Why Does My Hair Grow So Slowly in the Winter?
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.
What Can I Do to Speed Up My Slow Hair Growth?
No matter the season, you don’t have to accept slow hair growth! Here are four hair growth tips to help stimulate your hair follicles this winter and help reduce hair fall due to cold weather:
1. Choose Hairstyles That Are Easy on Your Hair
Sometimes cute, on-trend styles aren’t the best for our hair health. Tight updos or teased hairstyles are hard on our hair! When we pull our hair back into a high, tight ponytail, tight braids or cornrows, we put pressure on our hair follicles. Over time, this pressure results in breakage and hair thinning. This is known as traction alopecia, and the good news is that it’s reversible!
Unlike genetic forms of alopecia, traction alopecia is caused by friction that breaks and thins our hair. Swapping tight styles for wearing your hair down or loosely tied back and avoiding tight-fitting hats will help fix the damage. Keep in mind that this regrowth will take time! To give your locks an extra boost in the meantime, try adding a scalp serum designed to support active hair follicles. Our Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum is a terrific option that fights follicle fatigue to strengthen strands and nourish the scalp to promote hair health even in cold weather!
A great alternative to tight styles is a low, loose braid. Instead of gathering hair at your crown, gently backcomb at the crown. Then, moving top to bottom, braid hair very loosely, in any style of braid you like, and secure with a tie or clip at the end. This gives your follicles a reprieve and only applies light pressure to the very ends of your hair at the band.
Bonus: If you try a loose braid shortly after a wash, you’ll enjoy effortless, heatless waves when you undo your hair later!
2. Try Vitamins to Boost Hair Health
Is your hair not growing as fast or long as you’d like? Be sure you’re taking hair-fortifying vitamins! We already mentioned that the sun can make hair grow faster because our bodies process sunshine into vitamin D. But there are so many minerals and vitamins that boost hair health, too!
- Vitamin A: Vitamin A is a retinoid that activates the skin’s sebaceous glands, stimulating hair follicles.
- Biotin: A member of the B Vitamin family, biotin supports healthy, strong hair and nails by helping the body produce keratin.
- Folic Acid: This is more than just a pregnancy supplement! Responsible for ensuring the turnover of healthy cells in the body, folic acid promotes hair health best when used in conjunction with other hair-healthy vitamins and minerals. Bonus for those of us not quite ready to embrace our gorgeous grays: Scientists have found that supplementing with folic acid can help prevent premature gray hair!
If you’d like to try supplementation to promote the health of your hair, we love our Significant Other
Hair, Skin & Nails Supplement + Retinol Boost, which has the added benefit of supporting strong nails and glowing skin!
3. Only Use Hair-Care Products That Support Hair Health
Hair-care products that contain parabens and sulfates are incredibly hard on your hair. Adding sulfate to a product gives it a rich texture and lather, but because it’s a harsh detergent, it strips hair of oil. When our hair is stripped of its natural oils, we see more dryness, breakage and damage.
Parabens are preservatives that are easily absorbed through the skin. These are found in many toothpastes, cosmetics and hair-care products. The problem is that parabens are easily absorbed through the skin, and this can cause a host of problems, including hair loss, brittle hair and allergies. Even more, studies have shown parabens interfere with estrogen and have been linked to breast cancer. We also know that low estrogen levels are tied to hair loss as we age, so we definitely don’t want parabens disrupting these hormones!
When looking for hair products, ensure you avoid parabens and sulfates. At Better Not Younger, our entire product line is sulfate- and paraben-free, to support healthy hair without harsh, unnecessary chemicals and preservatives. To target hair health in cold weather, we can’t get enough of our Second Chance Repairing Shampoo to help restore hair's moisture to battle dryness and damage!
4. Show Your Scalp Some Love
We know that scalp health is tied to hair health, and in colder weather, our hair and scalp tend to be dry. If you notice slow hair growth or feel that your hair is not growing much at all, try giving your scalp some TLC to feel healthy hair growing in no time!
A great way to get your scalp feeling its best to speed up slow hair growth is to massage your scalp. If you’ve gotten a Swedish or deep tissue massage in the past, you know how invigorating and healing these can be. Your scalp shouldn’t miss out! Just as full-body massages promote better circulation, scalp massages help improve blood flow to the scalp. This increased blood flow brings with it the nutrients needed for faster hair growth in cold weather.
In addition to a scalp massage, adding a scalp serum and massaging applicator can help hydrate and activate sleepy hair follicles in the winter. (When our hair follicles lie dormant, our hair isn’t growing well, so we want to wake them up!) For this task, we adore our power couple, the Superpower Hair and Scalp Duo! It packs a hair-boosting, scalp-healing punch to jumpstart the health of your hair by combining both a serum and a massaging applicator to really invigorate your scalp.
Wishing for Faster Hair Growth This Winter? Better Not Younger Has the Solution!
At Better Not Younger, we understand that slow hair growth can be incredibly frustrating. That’s why we designed our hair-care products to support your healthiest hair and included shampoos, conditioners and styling products to help hair look as thick and lustrous as possible. You don’t have to wait for warmer weather to enjoy gorgeous hair!
Tell Us: How do you boost hair growth in the winter? Share your favorite hair growth tips and tricks in the comments below!
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