Keep your scalp healthy.
Think of your hair like a tree: If the soil and roots aren't taken care of, the tree can't grow tall and solid. "Hair growth starts with a healthy scalp," explains celebrity hairstylist and WEN founder Chaz Dean. "When you cleanse and treat your scalp with healthy ingredients, you product strong, beautiful hair." If you're not sure how healthy your hair is, Chaz recommends doing a "root lift test": At the crown of your head, hold up a section of your hair. Healthy hair should be the same thickness root to end, but if your ends are thinner, it's time to rethink your haircare regimen.
Start from the inside by eating the right foods.
Having long, strong hair doesn't just depend on which products you put on your hair, it also depends on what you put into your body. "To promote hair growth, you need to 'feed' the hair from the inside," explains Dr. Francesco Fusco, dermatologist and CLEAR Scalp & Hair expert. "Try increasing your protein intake with foods like fish, beans, nuts, and whole gains." If you're not a meat-lover, be sure to maintain a diet high in protein — Dr. Fusco warns that women who don't get enough of it often experience "more shedding."
Consider trying hair-boosting supplements.
Your body requires many vital nutrients to create new hair, from ample protein to a slew of essential minerals. So take a look at your diet — because while eating a balanced diet helps, you may not be getting the proper amount of all the hair-building nutrients needed to create healthy hair that can grow super-long and withstand damage. "I take Viviscal Extra Strength and biotin tablets every day and tell my clients to do so as well — especially if they want to grow their hairand make it healthier as soon as it comes out of the follicle," Townsend says. Before starting to take supplements, it's best to check in with your doctor to make sure not only that you take the right amounts and that they won't interact with any medications you're currently tak
Brush your hair like it's spun from gold.
Constant brushing can cause physical harm to your hair. "When you detangle wet hair, be sure to start from the bottom and work your way up — we often instinctually go from the scalp down but that just brings small tangles into one large knot and can cause you to lose a lot of hair," Townsend explains. He also suggests reaching for the Sheila Stotts Natural Boar Bristle Brush, as boar bristle brushes are good at distributing your scalp's natural oils down your hair and being extra-gentle on strands too
Ditch your cotton pillowcase.
Townsend recommends switching to a sateen fabric such as Calvin Klein Sateen White Sheetingbecause it has a softer surface that won't cause friction the way that regularly woven cotton does with your hair, so you'll wake up with fewer tangles
Never, ever wrap your hair in a massive towel again.
What could be so bad about putting hair in your super soft bath towel? A lot. "It causes so much breakage," Townsend says. "Your hair gets caught in all the woven fibers and since most women almost always wrap it too tight around their face, all those tiny, fragile strands around your face are more prone to break." Opt for the super-thin and soft microfiber hair towels instead (likeAquis microfiber hair towel), which are totally OK to wrap into a turba
Switch up your pony placement.
It's an easy move that can help maintain the integrity of your strands wherever you tend to secure your ponytail all the time, which means they'll continue to grow out strong and damage-free.
Do a cold-water rinse at the end of each shower.
"This really does help to grow hair and keep long hair healthy for longer," Townsend says. "Cold water lays down the outer layer of hair more smoothly, which helps prevent moisture loss, snags and heat damage — you only need to do it for a few seconds, but this one extra step over time can make a huge difference."








