HOW TO MAKE THE HAIR GROWYARN GROWTH OBEYS A THREE PHASE CYCLE THAT HAPPENS WHOLE LIFE, BUT FACTORS LIKE NUTRITION AND HORMONAL IMBALANCE MAY AFFECT IT
My hair doesn't grow ”and the variations“ my hair takes too long to grow ”or“ how to make my hair grow ”are quite common complaints among most women. But before you get desperate with any of them, you need to know that the process follows a three-phase cycle, which is maintained throughout life.
This cycle is divided into the anagen (birth and growth), catagen (stabilization) and telogen (fall) phases. The duration varies from person to person, but it can take two to seven years to complete.
“From 10% to 15% of a person's wires are in the telogen phase, which means that most of them are either anagen or catagen,” says doctor Valcinir Bedin, president of the Brazilian Society for Hair Studies.
The three stages are repeated throughout life, that is, the hair never stops growing, except for diseases or dysfunctions. On average, the threads grow 1.2 cm per month. “But each person has their own speed, which is strongly influenced by genetic inheritance”, adds Bedin.
What affects growthAlthough the growth cycle has the same stages in men and women, the hairs grow faster and more in them.
"Sex hormones have an intense relationship with this process," says the expert. In general, female hormones are more favorable to him than male hormones.
In addition to the differences between men and women, the way the hair grows can be impaired by various causes. Hormonal changes caused by diseases such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism (changes in the thyroid gland) are one of them.
Chronic diseases - such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and lupus (chronic inflammation of the skin) - can also make hair grow less.
Pregnancy and menopauseThat is why women notice significant changes in hair when they become pregnant and enter menopause. In pregnancy, when the woman is flooded with estrogen and progesterone - female hormones -, the hair tends to grow more and gain more volume.
The only drawback is that two to three months after the baby is born - precisely because of another sudden hormonal change - the hair falls out sharply. Called the postpartum telogen effluvium, the phenomenon is, in most cases, transient.
In menopause, when a woman stops producing estrogen and progesterone, the hair may have a slow growth rate and thin.
"After 50 years of age, for both men and women, the speed drops by half," says Valcinir Bedin.
The importance of food“It is expensive for the body to make hair,” explains Bedin. That's because the strands are made of keratin and melanin (two types of protein).
To produce them, the body has to mobilize more protein, minerals and vitamins. “Since a person can survive without hair, at the slightest sign of a problem, these substances are diverted to the affected organ,” explains Bedin. So nutritional deficiency is another issue that can affect how your hair grows.
Two common factors may be behind the lack of nutrients in the body: diseases such as Crohn's (an inflammation in the intestine that impairs the absorption of important substances from food) and very restrictive diets, such as those that cut food groups or concentrate in just one of them.
“Micronutrients such as zinc, vitamin A and iron have an impact on hair growth”, says Adriana Benito, dermatologist at Clínica Senses, in São Paulo, and adjunct professor in the aesthetic dermatology course at the Instituto Superior de Medicina (ISMD), also at capital of São Paulo.
Iron and protein are other essential nutrients for making hair grow. To obtain these substances, experts recommend a diet rich in meat, grains - such as beans - and dark green vegetables, such as kale and broccoli.
How to grow long hairTreatment begins with a clinical evaluation in a doctor's office. At the meeting, the specialist will be able to order tests such as blood count, dosage of vitamins and minerals, hormonal dosage and specialized tests such as scalp scanner - which enlarges the region up to 20,000 times - and examination of the hair bulb via an electron microscope, which allows assess whether the structure is healthy or not.
"When there is a basic disease [like diabetes], it needs to be treated in association with dermatological treatment, to restore growth," says Adriana Benito.
PATAUÁ: AMAZONIC FRUIT OILThe women of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, in Acre, in the heart of the Amazon, for generations, discovered in the patauá fruit an ally for hair growth.
From the active - from the patauazeiro, a palm tree that can reach 25 meters in height -, an oil is extracted that helps the hair to grow. From it, we developed the Ekos Patauá line, which consists of shampoo and conditioner (for daily care), strengthening mask and concentrated oil capsules (deep treatment), strengthening oil (finishing) and hair tonic (accelerated growth).
The benefit of this last product is to accelerate the growth of existing threads and strengthen the hair, acting from the first application. It is indicated for women with dry, weak and brittle hair.
How to make hair grow faster: day-to-day care
Just as being in good health influences the hair, so do some daily habits. Understand the impact of each of them for the growth of the threads:
AVOID ATTACHING THE HAIR ALWAYSPinning hair in tight tails - among other hairstyles - is harmful to the hair, as it inflames the root and can lead to traction alopecia (type of irreversible baldness). So one of our tips on how to make your hair grow is to use it only on occasion and avoid sleeping with it like that.
CARE AND BRUSH CAREFULLYThe indicated is to move the hair as little as possible, also for the sake of damaging the bulb. The recommendation is to use combs and brushes with wide teeth and bristles, preferably wooden.
Valcinir Bedin suggests not combing / brushing under the shower. It is best to remove excess water first, because when wet, the wire becomes more fragile.
WASH YOUR HAIR WITH APPROPRIATE PRODUCTSWhen choosing your shampoo and conditioner, choose those specific to your hair type. Another important recommendation is to pay attention to the pH of the items, which has to be around 5.5 (acidic), which corresponds to that of the hair.
Also try to use items of the same brand and line. The shampoo degreases the hair and the conditioner returns some fat, so it is important that they have the same mechanism of action.
MASSAGE HAIR AT WASHING TIMEIn addition to using the right products for your hair type, another tip on how to make your hair grow involves care when washing. To stimulate growth, massage the scalp lightly, always using your fingertips.
STOP SMOKINGIf eating well is a habit that positively influences the growth of hair, others such as smoking impair the process.
"The components of cigarettes - mainly nicotine - decrease the caliber of blood vessels, which reduces the supply of nutrients to the hair," says doctor Valcinir Bedin.
What did you think of our tips on how to grow hair? By taking these precautions, you will be able to make your hair grow faster and stronger!
