet hair, especially during the conditioning phase. Selecting the right hot tools are just as important, with titanium being the best option for straightening hair and ceramic for curling hair.
6) Protective styling is a great way to decrease manipulation of the hair but if improper techniques are used, this practice can do more harm than good. If your protective style, such as braids or twists, are still hurting after 24 hours of getting them done, the style was done too tightly and should be taken out immediately. Applying product to the scalp to "loosen" or relieve physical tension is counterproductive and can add to slowing down the growth process. In some drastic cases, follicles are ripped out at the root, never to return again (grow back).
7) Hair soaks up and takes on the properties of the products that are applied to it so choosing the wrong mixture can under or overwhelm your strands. Thinner hair strands need protein while thicker strands need moisture. Ideally, an even balance of both make for an ideal product for the hair. Testing for "slip" (even while in-store) is a great first step in choosing the best ingredients that will speak kindly to your hair.
8) Just like a snowflake falling from the sky, no two heat sources are the same, i.e. indirect and direct heat. Roller sets completed under a hooded dryer, styles the hair using indirect heat which is a top option for textured hair. Blow-drying falls under direct heat and if used over-abundantly, can cause damage, eventually ridding strands of their natural pattern.
9) 1/3 of the women who sit in my chair have a vitamin deficiency of some kind. Deficiencies look a certain way and are often in a certain area on the head. D2, D3, Iron, & Thyroid-related deficiencies are top contributors to your bodies inability to grow the hair at the rate and length you may desire. Getting a blood test done from a licensed doctor will help identify any deficiencies and what can be done to reach your optimal hair goals.
10) Hypo- & Hyperthyroidism, blood pressure medicine, blood thinners, diabetes medicine, and overproduction of DHT are all medical-related conditions or prescribed remedies that can cause hair loss and/or prevention of growth. Of course, there are others, but by researching and becoming knowledgeable about any condition you may have, even if unbeknownst to you, will inform you of the best path to travel to reach your hair goals and overall well-being.
