While many people spent their teen years crying over boys, I spent mine shedding tears over my hair. After every visit to the hairdresser, I’d weep over the inches that had been chopped off. Despite being very clear about only wanting exactly 0.0001mm off my ends, my hairdresser would ignore my requests and get a little happy with the scissors. Looking back, I don’t blame her one bit. My hair was a disaster: bleached to within an inch of its life, washed every morning and crushed daily by straighteners.

All this meant that it refused to budge an inch when it came to growth, which resulted in me having a mini funeral for every split-end shed after a trim. The truth was that it was a disaster of my own making. I was treating it horribly; of course it wouldn’t grow. It took years of being stuck at this mid-length during my early 20s to make me realise a change was needed. Instead of prioritising the trendy hair shade of the moment or pin-straight locks, I decided to make my hair goal about health and strength. I didn’t care how my hair looked; I just wanted it to be healthy.

Fast-forward five or so years and it was the best decision I’d ever made for my hair. I was getting compliments on it from strangers and I no longer sat pained in my hairdresser’s chair. If I had a bad haircut, I now knew it would grow back, so I let the experts take the wheel. It improved so much that I experimented with colour again and my hair didn’t punish me for it.

Why is my hair not growing?

Getting to the root of the cause is key. For me, it was mistreatment and not looking at what it needed and prioritising my own wants, but there may be a variety of reasons why growth might be stunted.

“Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, stress, ageing, medications, scalp conditions, underlying medical conditions and poor blood circulation can influence hair growth,” explains nurse Nicola Liberos. A lot of these are outside of our control. “Genetics can cause a shorter growth cycle, while nutritional deficiencies can hinder growth. Addressing these underlying causes can enhance hair growth,” she adds.

If you’re struggling with alopecia or medical conditions, it’s best to contact your doctor about what will work best for you. But if you find your hair stubbornly won’t grow beyond a certain length, these are the changes I made that finally made my hair grow. Get ready to take notes. 

1. Start using a hair growth serum

While a hair growth serum won’t regrow entire bald patches, what it will do is encourage your hair to grow by turning your scalp into a fertilised playground for hairs to sprout.

“Hair growth serums can be beneficial, especially when they contain well-researched ingredients that nourish the scalp and strengthen hair,” says Liberos. However, she quickly caveats that “They may only work for some, and their effectiveness will depend on the root cause of the hair growth issue.”

For me and my sparse hairline, it was the Kérastase Genesis Serum Anti-Chute Fortifiant that did the trick. Containing edelweiss, ginger root and aminexil (an ingredient that increases blood flow to the hair follicle), this – when used regularly – will keep breakages to a minimum and help promote hair growth.

By the time I was approaching the end of the bottle, I noticed my hairline looked noticeably fuller and I no longer felt self-conscious about tying my hair up. I’ve also recommended it to a friend suffering from breakage due to heavy bleaching and she found it made a noticeable difference. 

2. Break up with heated hair tools

This was the hardest challenge I faced. I would rather give up chocolate – that’s how committed I was to my hair straighteners. However, chronically scorching all my baby hairs daily was thinning out my hairline, so tough measures had to be taken.

“Excessive use of heated hair tools, such as flat irons, curling irons and blow dryers, can hinder hair growth by damaging the hair cuticle, leading to brittle, weak and breakable hair,” says Liberos. This is due to the heat stripping any moisture – similar to when your skin gets dry on a beachy holiday. “This weakens the hair’s protein structure, making it less resilient and capable of retaining length. Heat can also cause split ends, making hair look frizzy and unhealthy, further reducing its size,” adds Liberos.

Instead, I took a page out of TikTok’s book and invested in a heatless curling tool and have never looked back. Not only does my hair look shinier, but I can’t fathom how much time out of my day straightening my hair took. I now get a much-needed lie-in in the morning instead. Plus, my hair no longer smells like a bonfire. A win-win.

3. Use a hair mask regularly

Delivering moisture back into my hair was not only beneficial in terms of how it looked – the smoother and shinier it was, the less I missed my hair straighteners – but the hair mask also strengthened strands from root to tip. Plus, giving my hair some much-needed TLC once a week is always appreciated.

Often, I skip the conditioner step and just use an intensive mask instead. It’s safe to say, my hair definitely needed more oomph than a regular conditioner was giving me. As my hair was more hydrated, it helped form better waves. An added bonus. 

5. Wash your hair less

As my hair is on the dryer side, cutting down the number of times I washed it was the easiest part of the process. I went from a daily morning wash to only cleansing twice a week. I know it can be difficult to get over the greasy stage, but trust me – it’s worth it.

“Washing your hair less frequently can help support hair growth by retaining natural oils, maintaining scalp health, and making it appear fuller and healthier,” believes Liberos. If you were like me and washed your hair every morning, you could be doing more harm than good. “Frequent washing can strip hair of natural oils, leading to dryness and brittleness,” Liberos adds.

However, she notes that balance is key. For example, if you’re an avid gym-goer, you will need to wash that sweat you’ve worked up out. Otherwise, this could cause your scalp to get clogged with sebum, which isn’t beneficial for hair growth. 

6. Try a bond-building treatment

Bond-builders have become the rage of late and are definitely worth the hype. “Bond-building treatments strengthen and repair the hair’s internal structure, reducing breakage and improving overall health,” says Liberos.

They tick a lot off my list of hair woes. “They repair hair damage by rebuilding disulfide bonds, strengthening weak hair, reducing breakage and supporting length retention,” says Liberos.

What they don’t do is help prevent hair shedding, but some other products ticked that off. If you’re trying to repair years of heat damage, bond-building treatments deliver the quickest results I’ve experienced (sorry, hair masks) and come in a range of different formats to slot into your haircare routine. 

Images: Charlotte Bitmead; courtesy of brands