Why hair doesn't grow: several main reasons

Yulia Sedletskaya , hair and scalp rehabilitation specialist with 12 years of experience, technologist at ORising Ukraine

In this article I will talk about several of the most common reasons why hair grows to a certain length. First of all, it is important to remember and understand that every person has a genetic characteristic of hair growth. By trichological standards, it is considered normal if, for example, hair grows to the shoulders within 2 years. But again, it depends on genetics, age and many other factors. And in order for a client to have beautiful long hair, it is necessary to minimize the number of negative impact factors and, conversely, increase the number of positive aspects.

So why does hair grow to a certain length? Let's look at several reasons.

Internal factors

One of the basic reasons is poor nutrition, namely, a deficiency of animal proteins found in red meat. Many women do not like beef or veal, but prefer chicken, but chicken meat does not have enough transport proteins that help microelements be absorbed by the body. This leads to disruption of cell division of the hair follicle, due to which the follicle will be very thin, small, and its setting will be superficial. It is important that the hair follicle sits deep in the skin and has full innervation and nutrition. This is the second reason why the hair growth phase may be shortened.

Diet. When a girl goes on a diet, the amount of subcutaneous fat is reduced, and the follicles do not receive the required amount of microelements that are involved in the formation of the hair follicle and hair shaft. Therefore, if a girl goes on a diet, it is necessary to properly maintain subcutaneous fat.

You should remove carbohydrates and animal fats, but increase the amount of vegetable fats. Then the weight will begin to go away, and the fiber will properly and sufficiently surround the hair follicles.

According to dietary standards, it is believed that, for example, a woman should receive approximately 30-70 g of vegetable oils and 5 g of animal oils per day. This is also one of the keys to healthy hair, because the condition of the hair also depends on the condition of the skin.

It is also very important to maintain proper hygiene and scalp care. Our skin consists of three layers: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. The hair follicle and all its cells are located in the dermal and hypodermal layers of the skin, and when everything is fine, the follicle develops perfectly and hair grows.

With age, the stratum corneum of the skin (epidermis) enlarges and becomes coarser, and the follicle does not receive the necessary nutrition and produces thin, weakened hair. Therefore, proper cleansing of the epidermis is very important to stimulate cell division. Use, for example, special peels - abrasive or enzymatic, but they should only be prescribed and carried out by a trichologist in his office after an examination.

I also cannot fail to mention the individual hormonal background of a woman. I recommend keeping an eye on your hormones because their excess or deficiency can shorten the hair growth phase and miniaturize the hair follicle. I recommend that all my clients undergo a hormonal panel once a year to determine the ratio of male and female sex hormones. This is a great way to track your internal health in general and hair health in particular.

External factors

External factors include dyeing, or more precisely, hair lightening using high-percentage oxidizing agents. When dyeing, I recommend applying protection to the scalp so as not to injure it and avoid burns. There are special preparations that cover the skin with a film, and then coloring will be safer.

Frequent use of a hair dryer and seaside holidays can also lead to a noticeable slowdown in hair growth, because the hair breaks off. It’s like in the situation: “every month I paint over my overgrown roots, but the length stays the same.” That is, the hair grows back, but breaks off in length. Therefore, in this case, you need to increase the positively influencing factor - hair hydration. Make masks for 15 minutes -1 hour so that they penetrate deep into the hair and replenish lost lipids.

It is also very important to stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles. The fronto-parietal zone is devoid of muscles, as a result of which blood flow is impaired, innervation is impaired, which leads to atrophy of nerve endings and deterioration of hair growth. Therefore, once every six months you need to use special ampoules that are applied to the scalp and not washed off. They bake, cool and thus stimulate blood flow, improving hair growth.

Results. Regarding nutrition, include vegetable fats, animal proteins, and red meat in the menu. Peels and timely hygiene, safe coloring, moisturizing, procedures to stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles are also things that need to be monitored.