A man's relationship with his hair is often bittersweet. On one hand, we're keen to show off the mane we tend to every day. On the other, there's the quiet worry that, somewhere down the line, we might lose it altogether. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that! But for many guys, hair loss can be a genuinely stressful and upsetting thing to go through—and, unfortunately, up to 80% will experience some degree of it in their lifetime, according to the National Library of Medicine.
So it's no surprise that there are countless Reddit threads out there, full of information, some reliable, sonme not, about how to grow your hair faster. (If very long and very complicated-looking words like ‘dihydrotestosterone’ and ‘dutasteride’ are popping up during your 3 a.m. scrolling sessions, you're probably on the right track.)
Hair growth can come down to anything from nutrients your body lacks to lifestyle decisions that you don't even know are harming your hair. Below, we speak to experts whoshare exactly how to grow your hair faster.
The simple answer is yes. And the long answer would be yes again, but in more ways than you think. Jacqui McIntosh, who's a trichologist and hair ambassador for Bellissima, says to “Think of genetics as your ‘blueprint,’ and lifestyle and scalp care as your ‘builders,’ both matter.”
Genetics will determine the natural density of your hair, as well as texture and growth rate (which, FYI, is between 1-1.5 centimeters per month for the average guy). But they also play a role in if, and how quickly, you'll lose it. Aesthetic doctor, Dr .Richard Devine, says, “If you have a family history of thinning or early hair loss, you might be predisposed, yet lifestyle, stress management, and scalp care can make a major difference in preserving what you've got and optimizing growth.”
Before understanding what diet changes you might need to make, it's important to understand what hair actually is. McIntosh says, “Hair is made primarily of keratin, a protein. Lack of adequate hydration and protein-rich nutrition will impact the strength and resilience of new hair growth.”
If you're one of those guys who've ended up on Reddit threads and reverse-balding TikTok accounts, you've probably seen every supplement under the sun. Biotin gummies that promise skin and nail growth. Peptides that you need to pin in your butt cheek in order for them to enter your bloodstream. And ads for finasteride and minoxidil. But the keyword here is supplement.
It's meant to be used as an additional piece of armor to your already nutritious diet. Devine recommends focusing on “nutrient-dense foods like lean protein (the building block of keratin), omega-3 fats, leafy greens, and iron-rich options. If your diet is lacking, consider a high-quality supplement containing biotin and B vitamins to support follicle health.
Alright, it's science time. Telogen effluvium is the term used to explain why your hair falls out. It's the condition that forces more hair than usual to enter the shedding phase. And when that happens, your follicle will shrink more and more until your hair eventually falls out. McIntosh says that chronic stress and hormonal shifts, like postpartum and thyroid dysfunction, can kick telogen effluvium into overdrive.
But there are simple lifestyle changes that you can make to stop that from happening, and to improve your life overall. McIntosh suggests simple changes like “low manipulation styling, as the less mechanical stress, the better,” and “regular trimming will keep ends healthy and prevent splits from travelling up the shaft.”
If all of that fails, and your growth has stalled significantly, trichologists like herself can help identify any underlying conditions or imbalances. The more eyes on your hair growth, the better.
Hold your horses. Before you start jumping to getting procedures done, it's important that your baseline is taken care of. The first line of offense when it comes to growing your hair is ensuring your scalp is healthy. Dr Gráinne Ryan is an aesthetic doctor and the founder of Medical Aesthetics Clinic in Ireland. She says you should “treat your scalp with the same care as your skin. Keep it clean with regular cleansing and gentle exfoliation to remove buildup, then nourish it with a peptide-rich serum or a microneedling device to boost absorption and stimulate follicles.”
Once that's sorted, the next step might be procedures. Ryan recommends “in-clinic treatments such as RF microneedling—for example, Sylfirm X combined with Morphiya Exomorphic, can really speed up the process and further enhance cellular repair and rejuvenation, helping to strengthen follicles and encourage faster growth.”
McIntosh thinks you should visit a specialist for treatments like “RF microneedling with growth factors or exosomes, PRP, and stem cell therapy. These combined approaches can significantly boost hair growth and improve overall scalp quality.”
But remember, a procedure should be your last plan of attack. There are so many small changes you can make first, and even products you can use consistently at home.
Sorting out which products will help you grow your hair faster is a very individualised battle. You’ve most likely heard of the big three, which are finasteride, minoxidil, and dutasteride.
In layman's terms, finasteride blocks dihydrotestosterone, which is the androgen that reinforces genetic hair loss. Minoxidil will help you regrow it, and dutasteride is sort of the combination pill that does a bit of both. These days, you can buy all three in oral format, while minoxidil is most commonly used as a cream that you'd apply to your scalp directly.
Devine is a fan of the last one, saying, “Minoxidil is one of the few clinically proven topical treatments to stimulate follicles and encourage regrowth.” Science backs this up as well. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery says 62% of men experienced regrowth in affected areas after one year of using 5% minoxidil. Alongside that, Devine says to “look for products with peptides, caffeine, rosemary oil, niacinamide, and biotin, which help boost circulation and strengthen the scalp barrier.”
Devine and Ryan also see a benefit from scalp serums. These range from products with caffeine and rosemary oil to ceramides and copper tripeptide. They all work in individual ways, but in a grandiose statement, they reportedly boost circulation and strengthen the scalp barrier. Devine says to be cautious about “layering too many actives at once. Support your routine with gentle cleansing and nourishment, and always prioritize scalp health. A thriving scalp equals healthier, thicker hair in the long run.”
This story originally appeared in British GQ.