Here are the pro-recommended ways for how to get thicker hair…
Think of food as hair fuel
Good hair starts with good health, so think of food as hair fuel. “Always start with what you are putting in your body as your quality of nutrition will dictate the quality and quantity of raw materials your body has to work with to make new tissue (like hair),” says Eleanore. “Excessive hair shedding is very commonly down to deficiency within the body, therefore making sure you are consuming a diet rich in protein, omega 3 and 6, vitamin D and Bs is essential. Remember your hair is just one long strand of dead protein, but your whole body also relies on access to protein to repair and make new cells. Your body’s cells will take priority over your hair if protein becomes a limited resource,” she insists.
“Eating a healthy, balanced, and varied diet is key,” concurs Anabel. “The impact that nutrition has on hair growth should not be underestimated. As hair is non-essential tissue, and hair cells are the second fastest growing cells your body makes, its nutritional requirements are very high,” she says.
Only supplement if you actually need to
It can be tempting to hit Holland & Barrett as soon as your hair isn’t playing ball, but it shouldn’t be your first port of call (see above: start with your diet). “Whilst supplements can be helpful, they are there to supplement. If your levels are already good, chances are that supplement isn’t adding further value to your body and will likely be excreted out or may even cause complications if levels build up too high. Remember, an excellent diet should always come first,” says Eleanore.
That said, “it can be quite hard to give your hair what it needs through diet alone,” admits Anabel. So, if you’re eating balanced meals and you’re still not seeing results, “I often recommend supplementing a healthy diet with nutritional supplements, like our Density Amino Acid supplement, as hardly anyone eats enough protein – at least from a hair growth standpoint – alongside our Density Healthy Hair Complex which contains all the essentially micro-nutrients to support hair growth,” Anabel says.
Style mindfully
We’ve all heard of traction alopecia and product build-up impeding healthy hair growth, so it’s important to style mindfully. “From a styling perspective we can avoid techniques that can put strain and injury on our follicles to avoid the possibility of thinning or even scarring on the scalp surface,” says Teresa Richardson MIT, trichologist at Fulham Scalp & Hair Clinic. “Avoid extensions, tight braiding, weaves or wigs if you really want to reduce tension and avoid the thinning and breakage which, if left untreated, can lead to traction alopecia,” she says.
Likewise, brush gently. “Brushes with long, flexible plastic prongs are best. Boar bristle brushes can scratch both the hair and scalp and cause substantial accumulative damage,” notes Anabel.
And ensure, if you’re using heavy styling sprays and products that you deep-clean regularly, which brings us onto our next point…
Keep it clean
“Keeping your scalp comfortable and clean is so important as this creates a healthy scalp environment, allowing your hair follicles to produce and grow healthy hair at an optimum rate,” says Teresa. “We would recommend washing your hair at least once a week and more frequently if your hair gets greasy or itchy quicker,” she adds.