Hair Won't Grow? 10 Reasons Why + What To Do About Them

Table Of Content

• Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes Hair Loss?
• Experts Agree: These Are the Reasons Your Hair Isn't Growing Faster
• Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
• Reasons Why Your Hair Won't Grow & How To Fix
• You’re Exposing Your Hair To Too Much Heat And Lots Of Chemicals
• Super Fun New Year's Eve Hairstyles (Tutorials Included)

For most people, excessive hair loss is gradual, which means it happens over a long period of time. Hair loss is considered excessive when it results in bald spots or hair that is noticeably thinning. This is typically caused by sudden or prolonged stress, either physical or emotional.

Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes Hair Loss?

Nutrients like iron, protein, biotin and zinc contribute to healthy hair. However, if you’re deficient in these essential nutrients, your risk of hair problems is high. Similar to age, your genes can also be the reason why your hair won’t grow. If you are blessed with long, healthy and lustrous hair, despite not doing much, then you must thank your genes. However, if you haven’t been gifted with those genes, you’re likely to be prone to have hair growth issues and thinning.

Experts Agree: These Are the Reasons Your Hair Isn't Growing Faster

Instead, seek out those that have been dermatologist-tested, says Dr. Shaver. If you're concerned, see your doctor, who can help determine if there's an underlying health problem that should be addressed. Because PAD affects circulation in your legs, the disease can cause you to lose hair in that area. That said, just because your legs are smooth now doesn't mean you have PAD.

Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease

“A lot of the time people think their hair is unhealthy when their hair sheds but it’s really just making room for fresh hair growth. This is actually the best time to focus on scalp health to promote healthy hair growth during this phase,” Scandizzo says. Physical, mental, or emotional stress, along with certain medications, can cause larger-than-normal amounts of hair follicles to push into the resting phase of the hair cycle. When this occurs, as much as 70% of scalp hair can fall out, often in handfuls, around two months after the trigger. With all the coils and kinks on our hair strands, the sebum produced on our scalp can’t travel down our hair shaft, meaning our strands are left dry and prone to breakage. To help curb this natural phenomenon, you need to keep up with your hair’s moisture needs.

It may be no surprise then that studies have highlighted postpartum hair loss as one of the "most common childbirth complications" (per the Iranian Journal of Dermatology). In fact, they show, as above, after childbirth, women experienced an extended telogen phase that lasted up to six months after birth, leading to subsequent hair loss and lack of growth. The catagen phase lasts four to six weeks and serves as a transition period. During this phase, your hair isn't growing but isn't being hindered, either. The telogen phase lasts from two to three months and is the period in time in which your hair will consistently fall out.

You’re Exposing Your Hair To Too Much Heat And Lots Of Chemicals

However, in the case of hormonal or nutritional imbalances, deficiencies, or medical conditions affecting the scalp, hair shedding is likely to continue if the underlying condition is not treated. It's a no-brainer that heat styling your hair too often can lead to breakage and damage. And according to Green, different types of braids, tight styles, and hair extensions can cause stress to the hair shaft, leading to loss. A common hormonal condition affecting individuals of reproductive age.

Will Using Rosemary Oil Actually Help With Hair Growth? - Refinery29

Will Using Rosemary Oil Actually Help With Hair Growth?.

Posted: Wed, 24 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

"Hair length is mainly determined by the length of the anagen phase," Shari Lipner, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said. Hair loss can happen in people with hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), per the Cleveland Clinic. And while hair loss complaints are often focused on the scalp, "anything that can make you shed scalp hair can make you lose body hair, too," Dr. Tarbox says. Brushing your hair when its wet and at its most vulnerable state leads to more breakage and split ends.

First things first, if you have scalp fungus, extreme dandruff or psoriasis, you should discuss treatment options with your doctor. If you’ve been a long-time reader, you’ve heard me say this before, but… everything you put in your body comes out through your hair. This is why they can test you for drugs with a couple strands of your mane. If left untreated, hypothyroidism leads to uniform hair loss over time. Avoid heat-styling, over processing with chemicals, and dying your hair to help it reach its maximum growth potential.

Your hair follicles are the ones that are in charge of how fast and when hair grows, and since they are embedded in your scalp, maintaining scalp health is pretty important for fast hair growth. Your age also affects your hair growth because your cycle becomes shorter the older you get. Your beginning six-year cycle slowly reduces to a two-year cycle, making your hair thinner and less likely to grow. In addition, as you age your scalp produces less oil leading to dryer hair that’s more prone to split ends and breakage. Hair lost to male-pattern and female-pattern baldness won't grow back on its own, but there are medications that can help slow hair loss and even regrow hair.

“When it comes to split ends, it is essential to prep the hair before styling with heat. A leave-in conditioner is also really important to hydrate and protect hair around the clock,” adds Scandizzo. “Rough towel drying can cause breakage and split ends, it’s always better to squeeze excess water out rather than rubbing. In addition to trims, developing a good hair care routine and selecting the right products is key. “It may seem counterproductive if you’re trying to grow your hair but getting rid of split ends as soon as they appear actually means your hair will become longer quicker! Keeping ends blunt will help stop them from splitting,” says Scandizzo.

CCCA and LPP fall under the umbrella of lymphocytic scarring alopecia. The telltale signs of  these conditions are chronic inflammation of the scalp and the scarring of hair follicles, which can result in irreversible hair loss, Agbai notes. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that is characterized by “round patches of hair loss on the scalp,” although it can occur elsewhere on the body, Agbai says. While the exact reason for this type of hair loss is unknown, it is generally understood that “the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, leading to hair loss,” she adds. According to Agbai, genetics, hormonal shifts, stress, underlying medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and scalp inflammation are notable factors. Understanding the underlying cause of your hair loss is absolutely necessary in determining the best approach to halt and reverse any further damage to your hair and scalp.

The average hair growth rate is about half an inch every month, meaning we get about six inches of new growth every year. The reason your hair may seem like it’s not growing is because curly hair is so fragile that, if not properly taken care of, it may break at almost the same rate that it grows, if not more. Lastly, Skjoth notes that product buildup, such as overusing dry shampoo, can clog the hair follicle, which prevents hair from growing at a normal pace. Alopecia is an umbrella term for a wide variety of issues referring to hair loss or baldness, which, as we've covered, can have various underlying causes. However, its subform, traction alopecia, is actually explicitly caused by traumatic styling techniques. Common examples of this as it relates to hair are hypotrichosis (sparse hair growth), trichorrhexis nodosa (breakage-prone hair), and monilethrix (causing hair brittleness).

I know… having babies isn’t a health issue, but still worth mentioning. They’re tasty and give you everything you need for optimal hair growth. Just be careful, because they can initially cause some breaking out when you start taking them.

"Thyroid abnormalities often decrease hair growth all over the body," Dr. Tarbox says. Chronically high blood glucose levels damage blood vessels, and when blood vessels are harmed, circulation is, too. You can also apply a hair mask for about 5-10 minutes after washing your hair.

It can be long and wavy, short and straight, frizzy and unmanageable, or smooth and shiny. Hair comes in many different lengths, styles, colors, and textures. Yet just about everyone – no matter what kind of hair they have – falls prey to at least one hair problem at some point in life.

Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hairline and baldness on the top of the head. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase. About 90% of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10% of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 3 to 4 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.