How Long Does It Take For Hair To Grow? 6 Tips Included!

You just cut your hair but can’t wait for it to grow back? Are you Googling “How to get long hair quickly” or “How long does it take for hair to grow”? Well, then you came to the right place!

Every inch counts when you are having trouble growing your hair. It might seem to take an eternity, whether you’re hoping a terrible haircut would grow away, suffering from post covid hair loss, or just want to have longer hair.

If you’ve ever tried to grow your hair back, you’re undoubtedly aware of how long it takes to add a few inches to it. How long would it truly take to grow your hair a whole foot longer? 

SubjecCurls author & an amazing hairdresser Trisha Champan spills all the tea about hair growth. Read on!

Note: If you click on any link & decide to buy it, I may earn a small commission.

How long does it take for hair to grow?

The short answer is that the usual healthy hair growth cycle is ½ inch per month. That means that in one year, your hair could grow about 6 inches and 12 inches in two years. 

Hey hey hey, don’t be sad! This is just an average number, and you can grow a lot more if you take good care of your scalp, your hair, and your body. There are many factors that can affect your current hair growth rate. Some of them are age, gender, hydration, sleep, vitamin & mineral deficiencies, your current hair care routine, immune system, hormones, stress, and much more.

Hair grows in cycles, and there are four stages of hair growth: the anagen phase, catagen phase, telogen phase, and exogen phase. The anagen phase is the most important as in this phase, your hair grows the quickest. Healthy hair growth can be promoted all year round but keep in mind that the hair growth cycle is around 100 days (or 3 months).

However, it’s hard to predict how quickly your hair grows even if you have a perfect diet, get enough sleep, and your hair care routine is top-notch. Keep in mind that following fad diets (such as “eat a cucumber a day and shed a few pounds”) have a huge impact on your hormonal system. Therefore it strongly affects your hair, skin, and nails.

How long does it take to get long hair?

This question is very individual and depends on everyone’s point of view. What is long hair for you? If you just cut your hair to shoulder length, it might take up to two years to get really long hair. 

If you have curly hair, it will take even longer as it is harder to notice the growth because of the hair shrinkage. It is even said that curly hair can shrink up to 30% of true length while coily hair can shrink up to 75% of true length!

Keep in mind that the average lifespan of a strand of hair is 2 to 7 years, so you must take good care of your mane every day. 90% of your hairs are in a growing phase, while the other 10% are in a resting phase.

How to make your hair grow faster? 6 excellent tips for your long hair

Even though you can’t hack mother nature, there are some ways to make your hair grow faster. All these tips are tried-and-tested with my clients, and I can assure you that they all work like a charm!

#1 Massage your scalp

I will never get tired of repeating this: healthy hair starts from a healthy scalp, and if you want to have long, shiny hair, you must not only clean but also massage your scalp regularly. With oil or without – this is up to you, but even 3 minutes of a good scalp massage before washing your hair might be that one magic trick you need to speed up the hair growth process.

To maximize the effect, use the glycolic acid exfoliating treatment once a week or bi-weekly. It helps to clean the buildup, which might clog your hair follicles and cause dandruff, flaking, and, of course, poor hair growth.

#2 Treat with care

You can’t expect shampoo commercial-like hair if you are applying heat, silicones, drying alcohol, and other bad stuff on your hair. Avoid hair products with sulfates, silicones, and alcohol. I know that life is too short not to experiment with your hair, so even though you are going to use a curling iron or a straightener, always use a heat protectant. No questions asked.

As I explained before, many things can affect hair growth and hair loss. If you decide not to use any heat protectant when applying heat to your strands, you are literally frying your hair. This can cause hair fall and thinning hair.

#3 Moisture is key

Seal your hair ends with oil and deep condition your hair once a week to maintain a good moisture-protein balance. We all know that split ends are the devil. Deep conditioning helps to replenish moisture and avoid split ends. It also helps to soften hair, prevent breakage and improve hair elasticity. 

This step is especially important for those with curls and coils as it prevents possible hair damage and restores natural shine.

#4 Feed your hair

I don’t want to exaggerate, but there is nothing more important for your hair growth than the food you eat and the beverages you drink. Go to the best hairstylist in town and use the fanciest shampoo, but it will do nothing if you are not getting enough vitamins & minerals with your food. A balanced diet is a must for normal hair growth.

Eat more nuts & seeds, try green vegetables (such as avocado, broccoli, asparagus, kale, and collard greens), eggs, oysters, salmon, and lean protein. Hydration is also important, so drink at least 10 cups of water a day. You can also try vitamins & minerals for hair growth.

#5 Trim only when you see the damage

There is a myth that you have to trim your ends one in three months. I can assure you that this is not true. Why do you have to trim if there is no damage? Trimming is important when you see split ends or breakage, but until that, leave your hair alone and let it grow!

#6 Try hair growth supplements

If you tried everything and nothing works, there is still one thing left. 

Try hair growth supplements! There are many options in the market: you can use collagen or biotin, and some people are even trying prenatal vitamins for hair growth. If it works for you, that’s perfect! However, I want to recommend to you something that helped many of my clients to grow their hair back.

Har Vokse helps you strengthen, protect, and regenerate hair while maximizing the hair growth rate. Additionally, it prevents hair loss and thickens hair. Har Vokse is the ideal product for you because it supports healthy hair.

FAQs

Conclusion

There is no magic word to grow your hair back instantly. The usual hair growth rate is ½ inch per month, meaning it will take one year to grow 6 inches of hair or two years to grow 12 inches. It is a long process, but there are some hacks (or tips, if you prefer) to maximize your natural growth cycle.

Good diet, deep conditioning, silk or satin pillowcase, and scalp massages are the small things that you can change to get the perfect long and healthy hair you always wanted!

Get the hair you deserve!