Hair is fucked, how to improve it & make it grow

[Slepzy]

I seriously want to improve my hair and try and make it grow a bit faster. My hair is very dark brown and I bleached it a couple of years ago, in order to put blue in it. Obviously the blue didn't last well and so I died it dark red. It is incredibly dry and damaged. Feels absolutely horrible and I had to get about half a foot trimmed off because it was so straggly.

I don't even know if growing hair faster is possible, I keep seeing people on social media using scalp oils for hair growth? Is this just snake oil or do some of them work?

I bought the Loreal absolut repair shampoo, conditioner and masque from Amazon as a bundle but they are extremely pricey.. are there any cheaper shampoos etc. that are as good? Or are there any shampoos that are even better? I'd obviously like to spend less but i will fork out that extra if i have to, to get results...

I have seen people on social media making their own hair masks with stuff like honey, oil, avacado etc. Has anybody had luck with DIY recipes?

I have also seen 'hair botox' advertised in beauty salons, would that be worth doing?

Thank you 🙂

Hair growth products have never worked for me. The only thing that ever helped my hair grow faster was the inversion method. Where you lather your scalp in oil, warmed up is best, then lie upside down for ten mins! Oh and take biotin. Healthy hair is key

I think hair growth products are bollocks. You can get nice masks though- maybe an olaplex one to improve the appearance. Eat lots of protein and have a good diet. Wash it, use a leave in conditioner/heat protector. Blow dry.

I had the worst chemical damage to my hair and had years worth damage due to extensions.

I took them out, committed to wearing my hair in a sleeked back bun for nearly a year and did a deep conditioning hair mask over night once a week.

I also went for a cut and blow dry every 7-8 weeks. This will help your hair grow.

Avoid putting any harmful chemicals on your hair for a year basically. Really helped me now my hair is down the middle of my back.

You need a product like k18 or olaplex, both of which are pricey but will help strengthen your hair to stop breakage. It won't make your hair grow faster but you won't lose so much length through it snapping off.

Don't believe in hair oiling or taking pills to grow your hair they are a scam. Focus on good nutrition, adequate sleep and hair care routine.

Also get a clear gloss to put in your hair weekly, it helps with smoothing out the texture and improving shine etc. Pureology do a great one but again quite expensive. Could probably find a similar alternative on Amazon.

Time is your best bet oh and don't bleach it again.

L'Occitane do a repair & protect shampoo and matching conditioner a colleague used to swear by.
I use their strength & volume shampoo & it's helped my hair grow back beautifully (lost a lot due to illness/meds).

It's the scalp massage that can make hair grow. Especially if you're using it to get rid of stress. My yoga teacher says a tense scalp strangles hair growth 🤷.

Olive oil for the lengths and ends, as often as needed.
conditioner after shampooing.
Ditch the silicones in your products (the majority of them their words ends in "cone", "conal", "xane") because it's coating your hair and preventing useful things penetrating.
Gentle detangling of knots so you're not stretching and breaking the hair or pulling it out at the roots.
might also need shampoo/conditioner with protein (keratin) in, try it and see, it'll either help or it won't (might make things worse too).
Sounds as though you've already cut off the split ends which is good as it's not possible to repair them.

Buy a really good rosemary essential oil.
shampoo as usual, but then when you put your conditioner on , mix it first with four or five drops of the rosemary essential oil.
leave the mixture in your hair at least for while your attending the rest of your shower routine, then rinse.
How many drops of eo you mix with your conditioner, would be subject to the length of your hair, and how much oil will be absorbed, as you won’t want to end up with a greasy look.
Dont necessarily expect instant results, but after about four to six applications, you should see & feel a difference.
my sis actually had serious hair fall, and she’s in her seventies… the rosemary has fully restored her lovely locks.
look up the benefits of rosemary eo for hair, it’s quite an eye opener.
ps if your losing any eyebrow or eye lash hair, try using a cold pressed castor oil in a preferably dark coloured glass bottle.
ive also used this on the finer brow hairs and eyelashes, after just under two weeks my partner actually noticed the bottom eyelashes are longer and darker.. that was a nice moment 🥰

LED light has been proven to stimulate hair growth.

I'm currently experiencing post partum hair loss and I've been putting my LED mask on the top of my head just in case it helps!

Keep it trimmed, treat your hair like silk washing with tempid water and rinsing with cool. Use a natural bristle brush hairbrush and do 100 gentle strokes a night. I use a soft gel brush and a pic to untangle as I get insanely itchy from conditioners.
I heard of mashing avocado and raw egg together for a hair mask, but have not tried it.

Supplements for hair. Kelp is very good. Protective hairstyles.

Good shampoo and conditioner designed to repair hair from bleach and heat damage. Like redkin or olaplex. Pricey but worth it. Deep conditioner used before you wash your hair for a couple of hours or overnight. Really good heat protection and leave in conditioner for when styling. Try to only wash your hair 1-2 times per week and try to use heat styling as little as possible. Try trying down the temp on hair dryer

There’s Nutrafol hair vitamins & other products - very expensive, on Amazon. Excellent reviews, but I can’t afford them.

I do take Saw Palmetto for women - I don’t know why, though. I can’t tell any difference.

Oh - Nioxin is quite good. Not cheap, but not as expensive as others.

Take cod liver oil (don’t put it in your hair!) I’ve been taking it for about 8 months now and it’s made a noticeable difference to my hair strength and thickness.

I had really bad hair loss around two years ago so I decided to really take care of the condition of my tensing hair.

Things that have made a big difference for me:

K18 treatment is incredible to treat the poor condition of your hair and to stop breakage. I've been using about 8 months and my hair is so soft and smooth now. You wash your hair as normal and don't condition, then apply by rubbing through your hair and wait 4 mins then blow dry as it's activated by what. It's not cheap but you can buy a small sample first to try which is great to see if you'll like it. I did this and got 4 goes out of it. The larger bottle lasts me about 6 months as use 6 washes in a row initially then just once every 3rd/4th wash.

Wash only 1-2 times per week.

Use a micro fibre turban towel to fry hair as much as possible so drying time with a hairdryer is reduced.

Use a heat protectant on hair and turn down hair straighteners to a lower heat. I use 160c.

Havent read the replies cos short of time 🙄 BUT I started keto in April and since then my hair has grown a whopping six inches which is incredible and is back to pre peri fullness. I mean it’s radical I know but it’s because I eat eggs every day I think and my protein intake is decent.

Hmm - there's some good advice on this thread, but also a lot of nonsense. Hair is essentially dead, it's only the root that's active so what goes into your body is what will have the biggest effect on how strong it is, although it's largely down to genetics. Cutting it won't make it grow faster, but getting rid of damage, e.g. split ends will make it look healthier. Eat a good diet, exercise and sleep well. Steer clear of products containing silicone and SLS. Take care not to use excessive heat or harsh products.

You have to fix things from the inside so chlorophyll liquid and collagen powder would be a good place to start. I used these myself due to thinning hair that wouldn’t grow. It took about 6 months to see any results, but a year on my hair looks like it did 10 years ago in terms of thickness and is longer than it has been in years :)

I had hair loss due to chemo. I cold capped but still lost about two thirds. The remaining hair and new hair were a horrible texture, really dry and coarse. I used John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery shampoo and conditioner-they come in travel sizes if you want to try them. The full size are usually on offer somewhere. This definitely helped improve the feel of my hair.
I also took Biotin supplements, they don't speed up hair growth but will help with healthy hair.

I came here to say two things already posted: rosemary essential oil and a biotin supplement.
The recipe for rosemary oil is to mix these ingredients in a small bowl
3tsp caster oil
3tsp jojoba oil
1tsp coconut oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil.
Let it become warm in a pot of hot water. Don't let it become too hot, you don't want to get a burn!

Massage hair and scalp. Leave on for 20 min. Use an old towel. Then wash.

Good products really make a difference. I buy mine on hair salon websites in Australia but I am sure similar shops exists in UK. For you, with very damaged hair, I would consider Redken extreme care. Buy the 1 Litre bottle, it will last a long time.
Olaplex 0 and Olaplex 3 combined might also help, but they cost as much as a 1 Lt shampoo, so if budget is tight, go for the better shampoo and conditioner.

For Biotin, you should consider a high dose supplement. I use 10.000 mcg

Diet matters, so iron and protein intake needs to be adequate too.

Thank you for this, does it matter what kind of oil? Would olive oil work?

I used coconut oil but literally any oil will do

The best thing I've done for my hair recently is leave it alone after dyeing it for 10+ years. Have a good cut then let it grow, having a trim once a quarter.

@Missymooo322133 thank you! But i was so focused on the type of oil I missed the bit about your head being upside down 😅 do you literally hang your head off the side of the bed or something? X

@Slepzy what did you try and did it work?

For a start, don't even think about dyeing your hair again for a long time. If you keep doing it yourself, inevitably you are going to ruin your hair. Get a good trim and get rid of all the bits that aren't worth keeping.

I have no idea why anyone would lie upside down to help their hair and would be very pleased to see some evidence (not from TikTok) of the scientific basis for this.

Olive oil, however, is fabulous - as is probably any other oil of that type. This was recommended by a very qualified, experienced hairdresser. Whack it on, leave it for as long as you feel like it, then wash it off. No gymnastics required although you could heat it a little bit with a hairdryer.

This is the important bit to know when you're washing it off unless you want very greasy hair. BEFORE you put your head under water, massage in your shampoo to emulsify the oil, then rinse with hot water.

Honestly, it is a good as any conditioner you can buy.