My hair WILL NOT grow!! Beyond desperate here!

Dec 26, 2013

Kate M.

I have always had very fine, somewhat thin, blonde curly hair. At age 13, I cut my hair from below my waist to above my shoulders. Since then, I have not been able to get it to grow past my shoulders.
I AM NOW 24!! I do not use a flat iron, never had a perm, never dye (aside from an occasional salon highlight 1-2 times per year) and don't use hot rollers. Trim my hair about every 3 months. I blow dry my hair on low w/ cool air, NOT hot.
I shampoo about every 2-3 days and use a conditioner on my ends only (both are Paul Mitchell and were recommended by a hair stylist). After washing it, I lightly spray my roots w/ a detangler and run a wide tooth comb through it & then apply a leave-in conditioner to my ends and let it air dry.
Still nothing!
I currently take these daily and have for over a year:
2,500 of Biotin, 5,000 of B-12, an iron supplement, a chewable multivitamin, and a prenatal. I used the hair, skin & nails pills for almost a yr a while back. Didn't help and they tasted so gross! :p.
Not on birth control or any pharmaceutical pills.
I eat healthy for the most part and drink A LOT of water and avoid soda, fatty foods, too much dairy, grease, fast foods, and fatty meats (my mother was a health food fanatic).
I am at a complete loss as to why my hair just won't grow!! It always makes it about a 1/2 - 1 inch below my shoulders and just breaks and splits.

If anyone has a similar problem or a possible solution, please share!

Dec 26, 2013

Veronica M.

If you never use heat besides blow drying then why trim your hair every three months? You can go with out a trim for five or six months if you don't use any heat or chemicals.

Dec 26, 2013

Veronica M.

Do you deep condition as well? Have you thought about using certain oils?

Dec 26, 2013

Shabs K.

Coconut oil. Oil your hair.

Dec 26, 2013

Kate M.

Veronica M., the gal who always trims my hair said it was imperative I trim my hair every 3 months. So I, being totally ignorant on the topic, blindly followed her advice. A few stylist have told me that..but maybe just to keep my business. Haha.

Dec 26, 2013

Kate M.

Shabs K., I've tried tea tree and a few other but never coconut oil. Would it be okay even though my skin is sensitive and oily already?

Dec 26, 2013

Neha M.

Do not use a hair detangler on your roots. It leads to breakage. Only use it where knots are. And try oiling and massaging your hair before shampooing. Also, only shampoo your scalp and let the lather wash the rest of your hair.
Also, you could Google 'inversion method' for hair growth. Some people swear by it. It might work for you. :)

Dec 26, 2013

Kate M.

Neha M., thanks so much! (:

Dec 26, 2013

Neha M.

Anytime Kate! :)

Dec 26, 2013

Sola N.

I got the same problem.They are not growing since about 4 years.

Dec 26, 2013

Paula M.

I had the same problem but in the last year my hair has grown so much and I've had so many compliments! I went very drastic with my hair but that's because I was sick of it ill tell you what I did, and still do as it's like an obsession now :) I stopped using shampoo and any sulfates on my hair!! I use water and bicarbonate soda to wash with I do this once a week and the second time I wash my hair in the week I just co-wash with a sulfate free conditioner. I make my own conditioner with things like honey argan oil essential oils lime lemon I buy vitamin e capsules too and really just what ever I fancy! I also do a deep condition treatment each week I always use oils!! They are amazing and I swear by macadamia sesame coconut and argan oil the last 2 are beneficial for healthy hair growth. I had my hair chopped at the beginning of the year and now I do the search and destroy method where you just search your hair each week and snip off dead ends. I used wide toothed combs to comb my hair after a shower and use a microfiber towel to dab excess water out and let it natural dry curly, I only use heat to style the front for special occasions. I also wrap my hair in a head scarf at night to protect it from damage or you can buy a silk or station pillow case! I could go on forever but I won't bore you, if you want to know more about it then google the no shampoo method, you have to have some patience but if your like me and tried every other option then you will try anything lol. And it really pays off!! :)

Dec 26, 2013

Seph A.

I have the Same problem...my hair was past my waste, I chopped it to my shoulders and 15 years later still can't get it past my bra strap...thanks for this question, I have learned some things!

Dec 26, 2013

Shelley W.

Right on Paula!! When I left the sulfate shampoos alone my hair changed in a good way. What many people fail to realize that as we get older our hair growth slows down. There is also another scientific reason for slow or non-existent growth but I can't recall the proper terminology for it.

Dec 26, 2013

Vivienne T.

For growth, drink plenty of water daily and eat more proteins, fruit and veg (dark green veggies are the best). Massage your hair every day, wet or dry for about 10 mins and flip your head upside down for 20 seconds so that you can promote circulation in your scalp. Once or twice a week, massage your scalp with almond oil and leave it in for 15-30 minutes before washing it out. A healthy treatment does a lot to make your hair grow, I use an argan oil from pro naturals and it works great.

Dec 26, 2013

Paula M.

Yeah I second the head massaging I do it 2-3 times a week when washing and putting in treatments! Garlic is actually brilliant and I have incorporated a lot into my diet I also used a garlic oil treatment on my hair a while back and it worked brilliantly but it didn't half take a lot to get the smell out so yeah you have to be dedicated but the experimenting is all part of the fun :) also banana is another amazing treatment but equally as hard to remove lol. And a bit iff topic but Also I put fresh minced garlic in my clear nail polish that I apply once a week, I just rub lime on after to get rid of the smell! And Shelley w is right literally after a couple if weeks of going sulfate free you start seeing results :)

Dec 26, 2013

Micaela S.

Everyone has really good tips so I'd try those. But unfortunately there is a terminal hair length that is different for everyone. Maybe it just isn't able to be longer than it is anymore :(

Dec 31, 2013

Shabs K.

My skin is vry sensitive too and I use this on my scalp its very nice. An old traditional remedy fir healthy hair.