What has genuinely made your hair grow?

[GreenEyedGiant]

There's so many products on the market for hair growth that I'm overwhelmed. I used to have amazing long, thick hair but after 2 surgeries close together I went through a lot of hair loss and had to get it cut to above my shoulders to meet the regrowth that had grown. However since then it's just stopped growing altogether. My hair used to grow so fast so I assumed once I was a few months past the surgeries it would return to it's usual growth speed but it seems that's not happening again.

I've been taking Biotin and Sea Kelp for the past year and my hair does seem to be slowly thickening which is great but just not growing in length.

Has anyone used anything you'd fully recommend?

A thyroid support supplement- but I have underactive thyroid, guess it probably wouldn’t do much if you don’t.

Biotin tablets..Good for nails too

Time

Iron tablets, especially after two surgeries you may be low.

I have an underactive thyroid. What is the supplement you use?

It was this one. Hairdresser commented I had grown new hair, after a few months on this.

It may be that a lot of your hair is in the resting phase and will start to grow again over the next few months?

My hair is always the first thing to suffer if I'm unwell. It's the things that are good for the whole of me that are good for my hair. A healthy diet with a decent amount of protein. Exercise. Fresh air. Low stress. I tried a protein based hair supplement from a tricologist but I think a healthy diet is just as good. Regular head massaging can help increase blood supply to the hair follicles, which helps growth too.

Sorry, the little one woke last night so just getting back here now.

Yeah I guess time and a better diet is most likely to help it's just there's so many things being sold for this that I didn't want to waste money buying unless someone recommended them.

Sea kelp can have varying iodine levels (all kinds of kelp really). I don't know whether you're eating the dried plant or tablets which should contain the amount of iodine written on the label, but you might occasionally get a very high dose of iodine, which can be too much or even dangerous.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iodine/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/503815-kelp-and-iodine-overdose/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1924637/

If you can, try to speak to a doctor and get a blood test for those vitamins/minerals etc that influence hair growth or whose deficit can cause hair loss (iron, vitamin D etc). Then you can supplement the missing parts much more strategically.

For supplements that are supposed to influence the thyroid, it is safer to first get the TSH-level assessed, so you are not accidentally overdosing.

Hi @GreenEyedGiant
Eating seeds and nuts (almonds, cashew, walnuts) and washing hair once a week. I also take an iron supplement. Chlorella powder from Holland and Barrett is full of iron and other vitamins, i mix this along with Spirulina powder (also from H&B) in some water xx

My hair had been falling out in clumps - menopausal.

In addition to hrt, I started taking collagen daily, hair/skin/nail gummies that have various vitamins and biotin, calcium tablets, vitamin d tablets and fish oil. My hair is thicker, long, doesn’t break or fall out.

I also wash it now every other day or every 3rd day. I use good quality shampoo and conditioner as recommended by hair dresser. I get hair cut regularly too. I use silk hair ties to not break my hair.

also stopped colouring it.

all has worked wonders. I actually get compliments on my hair

Folate and iron.

Biotin and regular washing (every other day) plus heat protection.
I wasn't washing regularly enough, apparently you build up something on your scalp that can decrease growth, important to wash it away. Dermatologist told me but I can't remember, sorry!

My Dad was diagnosed with cancer last year and I lost so much hair from stress. When he died earlier this year, I was honestly in despair with my hair because it was so thin. I've been using Plantur 39 shampoo/conditioner since and I've seen a massive difference in the last few months but it doesn't work overnight.

mine started growing again after a period of it being horribly thin, it was down to being deficient in vitamin D, so the supplements really helped

Thanks

You need to have decent levels of folate, vitamin d and ferritin above 75 so would check all those
Satin/silk hair ties and pillowcase
The ordinary hair density isn't too expensive so might be worth a try

Honestly, the Rapunzel hair oil from a company called hair syrup. It's a pre wash oil treatment for once a week, I've been doing it 8 months and my hair has grown so much faster than usual.
You could combine this with some of the oral suggestions on this post!?

hairsyrup.co.uk/products/hair-syrup-rapunzel-2

Thank you all for the suggestions! I think vitamins are a good place to start, I do take some already but often tired etc so probably could be doing with some extra Iron and vitamin D (blood tests all 'normal' recently but I know their normal isn't the same as 'good').

Yes to vitamin D at the same time as the others too.