The Better Blog

There are lots of factors that contribute to how quickly our hair grows. Sometimes our hair grows slowly because of genetics, but there are also environmental factors that can cause our hair growth to slow down, such as seasonal changes. For example, our hair grows faster in summer and more slowly in the winter. But why? One reason for this is that during warmer weather, our blood circulates more freely, carrying nutrients more easily throughout our bodies, and enabling our bodies to produce more keratin (the protein that our hair is made of). 

A second factor is that we usually get more vitamin D (the “sunshine“ vitamin) in the summertime. The sun makes our hair grow faster because our bodies synthesize UVB rays from the sun into vitamin D, which helps our bodies regulate keratin production. When we are deficient in vitamin D, this regulation misfires, triggering hair loss. 

Our hair also grows faster in summer because we tend to leave our heads uncovered more than in the winter, which creates less friction and breakage. When we bundle up to stay warm in cold weather, we often add hats, scarves and hoods, which makes sense because we lose a lot of heat through our heads! But these coverings create more friction on our hair than we typically have in the summertime leading to increased hair fall due to cold weather.

We all start new diets for a variety of reasons—trying to lose weight, dealing with inflammation, understanding food allergies and more. But when you go on a diet, a lot of different things happen with your body beyond your digestive system. For example, there’s a link between diet and hair loss and all your new diets will affect your hair—though it’s not always bad.

A lot of weight loss diets, however, can be really harmful to your hair because they’re restrictive. Depriving your body of vitamins and nutrients needed for hair growth means your hair will be crying out for nourishment. On the flip side, a diet for healthy hair can keep your hair strong and shiny. Keep reading for a look at some of the most popular diets and what they can do to your hair, as well as our pick of the best diets for healthy hair.

We’ve all been there: We finally find a sulfate-free shampoo that works wonders for us! Our hair feels clean, manageable and healthy. Friends compliment us and ask what we’re doing differently with our hair. Then slowly, we notice the results start to fade. Or perhaps it’s more an issue of inconsistent results.

Maybe our hair feels dry after we shampoo with our trusty repairing shampoo. Or, our volumizing shampoo gives great boost and sleek shine one day but allows our tresses to fall flat and frizz up the next. Or maybe our hair just never feels clean anymore, in general. 

It might be time to consider rotating your favorite sulfate-free shampoo with another great option. Read on to learn how switching up your shampoo can help address all your hair concerns!

Sandwiched between the hot humidity of summer and the coldness of winter are about three weeks of blissful, hair-friendly weather. Neither frizz nor hair static bothers us. Our hair holds curls a bit more easily. It even accepts wash-and-go styling. And every year we breathe a collective sigh of relief during this brief period of perfect hair weather. 

But this break is short-lived.  

Despite the reprieve from warm weather hair issues like frizz and flatness—especially common for fine hair—winter weather brings its own set of hair woes. The dry days of winter can wreak havoc on aging hair. When cold, dry air replaces the humidity of summer, the result is hair static, which can also lead to dullness, dry and unmanageable strands and even breakage.

The maximum length of time hair spends in the anagen phase, otherwise known as the active growth phase, varies from person to person depending mainly on genetics. Yet, various things can disrupt the time our hair spends growing, like our health, diet, stress and hormones. For example, an increase of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in our system during menopause leads to follicle miniaturization. 

When this happens, our once-healthy follicles start producing thinner, weaker hair. DHT and other issues can disrupt the growth phase for some of our strands, cause fragile hair and even result in permanent hair loss. But there are ways to counteract this issue and increase our hair's time in the active phase. 

On the first day of Christmas Better Not Younger sent to me, a daily hair-care routine with healthy hair tips and products sulfate-free! In the spirit of this celebrated holiday carol, we curated our very own list of healthy hair-and-scalp essentials to transform your aging tresses just in time for the holiday season.