How To Grow Hair?!?!

May 24, 2015

Katlyn B.

I really want my hair to grow long because I think it's super pretty. Right now it's about to the top of my bra strap on my back, once it starts growing I have to cut it because of the dead ends and it usually looks shorter than it was... any help?

May 24, 2015

Shanae J.

For hair growth you can eat healthy, drink water, sleep on a silk pillowcase, tie your hair in a loose bun while sleeping, little to no heat, wash your hair less often, (2-3 times a week) hair masks!! Coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, avocado, egg are all great things for hair masks, the oils lock in moisture while the egg or avocado add protein, but that's only if your hair is lacking protein, so don't do that as often as you do the oil saturation, once or twice a week spritz your hair with a bit of water, apply the oils to the middle and the ends of your hair and tie your hair in a bun, pop on a shower cap and leave it on for as long as you can, I try to go for all day if I'm not doing anything. All you can do is stay healthy and care for your hair, there are no magic tricks or pills, I know it sucks to hear that but it's true, any hair growth method is nonsense, as well as any hair growth pills, they don't work and are harmful to your health. For instant results, get some extensions! Sallys holds some. (:

May 24, 2015

Hannah K.

The easiest way to make your hair grow is to keep it healthy. Don't mistake me, the rate at which your hair grows is determined by genetics, and nothing you can do will make your hair grow faster than it naturally would at its healthiest.

Here's how I keep my hair healthy:

In terms of products, invest in a sulfate and sodium chloride free shampoo and conditioner. That's all that matters. It can be any brand, any formula, with any intention (hydration, cleaning, repairing, what have you), as long as it is sulfate and sodium chloride free since that's what will strip your hair and leave it feeling really dry. I really like L'oreal EverStrong, EverPure, EverAnything, really. They're all great. EverCreme is in my shower now, and it's doing a pretty great job of keeping my hair soft and moisturized, though I really don't like the smell after a while (that's just me; it's like the warm vanilla sugar scent from Bath & Body Works, it just gets to be too much and too sweet for me personally) You can also check out Organix, they're great as well. If you're interested in higher end products, I adore the Unite and Keratin Complex lines, both are fantastic and really keep your hair in good shape.

I also recommend investing in a hair mask or deep conditioner. I really like the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, it's very moisturizing and leaves your hair feeling hydrated instead of dry. I also happen to love the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask, it's a weird, jelly-like texture, but I love how light it feels on my hair. It makes my hair extremely soft without weighing it down. I also recommend the Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner. It's a bit heavier as well, but it smells great and certainly hydrates your hair.

In the shower, when you're washing your hair, make sure the water is as cold as you can stand. Shampoo only the roots and condition from your ears down. Rinse quickly in cold water, and then after that, apply your mask, focusing on the ends of your hair. Finger comb until you don't feel any knots, because that way you don't have to brush it, because brushing it can break it off like heck. Then put your hair in a bun. Leave it that way for the rest of your shower, washing it out should be the last thing you do. I wash my hair around 3 times a week (with drier hair I can get away with it) and do the hair mask every time. If you need to wash your hair more than that, reduce your hair mask usage to 3 times :)

Try to avoid brushing your hair a lot, that can break it more than anything else, actually. This is why I finger comb my hair in the shower, so that I don't have to brush it.

If you heat style, use a protector and keep your heat setting as low as it can be while still working on your hair. For me that's about 350-390 degrees fahrenheit. In terms of hear protectors, I like the Tressemme, or I use a combination of the Alterna Caviar CC Cream and the It's a 10 Miracle Leave in plus Keratin (be careful with that though, if you get too much on your roots your hair will get so greasy so quickly)

Also, get trims when you notice split ends. If you don't really see any, you probably don't need a trim. Regular/constant trims just keep your hair at a consistent length. When your ends start looking a little fuzzy or bedraggled, that's when you need a trim.


Products wise...here are deep conditioners I like

1. My ultimate favorite right now is the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask. It's not expensive, and it's sulfate and sodium chloride free. It's super light, kind of a jelly like texture that melts into your hair, and when you rinse it out your hair doesn't feel heavy or greasy, just hydrated. This is the blue one. I really, truly love it.
2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, which I leave on for a lot longer than 3 minutes. It's really nice, also cheap, smells lovely, and hydrates your hair. It's pretty light, but make sure you rinse it all out or your hair will be a grease pit.
3. Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. This was my favorite for a while, until I found the L'oreal one. After that, I find this to be a little too heavy for my hair. I have to be really careful with this one, otherwise my hair gets greasy the same day. If I rinse well enough, my hair feels super clean and hydrated, but there's a thin line between greasy and too dry if you rinse too much, so this mask can be tricky.
4. Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner (also used as a hair mask) it's awesome. It smells like vanilla and hydrates your hair flawlessly. It's also color protective, which is part of why I love it so much. It's not heavy, so if you leave it in for a while it's not going to weigh down your hair, but it is a bit more expensive than others.
5. Organix Renewing Argan mask. It's also a bit on the heavy side, because it's oil based, but it seems to work fine so far. Also color safe, and also $6. It's a pretty good find :)
6. L'oreal Total Repair 5 hair mask. It's like $6, has a super smooth consistency and hydrates hair really well. You do have to rinse pretty well, or your hair gets greasy quickly, but after you rinse, you can add a tiny bit to the ends of your hair and it will work really well.
7. Alterna Bamboo UV+ masque. It's awesome. It smells really light and nice, it's safe for colored hair and it's super lightweight so you don't have to worry about rinsing everything out incredibly well. I also find it super smoothing, I like this a lot.
8. Garnier Damage Erase Butter. It's thick, really thick, actually, but it's pretty great. I like how easy it is to work with, it really moisturizes hair and prevents it from feeling super dry and frizzy. It's pretty good for $5
9. It's A 10 Miracle Hair Mask. It's decent, I like the packaging on it a lot, and the product itself is nice enough. It feels like my hair is hydrated and it works through really easily and gets rid of any tangles I have.
10. Paul Mitchell Super Charged Moisturizer. This is great. It's super lightweight and leaves my hair feeling super clean and hydrated.
11. Alterna Caviar Repairing Mask. I really like this. It's also super light and it feels so amazing on my hair. I managed to get a 16 oz version on Hautelook for $30 or something, which is amazing. It's really worth it. It's so smoothing and it makes my hair really shiny and soft.

Those are just my opinions and what has worked for me!

May 24, 2015

Mia X.

Space out shampooing, don't brush or comb your hair while wet, don't put it in a towel while wet, really don't do anything to it while it's wet. Don't use any hear on it. Take biotin supplements (helps your hair and nails grow)

May 24, 2015

Hannah K.

Information regarding hair growth -

Genetics and healthiness of hair

Your hair growth rate and type is down to your genetics. There is no way to grow your hair faster apart from keeping it healthy. Hair masks and deep conditioners can keep your hair healthy and making sure you cut off split ends (otherwise they go further up the hair shaft and cause breakage), Cutting off hair which doesn't have split ends to make it grow faster is pointless as you are cutting off hair which could still grow. A trim every 6-8 weeks is sufficient, however it is better to ask your hairdresser for a 'healthy trim'.
Drinking lots of water keeps your hair healthy.
Try to use less heat on your hair as this will dry your hair out. Don't brush your hair when wet as this can lead to breakage. Another factor of breakage is putting your hair in a bun or ponytail too tightly. Instead, try braiding or wrapping your hair into a headscarf or bandana as it is less likely to damage your hair.

Shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments

Shampoos and conditioners that say they mend split ends are a complete con, there is absolutely no ways to mend split ends. Cutting them off is the only option.
Similarly, shampoos and conditioners such as Mane and Tail are not good for human hair as they are not the correct pH level for us. The belief that they make your hair grow faster is a buildup of wax which causes your hair to be heavier. This leads to your believing that your hair is longer. Using Mane and Tail can cause brittleness which can lead to breakage. In the short term, you may think it is good for your hair. In the long term however, it is not.
You should also try to use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. This include ingredients such as Sodium Laurel Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.

Biotin, Hairfinity and other hair growth pills and vitamins

Biotin and other hair growth pills should NOT be taken unless you have a Biotin deficiency. This deficiency is diagnosed by a doctor. If you take Biotin when you don't have a deficiency, it can lead to acne, sickness, hospilitisation and even death. A member of Beautylish has had personal experience with this, when a member of her family became ill after taking Biotin. You should be eating enough Biotin-rich foods to not have a deficiency, these include almonds, walnuts, chickens eggs, milk, onions, cucumbers and carrots.
Do NOT take extra vitamins unless diagnosed by a doctor. Otherwise, it can cause another vitamin level in your body to decrease, resulting in the same problems as taking excess Biotin.

Hair thickening or thinning

Your hair type is also genetic. You can make your hair SEEM thicker or thinner (for example having layers put in to increase thickness look). Treatments, shampoos and conditioners which deem to thicken or thin hair are a lie. They can make it appear thicker or thinner, but cannot make it thicker or thinner.

May 24, 2015

Shanae J.

Don't take biotin unless your doctor approves of you taking it, you have to get your levels tested because it's made for people with a deficiency, says it on most the bottles, it can harm you severely if you take it when you don't need it, you already have plenty of biotin in the food that you eat daily. It only helps people with deficiencies because they are lacking a few of the things that helps with hair growth, such as clogged follicles, so if you're not lacking anything, it'll be harmful to you. It's not worth your health, especially when you yourself can do a lot more to care for your hair than a useless pill.

May 25, 2015

Nathalie H.

Also, take biotin pills. That's what my dermatologist recommended me when I said I wanted to grow out my hair.

May 25, 2015

Katlyn B.

Thanks everybody! I have been taking biotin and haven't had any serious problems. I have had a little more acne but nothing really drastic. A lot of people, including hairdressers told me it was good for hair growth.. so should I keep taking it?

May 25, 2015

Nathalie H.

People on beautylish say that it is bad for you and can cause "serious health issues", few days ago I went to see my doctor and told her about it, she said it's not true and taking biotin is very good for your hair and skin. I've been taking biotin as well and don't have any health issues. If you still are not convinced, go to any pharmacy and ask a pharmacist :)

May 25, 2015

Shanae J.

No, don't go to a pharmacist, go to your doctor and have your levels tested. Just because you haven't noticed any problems doesn't mean it won't happen, and just because others haven't noticed problems doesn't mean you'll be the same. Biotin will only work for people with deficiencies because that's what it is made for. Someone who doesn't need to take biotin and takes it anyways will notice absolutely no results and COULD cause serious health problems. There are multiple people who have any through the biotin experience and have had terrible things happen, I'm just letting you know facts and the cons of biotin, the pros are that it will work for you but ONLY if you have a deficiency of biotin.

May 25, 2015

Shanae J.

Nathalie, your doctor would not have said that it wasn't true, if she did you didn't tell the story correctly. If she did, she should be fired.

May 25, 2015

Katlyn B.

Thank you Shanae and Nathalie! :) I will go to a doctor and have my levels tested before I continue to use.

May 26, 2015

Shanae J.

Thank you, Katlyn! Safety first.

May 27, 2015

Nathalie H.

Shanae no doctor will test your blood just to check your levels on biotin deficiency. However, you point your argument so strongly, mind you provide some references on where from you got so much knowledge on biotin?

May 27, 2015

Alyx T.

Nathalie - any competent doctor would gladly send you for a blood test to test your levels at ANY point for ANY reason. If you are at all concerned and they don't - go see a new doctor. Especially as someone who overdosed on biotin, I absolutely know they will test you for any reason you need or want. The vitamins say on the back "go see your doctor" or "go test your blood levels before taking" for a reason.

Taking biotin or any pills without taking a blood test to see if your deficient is incredibly dangerous. If you're on even a semi healthy diet you're most likely getting enough biotin from your food. As someone who has overdosed on biotin when I was younger, please do not just go out and take pills. Just because they're sold in stores does not mean you should take them without consulting a doctor. Taking any vitamins, especially biotin can lead to very bad side effects that defeat the point of taking them fit nice hair like hair loss, hair dryness, nail weakness, skin issues like permanent breakouts, dehydration etc, not to mention the lethal ones like kidney failure, liver failure, heart palpitations and more. Read these threads for even more reasons why you should NOT take biotin or any other pills just because someone on the Internet said it's okay.

http://www.beautylish.com/t/yzsrqz/biotin-or-nah
http://www.beautylish.com/t/ywnxnp/please-answer-does-biotin-help-promote-hair-growth

And especially this one http://www.beautylish.com/t/yuapvi/hairfinity-3-months-pics

May 29, 2015

Nathalie H.

Alyx T. I'm not listening someone "just because someone on the Internet said its okay", nor will I listen to you or Shanae because you both are "someone on the Internet" who says it's not okay. I will listen to my doctor who has more knowledge than both of you combined :)

May 29, 2015

Alyx T.

Nathalie that was really rude and truly unnecessary.
Me and shanae are both telling everybody to go see a doctor before taking any pills, and I even stated facts and every thread I listed goes into medical facts from medical studies and journals.
Like I said above. As someone who has actually overdosed on biotin, it's not just a small risk you take when popping vitamins. It could be your entire life.