How To Make Your Hair Grow Faster: The Best Natural Ways

It can be a challenge to keep and maintain healthy-looking shiny hair. The condition of your health and quality of your diet can affect your hair from the inside whereas environmental factors affect your hair externally.

In this article, you can find out lots of natural ways that can make your hair grow faster. You will see how you can affect your hair growth internally by diet and nutrition and what you can do to boost hair growth externally by topical treatments.

Most people want to keep their hair looking great and realize that spending a fortune on expensive shampoos and conditioners isn’t going to solve the problem.

Some of us notice that at certain points in our lives, our hair growth slows down and we start noticing that our hair is thinning or bald patches appear. This can be a traumatic experience for both men and women. Also, some women would like to grow their hair longer, but notice that their hair isn’t growing as fast as they would like.

If you want to boost hair growth, you have to have a regular hair care program. This can help people who are dealing with hair growth issues, and people who want to keep and maintain healthy looking hair.

Let’s have a look at how to make your hair grow faster.

1. Healthy Diet

There’s an old adage – “you are what you eat.” That is also true when it comes to hair. A healthy diet contributes to having healthy hair and in many ways, our hair reflects what is going on in our bodies. Therefore, the first step to getting healthy hair and making your hair grow faster is to make sure you have a healthy diet.

The main component of hair is a protein called keratin, therefore, protein is important in making sure that the hair gets the nourishment it needs from your diet. It’s important to consume chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and dairy products. Also, beans, lentils, and nuts are good non-animal protein sources. What other nutrients are important for healthy hair? Here are the essentials:

• Iron. Found in red meat, chicken, fish, and leafy green vegetables. Make sure to read my article about the top signs of iron deficiency.
• Vitamin C. You can get this from citrus fruits, berries, and some vegetables.
• Vitamin A. Found in orange and yellow vegetables
• Vitamin E. Found in nuts.
• Omega-3 can help stimulate hair growth and reverse hair thinning. Oily fish like salmon, herring and sardines are good sources.

You can boost your hair growth by ingesting pumpkin seed oil (PSO). According to the journal Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine, supplementing your diet with pumpkin seed oil can boost hair growth. The study showed that men who took 400 mg pumpkin seed oil per day experienced faster hair growth than those who didn’t. The researchers concluded that pumpkin seed oil could be an alternative treatment for hair loss.⁶

You can either consume the pumpkin oil itself or around 1.5 tablespoons of shelled pumpkin seeds which are equivalent to 400 mg PSO.

If you want more information on how your diet can help your hair, then please read my article about the best foods and nutrients for healthy, strong and shiny hair.

2. Massage your Scalp To Promote Faster Hair Growth

We know that massage is a great way to relieve stress and get the body feeling good again. Did you know that your scalp can also benefit from a massage? In fact, a recent study suggests that scalp massage can help stimulate hair growth and increase hair thickness.

Massaging your scalp increases blood circulation and rejuvenates the hair follicles. If you combine a hair massage with essential oils, then the effect will be even better. Some of the best essential oils for hair growth are peppermint and rosemary essential oils. These can be combined with some carrier oils which are known to boost hair growth like castor oil and coconut oil. You can also add a few drops of these essential oils to your shampoo.

Some women have benefited from The Inversion Method. This involves massaging some oil into your scalp for 4 minutes then turning your head upside down for 4 minutes, and repeating this every day for a week. Many women say that they have boosted their hair growth with this method probably due to the increased blood flow to the area, although no research backs it up.

3. Oils to Make Hair Grow Faster

There are many natural oils which not only work great on hair but also boost hair growth. Many oils contain fatty acids and vitamins which are essential for hair growth. Two of the best oils for hair growth are castor oil and coconut oil.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is actually a unique oil because it contains a high percentage of ricinoleic acid, which is an omega-9 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory² and antibacterial properties.³ This means that it is a very effective way to rid the scalp of free radicals and stimulate hair growth.

A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed that ricinoleic acid showed potential for use in hair-loss treatments.⁴

You can use castor oil to treat hair loss by making a hair mask and applying this to your hair twice a week. Or for healthy, shiny hair you can apply a pea-size amount weekly as a leave-in conditioner. To find out more about the amazing benefits that castor oil has for hair, please read my article on how castor oil can improve and regrow your hair.

4. Coconut Oil

Another excellent oil for hair growth is coconut oil, and I’ve written about it in my article about the most effective ways to use coconut oil for hair growth. Coconut oil has a unique structure which allows it to penetrate right into the hair shaft to reduce protein loss.⁵ It has actually been used for centuries to promote hair growth.

Coconut oil has been traditionally mixed with aloe vera to promote hair growth. To grow longer, healthier hair mix 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil with 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel and apply overnight.

Alternatively, you can mix some coconut oil with a few drops of false daisy oil and then apply to your hair. One study showed that false daisy extract was able to speed up hair growth.⁶

There are other oils which are good for hair growth which you can read about in my previous article.

5. Essential Oils

There are many essential oils that can make your hair grow faster. These can be mixed with castor oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil to help maintain a healthy scalp and provide a needed boost to hair growth.

Some of the best essential oils for hair growth which have been studied are:

• Peppermint oil
• Rosemary oil
• You can find other essential oils for healthy hair in my previous article or learn more about essential oils in my e-book Magical Aromatherapy.

Other Natural Ways for Faster Hair Growth

What other natural ingredients you can use to help promote faster hair growth? Here are some tried and tested natural remedies:

6. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Apple cider vinegar has many natural benefits and one of them is to help the scalp and hair stay healthy and free from bacterial infections. One of the reasons for hair loss is clogged hair follicles which cause bacterial infections.

There are sources claiming that apple cider vinegar stimulates better blood circulation to the hair follicles which in turn strengthens the roots and promotes hair growth. But there are no studies to support this claim.

ACV also helps to keep your hair healthy and shiny as it doesn’t strip the scalp and hair of their natural oils and balances hair and scalp pH. It also helps treat conditions like dandruff and itchy scalp. You can find detailed instructions on how to do ACV hair rinse in my article about why you should wash your hair with ACV.

7. Onion Juice

Believe it or not, but onion juice may promote faster hair growth!

Onion juice has actually been scientifically proven to help hair re-growth. A study published in the Journal of Dermatology showed that crude onion juice was effective in helping hair re-grow in men and women who have alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease that presents with patchy hair loss).⁷

You can make a topical treatment using onion juice very easily. All you have to do is extract the juice from some onions, massage into your scalp and leave for 15 minutes before washing out. For an even better effect (and to make the onion smell a bit nicer) you can add some of the essential oils that are mentioned in this article. I have more information in my article on how to use onion juice for hair re-growth.

8. Garlic

Using garlic as a topical application is also an effective way to boost hair growth. Garlic contains sulphur and selenium which are essential to strengthen the hair. It also contains natural antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. A study published in 2007 showed that, when garlic gel was applied topically, it helped hair re-growth in participants who had alopecia areata.⁸

You have to be careful not to put neat garlic juice directly onto the skin because it can cause irritation. It can be mixed with honey or coconut oil and applied as a salve to the scalp. You can also add some essential oils to improve the smell. Please read my article on how to use garlic to promote hair growth to see more ways how to use garlic.

9. Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto is a small plant which produces berries that are full of flavonoids, fatty acids, and sterols. It has shown to be effective in treating hormone-related hair loss.

One study published in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that when saw palmetto was taken as an oral supplement, over 60% of the participants experienced positive results regarding their hair re-growth.⁹

For more information, please read my article: How to Use Saw Palmetto to Stop Hair Loss and Promote Hair Growth.

Reasons for Hair Loss

You should remember that there are many reasons why people start to lose hair, and sometimes it can be because of underlying health issues (I’ve already written about the 10 causes of hair loss and how to treat them). If this is the case, then these issues need to be addressed before the suggestions in this article will be effective.

For example, in women, thyroid disorders and pregnancy can cause hair growth to slow down. There is also a link between menopause and hair loss. Some women also experience hair loss after surgery or an intense illness. Also, autoimmune diseases like alopecia areata can cause hair loss in both men and women. Make sure you identify the root of the problem and treat it.

Read these related articles:
How Castor Oil Can Improve and Regrow Your Hair
Why You Should Wash Your Hair With Apple Cider Vinegar
The Best Hair Growth Vitamins and Supplements to Fight Hair Loss
The Best Natural Oils for Your Hair
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