My Hair Refused to Grow—Until I Listened to My Hairstylist’s Five Genius Tips
Almost three inches and so much thickness in just one summer.
My hair loss story is a common one these days. The gist: I had so much hair, hormones and COVID-19 did a number, and, before I knew it, I lost a good half of my hair’s length and density. Restoring my hair health has been nothing short of a journey. I’ve done three treatments of PRP (where a doctor draws my blood, isolates growth factors in a centrifuge, and injects them back into my scalp to kickstart follicle growth), AlmaTED (a less invasive version of PRP), and tried every hair growth shampoo and serum on the market.
At the start of the year, I finally reached a point where my hair felt strong again. But it refused to grow past armpits—until I started working with hairstylist extraordinaire Temur Hamilton, who own TEMUR on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. He’s put me on a steady schedule of monthly trims (a hard pill to swallow for someone accustomed to getting one haircut a year) and recommended a handful of products and heatless hairstyles. The result: my hair has doubled in thickness and grown around two and a half inches in just a few months.
My entire summer hair growth routine, ahead.
Regular Cuts
With regular haircuts, my hair has gotten thicker, fuller, and longer.
My logic has always been that fewer haircuts will equate to more growth. But Temur has proved me wrong. After getting trims every four weeks for four months, I graduated to Big Girl Haircuts every eight weeks. My hair looks so much more even and thick at the ends. It also looks so much longer and healthier, a change I really started to notice this month.
Not only does this make my blonde look brighter, but it also adds moisture and strength to my hair. Bonus: it has that salon hair smell (iykyk).
I’m not normally a hairspray girl (I hate the crunchy feel), but Temur puts a little of this in my hair after every blowout and my blowout easily lasts three days.
Heatless Hairstyles
I love my Dyson and T3 curling iron more than anything, but I take summer’s easygoing vibe as permission to give my hot tools a sabbatical and take a break from heat damage. Because honestly: what the point of a blowout when I plan on sweating or going to the beach or pool the next day?
Having regular haircuts has made my hair air dry much faster and with a lot less frizz. But this Crown Affair product is my beauty editor secret ingredient to a solid air dry. It gives me added volume at the root, defines waves, and seals split ends. Bonus: she smells delicious.
Should my hair not air dry as intended—sometimes the humidity has a mind of its own—I resort to a simple slicked-back bun. This cream is my number one because it keeps my flyaways down, while simultaneously nourishing and strengthening my hair throughout the day.
Vitamin Regimen
There’s not enough wide scale clinical studies to definitively prove if hair growth supplements are effective, but there is some evidence to suggest that certain vitamins can help slow hair loss and thicken existing hair. Here are the dermatologist-backed ones I trust and have used—past and present.
I got a sneak preview of these guys before they launched, and genuinely feel that I noticed less fall out in the shower once I hit roughly the two month mark.
I’m not currently taking Nutrafol, but I have so many friends that swear by it’s hair thickening powers. It’s also the supplement that my dermatologist recommended I take in tandem with more powerful prescriptions when I first noticed hair loss.
Hair Growth Serums
Minoxidil is the holy grail of at-home growth. Once upon a time, the foam topicals were greasy and gross, but I’ve found new-to-market, elegant formulations that help spur new growth, dry instantly, and feel undetectable once my hair dries.
My mom, aunt, and I all use this dreamy cocktail of a serum every day. It takes time to work (I’d say give a solid six months), but I have noticed some baby growth around my hairline.
Before washing your hair, treat yourself to a 10-minute oil soak with this aromatic oil. Use around one to two droppers and you’re good to go.
Strengthening Hair Masks
Split ends and heat damage are the enemy of hair growth. To make sure my strands are strong enough to actually grow (and not break half way down the shaft), I’ve started using a strengthening hair mask every few washes.
My beauty editor hack: packing this in my beach bag. I use a hefty dollop once I step out of the pool or the ocean, pull my hair back into a bun, and let the hydrating powers trump the damaging chlorine.
To know me is to know that I love Dr. Barbara Sturm. While I am partial to her Glow Cream in the skincare realm, her hair mask is a sleeper product. It instantly soothes my itchy scalp and helps control dandruff flakes.
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