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Now that I’ve been pregnant several times and had the wonderful thick hair that accompanies pregnancy and seen it thin again after birth, I started searching for and testing ways to naturally promote hair growth.
Of course, some of the post-pregnancy shed is entirely hormonal and somewhat inevitable, but I’ve found some tips that seem to help promote hair growth and improved follicle strength. I also wonder if these tips help baby’s hair growth in utero, as my kids have all come with a LOT of hair, especially my 4-year-old (her hair is in the picture above and she was three when taken!) Her hair has always been naturally thick, curly and easy to work with. In fact, she was born with almost two inches and I’ve now cut off over 16 inches of her still waist-length hair!
It is also important to remember that the condition of the hair and skin can be a good indication of the state of the body on the inside, so it is important address the body as a whole to improve hair and skin for the long term.
Either way, these natural tips are also good for the body in other ways, so there isn’t much to lose. Have you ever done anything to help improve hair growth? Please share your tips below!
1. Consume Enough Protein
Protein is essential for hair growth, so consuming enough protein can make sure that the body has the necessary building blocks for hair. Complete sources of protein like meats and fish are the most beneficial for hair growth and many meats also contain iron, which is another essential aspect of proper hair growth.
Foods like meats, fish, eggs, and especially bone broths (see below) are excellent for hair growth. These foods also contain necessary fats that help promote healthy hormones (see below) and healthy hair!
2. Get The Vitamins!
Some vitamins help promote hair growth- most notably: Vitamin C and Biotin. The body needs Vitamin C to produce collagen, which is necessary for healthy hair and skin. Vitamin C also helps with iron absorption, which promotes hair growth (plus it is an immune booster!). Since the body can’t manufacture Vitamin C , it is one vitamin that must be obtained from food or supplements. Foods like citrus, broccoli and spinach all contain Vitamin C.
Biotin (and other b-vitamins) can also promote faster and stronger hair growth, and it is also good for the skin. Biotin is a water soluble B-Vitamin that is also used in proper digestion of fats and sugars. Eggs, nuts, berries, fish and some vegetables all provide Biotin, though in small amounts, so sometimes a supplement can be helpful.
3. Up the Gelatin
I’ve posted before about the many benefits of Gelatin, including its support of healthy hair, skin and nails. Gelatin is one thing I make sure to consume daily in some form, either in bone broth or gelatin powder (or both). From a previous post:
“Gelatin is largely composed of the amino acids glycine and proline, which many people don’t consume in adequate amounts as they are found in the bones, fibrous tissues and organs of animals and as a population, we don’t consume these parts as much anymore. These amino acids are needed not only for proper skin, hair and nail growth, but for optimal immune function and weight regulation!
Glycine, which makes up about 1/3 of the amino acids in gelatin powder is anti-inflammatory and evidence is finding that it can help speed wound healing. Glycine in gelatin can also help improve sleep ease and quality.”
Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate Gelatin.
4. Balance the Hormones
“When it comes to health, hormones and gut bacteria have a much bigger effect than many people realize. In fact, these two factors can destroy health even if everything else (diet, supplements, etc) is optimized. Conversely, fixing hormones and gut bacteria can do a lot to boost health, even if not all the other factors are optimal. In fact, there are even studies about using certain hormone reactions to heal brain trauma.”
Hormones are often a major cause of hair loss or poor hair growth and unfortunately, there can be many causes of hormone imbalance. This is also the reason for hair loss after pregnancy. Of course, some steps can be taken to improve hair while working to balance hormones, and these are my top tips for balancing hormones naturally.
Stress and lack of sleep are two major contributors to hormone imbalance and here are some suggestions for optimizing those.
5. Use the Right Products
Though the major causes of poor hair quality and growth are internal, external treatments can help improve existing hair and prevent breakage.
From castor oil to gelatin I have tried many DIY hair treatments, most of which I really like! Here’s where I wrote about some of my favorites:
I’ve also found that many natural hair products can actually cause problems with hair! Conventional shampoos and products have problems of their own (like being linked to cancer), but natural ones are often not pH balanced correctly for hair and strip important natural oils.
After many years of dreaming, researching, and creating recipes, I can finally share my own personal care products brand, Wellnesse! I formulated our shampoo to protect and nourish hair with natural ingredients that really work. I recommend the Cleansing Shampoo for all hair types or the Smoothing Shampoo for wavy or curly hair.
Another option is a natural clay-based shampoo like this one. I’ve tried it myself and had great results. They don’t lather like traditional shampoos but get my hair clean, nourish my scalp, and are pH balanced for hair.
Experiment and see what works for you!
How do you keep your hair healthy? Share your tips below!
I had great success growing my hair thick and long using Rosemary Tea as a final hair rinse. Just boil a couple tablespoons of dried rosemary leaves in a quart of water, let it cool, strain out the leaves, and use as the final rinse when you wash your hair. (don;t rinse it out, leave it in) It makes your hair shiny and it smells great too. I got this from a book of home remedies as a rinse to make brunette hair shiny. (For blondes they were to use camomile tea as the final rinse). After a few months I started to notice that my hair was growing very quickly — up to an inch a month!! I thought it might be the rosemary but wasn’t sure, then quite a bit later on I was reading up on herbs and the article I read said that rosemary promoted hair growth. I used this on my daughter’s blonde hair — it made her hair thick and long but turned it darker — still blonde, but a darker shade.
I need to make a rosemary tea and try this, I heard it gives highlights like the chamomile, I plan to grow more herbs next week including these 2. Thanks!
I have only just come across this website and thread! This sounds amazing. I have some chamomile tea cooling down now, just wondering how often you did this? Thank you!
You rinse with the Rosemary water how many times a week?
The last treatment the coconut oil and honey, do you melt the honey as well? Thanks Katie.
If it is solid I do… they just need to be able to mix together somewhat..
For this mixture, are you putting it on wet hair,,, or dry hair?
Dry hair and then washing out…
Wellness Mama what kind of clay shampoos would you recommend? I have never heard of clay shampoos.
I always had great hair until I moved to a military base in Afghanistan – our shower water is extremely chlorinated and terrible. I found the best thing for my hair has been jojoba oil – I put it on while my hair is still wet, and it makes a huge difference in my hair quality when I leave and am able to use regular water to wash my hair. It does make my hair look greasy, but I don’t care out here. 🙂
Try argan oil if you can find it. Must be unrefined, cold-pressed, and preferably organic. I use natural, gentle shampoo, no conditioner, then massage in argan oil when hair is still damp after shower. Start from the bottom up (roots last so they get less). Makes my hair soft, shiny, full & not greasy! I have semi-fine curly hair just past shoulders & I only need 2 drops of argan, so even though it can be pricey (cheapest I found online $20 for 4 oz) it lasts a really long time. 🙂 🙂
I put a quarter sized amount of apricot kernel oil in my hair before washing it and comb in about a dime sized amount after while my hair is still damp. Works amazingly on my ends and my hair is almost waist length and i trim maybe 1/2 an inch off 3 times a year.
I used to strengthen my hair with colorless henna (although I wouldnt advice using it if you dyed or plan to dye your hair with chemical stuff: results are unpredictable as far as I know). It gives your hair some body, `firmness`, shininess, but hair may tangle the first day or two and feel somewhat dry. I really loved it before I started using a chemical dye. Doing a coconut oil mask afterwards may be a good idea.
#1 Best thing I ever did was to stop stripping my hair of its natural oils with shampoo and soap. Conditioner only. It’s been at least 4 years since my hair has been stripped of its god-given oils and it’s the longest it has ever been and I only have to trim, maybe, 3 times a year – when I see a split end. Why it took almost 4 decades to figure it out is beyond me.
JG, I just recently started ‘no poo’, but I use baking soda to cleanse and vinegar to condition. You don’t use anything at all? I’m thinking I need to try that b/c my hair is sooooo dry (and the water where I live doesn’t help). Can you give me details? Do you condition every day? What do you condition with? How long did it take your hair to adjust. Thanks!
My hair is baby fine and halfway down my back in length. It used to be be very dry, especially on the ends.
I use no soap at all, just a brand of conditioner called Organix which can be picked up at the local drug store. About once or twice a month, I work coconut oil into my scalp and down to the ends and let it sit for a few before a hot shower. Then I rinse it a few times with conditioner to rinse out the coconut oil. Also, when towel dry, I use flat beer as a leave in conditioner. The beer gives a lot of body and I scrunch my hair to get some waves, then let it air dry. Also, I quit coloring my hair and let the greys grow, but sometimes I will use senna/ henna to do an intense conditioning and to color my grey. My hair is naturally dark blonde. I wash my hair about 2-3 times a week – as a gardener, it gets pretty dirty. It took about a year for my hair to completely adjust and now there is so much body, there is sometimes too much. I used to be able to tell when I needed a haircut, by how badly my hair would tangle. Now, I can run a comb through my hair straight out of the shower, with barely a tangle. And to think all those years I tried perms and body waves to get exactly what I wanted by not using shampoo… Once you see the shine of your hair, it will be worth it. Hope this helps.
I’m gonna do it. Thanks!
You almost have to “pull” your natural oils down the length of your hair when you are in a warm/ hot shower. You can kinda feel it, if you can imagine what I mean. But you will know what I mean after you give a few months for those natural oils to build up. BTW, I have never tried baking soda or vinegar. I suppose that those would be good for cleaning the hair of product build-up, but seriously, simply using conditioner like a creme rinse will clean the hair of most of that kind of stuff.
Hello JG! =) Do you do anything else to your hair…like brush it, etc? (like with a boar bristle brush). And did you have hair loss before starting this? Curious if this also helps to create new growth.
Thanks so much! Love your tips!
i have had this problem recently. I started using coconut oil/sugar mixture with a dash of peppermint to give it smell 🙂 but anyways i mix it all in a big bottle and then warm it scrub it into my scalp. this has helped soooo much with my dryness only do it once or twice every two weeks. Also when shampooing dont shampoo your “hair” just your scalp. As you rinse it will wash the ends, then when conditioning only do your ends not the scalp. I go days without shampooing my hair. Just waterless shampoo and conditioner. Works wonders, plus with the mixture I use my hair feels amazing NOT GREASY. It kind of late at night so I hope this all has made sense 🙂
I’ve noticed that my gut health definitely affects the health of my hair!
I have an almost 5 year old little girl with the thinnest, weakest hair I could possibly imagine. It barely goes pass her ear lobes. I started Primal eating when I was in my 3rd trimester with her, and she has been on a Primal diet since 10 months of age. We do eat root veggies and the very occasional white rice, but everything else is meat, fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds. I, personally, didn’t have much hair until I was about 5, so is this genetic? I still have very thin hair. What’s the deal? Any advice is appreciated!
I am sure it is genetic. How is your thyroid? I have much better hair since treating my thyroid issues.
Diets like the primal are very high in fat. High fat diets (even healthy fats) compromise the absorption of vitamins and mineral as well as the oxygen uptake. The fat coats cell receptors and can also not allow the body to rid itself of excess glucose via insulin. Meat is very high in fat and not easily ingested and the protein is compromised during the cooking process. (The proteins form an enzyme resistant bond) Check out the pros and cons of the primal diet and get some good info. Diets high in animal products and fat have been scientifically proven to contribute to some of the worst diseases of the modern day. However, this study did not differentiate between commercial and organic varieties, so I don’t know if this makes a big difference or not. From my own personal experience I would guess not much. Hope this helps 🙂
I disagree! Fats are necessary for hormone production, cell growth and much more (as is protein!). I’d recommend the book “Deep Nutrition” for more info though…
Fats are necessary and contained in the right amounts in whole fresh unprocessed foods. I stick to around 10% or less.
I never said they were not necessary but that meat contains high amounts of fat (among other problems with eating animal products). I keep my fat at 10% of total calorie intake and never anything processed. Everything is from whole fresh, unprocessed foods. I used to think I was hypoglycemic and had candida issues. Lowering my fat intake (even ones considered ‘healthy,’) has greatly improved my health. It’s a common misconception that healthy fats can be consumed in large amounts and not negatively effect the body.
Hello there. I have many rebuttles to your post. Here it goes. “Meat contains high amounts of fat” is by definition/fact not true. Different kinds of meats have different levels of fat right? Just as different vitamins are in certain foods versus others. With that being said… you can eat lean meat chicken (low fat) and fish (low fat) and many other low fat meats. It sounds like your coming from a vegan or vegetarian standpoint which I completely disagree with. Also yes I agree to your statement “it is a misconception that healthy fats can be consumed in excess”… of course bc everything is best done in balance..that’s just the nature of how our body works. If you overdo something, another aspect will be deficient or work overtime to repair causing health issues whether minor or major. Anyway, you had also mentioned that the “protein is comprised during the cooking process”.. ok true BUT you don’t have to cook it lol. People eat fish/meat/eggs raw and don’t get sick. It’s the way you prepare it (without heating it which depletes nutrients yes) so you don’t get sick, but people do it all the time that I know. Marinating in lemon and all sorts of antibacterial ingredients. You just have to open your mind and realize that primal eating is not bad or have more fat, since you can choose what types of meats (based on fat levels) and everything else in moderation and the purest forms. And my last comment to your post is that the most nutrient rich high protein all natural best thing you can eat on earth is in fact a kind of BEEF…forget the name but you may look it up online if you need. People lived for hundreds of years back in the day and they surely ate all kinds of meats and fish all day EVERY DAY. It is not the meat that is harming us humans. It is the processed/chemicals added/ etc etc to the meats that is harming us over time and causing diseases. Also genetics. People lived on animals, nuts, and plants and BALANCED. THAT IS THE KEY. You balance life and it will balance you. Don’t be fooled by the outrageous marketing schemes that these Vegan / Vegetarian companies like to exploit. We are not dying from mea. We are dying because people are lazy and go to McDonald’s for dinner way too many times. Any feedback welcome yall! 🙂
Brain function and also They need to be good for you fats. PS Meats like Deer, wild rabbit, and ducks are awesome fats and also fish. Plus they are very very good for us except people with A blood type they should be vegans.
Your blood type is very very important people face it everything is chemistry and your bodies chemistry is what makes up the way that certain foods are either good or neutral or toxic. The only thing hereditary about disease is your blood type. I have cured Type two diabetes and high blood pressure by doing this diet I am O blood type and the neg or positive does not matter. And I have lost over sixty pounds too and the only things I have changed is my exercise type and avoid foods list. All by my blood type. O and b Blood types will get horrible nasty diseases from eating chicken just check it out Promise you will not regret it give it six months and then go off it and you will know.
Curious about the chicken? I’m an O pos and happen to love organic chicken. Please tell me what you have been eating for O type and your source for the chicken issue. As I’m sure I’m struggling with Thyroyd problems but will not take the pharma solutions!
Thanks
Hi Jessie, thank you for the advice on high fat diets. I’m a former vegetarian and vegan of 13 years (attended the 2nd largest macrobiotic cooking school in the nation) and from my own experience, I can say that Primal is the best diet for me. I have never felt better and have never had better health in all of my life. So many health aspects have improved since going Primal/Paleo, I can’t put it in a simple post. But thank you for your comment. I was simply writing to see if there was something I was missing, considering my daughter’s hair is so thin. My hair has always been thin, so perhaps this is genetic? Although there has been improvement since Primal. I had bald spots when I was vegan!
Glad you appreciate my post. There is so much information out there and it’s only fair that people be exposed to it. BTW, did you ever have your B12 levels checked when you were a vegan? Bald spots can be an indicator of low levels of B12. I am wondering for my own personal research and knowledge. I hope you solve your hair issue.
Also, Fat is necessary for vitamin absorption. Fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K (potassium) all need fat in order to be absorbed and bioavailable. This is another reason why people with a low body fat percentage should be very careful on the amount they take of these, they will have a lower capacity/tolerance than someone who has more body fat.
ARGH! Vitamin K is not Potassium they just use the same letter for the Periodic Table abbreviation and for the name of the vitamin! Potassium is found in Bananas, Vitamin K is actually a group of vits (like Vitamin B) and has two forms, K2 is predominantly found in meats but K1 can also be found in vegetables (but has to be converted to K2 before it can be used) and neither form is potassium – the actual chemical composition of K1 (phylloquinone) is: C21H23O2 and K2 (menaquinone) is: C21H20O2 (C means Carbon, H means Hydrogen and O means Oxygen, the numbers afterwards are the amount of each atom in one molecule of K1 or K2 vitamins). As you can see, no potassium whatsoever in K – make sure you get a potassium source as well as a Vitamin K source they are absolutely not the same thing! You can very easily check what I say just google Vitamin K.
I am thinking that you are starving your child with this ridiculous diet of yours. We have evolved far too much to be needing to change our diets to thousands of years ago.
Essentially what you are doing is keeping vital minerals and nutrition from your growing child`s diet.
The smart thing to do is go back to a normal diet and make it organic and do not withhold protein thinking vegan or vegetarian is the best thing, it is not for everyone, especially growing children. Your child can end up with severe growth problems and other maladies later in life like osteoporosis, a number one malady of the paleo era if you are not careful. I wish you both the best and implore you to give up on the trend diets.
hi my nephew was born with thin hair he got it from his mother,,,,when he was 1 year old we go to the barber shop and shave all his hair ..we did it twice…..now he is 11 yrs old and his hair is very thick same as the strand..u should try it ..gudluck
Interesting – certain cultures believe in shaving their babies hair to ensure lush thick growth and it seems to work. Didn’t work on my husband though 🙂
I like to no ‘poo my hair. It has made my hair much healthier.
Mine too, I been doing the no poo for a year and almost 4 months now and I color it with henna.
Do you buy the non jelling gelatin?
For your tea I meant to say.
I get Great Lakes gelatin at a natural foods store. I could probably make jello with it, but I just use it in my bedtime tea and in my pot roast. Need to use it in more cooking.
Either one works but I usually get the kosher one that gels so I can make jello too…