Everyone desires thicker, shinier, and more healthy hair. In order to get long, luscious locks, many of us are prepared to do anything—from slathering on every mask in Sephora's inventory to taking vitamins. But don't spend your time on unnecessary products or pills. Experts from across the globe provide their best advice on how to grow thicker and longer hair the proper way.

But firstly, how do you know if your hair is thick or thin?

 

Hair Thickness Assessment

Hair density & hair thickness isn't the same thing, yet they function together to create your hair's profile. The actual width of an individual strand of hair represents the thickness, while the density of your hair shows how thin or thick the collective strands are. As a result, it is possible to have fine and thick hair.

If you have straight hair, it is more certainly possible to be thick than if you have curly or afro hair.

Statistics show that the typical hair in the head is roughly 100,000 strands; however, this number may vary greatly depending on the person's natural hair color.

For Spengler, determining your hair's thickness is easiest done by touching and looking at it. Dry and harsh to the touch are signs of coarseness. Spengler says, "Coarse hair has a substantially higher protein content; hence it will feel stiffer."

What if you think your hair falls into the fine or thick category? To find out what sort of hair you have, Josh recommends looking at a piece that has come out of your hairbrush and holding it between your fingers. You likely have fine hair if you can hardly feel it. "

If your hair is neither thin nor thick, you probably have medium-thick hair.

 

Expert Tips to Make Your Hair Grow Thicker 

Below are a few tips that can help you to develop that thick hair of your dreams:

1. Eat a healthier diet

Anabel Kingsley, brand president of Kingsley consultant trichology, states that diet is a major factor in healthy, thick hair development. The reason is that the hair is one of the last regions of the body to get nutrients and one of the first to be restricted from it. As a result, even a little nutrient shortage might severely influence your locks.

"Most patients aren't receiving enough iron, vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin B in their diets," she explains. Nuts, beef, sweet potatoes, chicken, quinoa, and broccoli are all good additions to your next shopping list since they are high in vitamins, minerals, and proteins. These are all crucial for producing stronger hair.

 

2. Address Stress and Hormone Imbalances 

In reality, a decline in estrogen levels may cause hair loss in women with thyroid disorders, new moms, and older women. Dahl Kristin, a Los Angeles-based dietitian and women's health educator, explains that although high estrogen levels promote thick, luscious hair, low estrogen levels are associated with thin, sluggish hair development, resulting in hair loss. 

Although estrogen is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands in the uterus, stress may cause the adrenal glands to become overworked, resulting in symptoms of menopause, such as hair loss and hot flashes.

Some issues are beyond your control (whether or not you take medicine), but there are techniques to reduce stress in the endocrine system and maintain your hair healthy, shiny, and thicker. Ashwagandha leaf and stem extract and amino acids may help boost keratin synthesis, so talk to your doctor about adaptogenic herbs like these.

 

3. Protect Your Hair 

Instead of washing wet hair, straighten/comb it first. Wet hair is more prone to breaking. According to Sabina Wizemann, senior scientist at the Good Housekeeping Institute Cosmetic Lab, water exposure causes the outer covering of the hair shaft to lift, and tension from brushing in that condition may cause it to break.

If you must detangle damp hair, use a leave-in conditioner mostly from roots to the ends, then use a softer wide-tooth comb and sometimes detangling brush in short areas to decrease friction.

 

4. Use a Silk Pillowcase 

It's possible to wake up with nicer hair the next morning by changing your pillowcase. An associate clinical professor at Mount Sinai in New York City tells us there are fewer knots and breaking issues when your pillowcase is made of silk. The more silky your pillowcase is, the less likely your hair to break.

 

5. Protect Your Scalp

Don't sleep on your scalp if you want to promote healthy hair. The scalp includes rich bacteria and fungi important to maintaining the skin and hair healthy. Our skin and hair suffer when we don't wash it often or use strong cleansers. 

When the scalp is damaged, the scalp cannot protect itself. 

Using too many hair stylers and strong cleaning agents like baking soda may peel the hair and alter the pH balance of your scalp, she claims. 

It would be best to massage your scalp to stimulate blood flow, says Linda de Zeeuw, head hairstylist at Rob Peetoom, Brooklyn. Furthermore, De Zeeuw cautions against overusing dry shampoo, which we know is terrible. It may cause your scalp to accumulate dust and block up your hair follicles, making it difficult for new, healthy hair to form.

 

6. Pick the Right Supplements

According to Balding, taking a multivitamin and a hair supplement may make a major impact. A healthy hair follicle is dependent on the proper functioning of various vitamins, zinc, and fatty acids. 

According to her, "they need to be included together with a good diet" for many individuals.

Note: Results from tablets may take 3 to 6 months, and you'll have to keep taking them to keep your new hair growing healthy and thick.

Hairfinity Healthy Hair Vitamins contain all of the nutrients and vitamins your head needs to grow longer, stronger and healthier. Working in tandem with your Hairfinity hair care, a daily dose of Hairfinity Healthy Hair Vitamins provides:

• Vitamins A and D promote healthy hair and scalp*
• Niacin promotes healthy blood circulation to the scalp.*
• Pantothenic Acid for stronger hair follicles.*
• Vitamin B12 to oxygenate scalp and hair follicles.*
• Biotin supports existing hair growth, keratin production, and increases hair elasticity.*

Don't like swallowing pills? Try Hairfinity Candilocks Chewable Hair Vitamins instead!

 

7. Quit Using Hot Tools

Getting rid of your hairdryer and flat iron might be difficult, but we're here to help. It's time to start composing that breakup text if you want better hair. 

"Keeping hot tool usage to a minimum will prevent hair damage," Balding explains. 

Using a heat-protectant spray like Cutler Protectant Spray and a hot tool brand that manages heat and temperature uniformly, just like T3 SinglePass Flat Iron, is essential if you can't avoid using your favorite hot tools. 

With the Dyson Airwrap hair drier and style tool, you can dry and curl your hair with air and minimum heat at the same time.

 

8. Always Brush Your Hair 

When was the last time you gave your hair a thorough brushing? Brushing your hair often and deliberately may increase the thickness of your hair by dispersing the essential oils that protect it from harm and enhance its shine. It doesn't matter whether your hair is straight or curly; brushing daily will help cleanse the scalp and eliminate dead hairs.

However, using the correct brush is the only way to get the best results. Zeeuw advises against using a plastic brush. "It will result in your hair becoming dry and brittle."

 

9. Consult Your Physician If You Are Experiencing Hair Loss

Underlying factors may hinder your hair's development. One out of every four women in the United States has thinning hair, and that doesn't include individuals who were born with fine or scant locks, to begin with. 

After treatment, hair regrowth is common with TE; consult a physician for diagnosis. In the case of androgenetic baldness, minoxidil, an over-the-counter topical medication, has been shown to regrow hair. 

 

3 Important Nutrients for Thicker Hair

The following nutrients can aid in developing a thicker hair:

• Vitamin E 

Vitamin E may be either orally or used topically to stimulate hair growth and thickness. 

Vitamin C has long been known for its antioxidant properties, but did you know that it may also help thicken your hair? That's precisely what vitamin E can accomplish, whether taken orally or applied to the scalp.

According to research, hair follicles were activated to grow when vitamin E was applied to the skin, and those hairs immediately began to grow.

Another research found that after eight months, the number of scalp hairs grew by an astounding 34.5% when vitamin E was taken orally. 

 

• Iron

Checking your iron levels is an excellent first step for women worried about hair loss due to a lack of iron in their diet. The majority of the world's iron insufficiency cases are found in women and girls.

Hair issues such as thinning hair, delayed hair growth, and balding may all be caused by a deficiency in iron; however, these signs are not usually immediately apparent.

Hair growth, as well as thickness, might be affected by an iron shortage.

 

• ​Zinc

Both the density and structure of your hair might be damaged by zinc deficiency. Rough, brittle, and strangely dry hair are unmistakable indications of zinc deficiency. Another issue is thinning hair. Many common hair thinning conditions have been related to zinc deficiency, including alopecia, androgenic alopecia, and telogen effluvium.

Fortunately, increasing your zinc consumption to the recommended amounts is simple and easy, and the benefits to your hair will follow soon after. According to one research, sixty percent of individuals with alopecia areata had their hair recover completely after only three months of taking oral zinc supplements.

 

Causes of Hair Thinning

The size of the hair follicle determines the thickness of the hair strand. Your skin pores contain hair follicles, which are the basic elements of a hair strand. It is possible to thicken your hair strands by increasing the diameter of your hair follicles.

All of the elements that make up the life cycle of the hair strand are contained inside a single hair follicle. There are stem cells in a hair follicle that may regenerate throughout your life. During the normal hair life cycle, most active stem cells momentarily halt the production of hair in order to regulate their regeneration.

Below are some of the reasons that could cause your hair to thin out:

1. Androgen hormones like DHT weaken and shrink your hair follicles, resulting in follicular shrinkage when hormones are out of balance. If you think your hair loss is due to DHT, you can take Hairfinity DHT Blocker, which features Saw Palmetto, a powerful DHT blocker, clinically proven to help stop hair loss and promote hair regrowth. 

2. Hair follicles ultimately become skin when the cells in the follicles are destroyed over time. During this natural process, your hair follicles are gradually reduced in size.

3. Another reason is genetics. Your hair thickness could result from genetics, but there are ways to improve it if you want to.

 

Hair-Thinning Treatments

If a person's hair is thinning due to an underlying health problem, such as a nutrient shortage or alopecia, they should seek expert help.

Whether or not additional treatment is required, the natural methods listed below may be able to help thicken thin hair.

• Orange juice with pureed oranges

The hair benefits from vitamin C, pectin, and acid found in oranges.

If you want to make your hair look thicker, vitamins and minerals can enhance its natural luster.

Using an acid to break down hair product residue may promote hair growth. The orange puree has a nice aroma, unlike most other treatments.

To prepare the puree, combine fresh oranges and then apply it to your head. Wait at least an hour before rinsing.

After this treatment, you may rehydrate your hair with a mild conditioner.

• Aloe vera gel or aloe vera oil

Aloe vera may provide a variety of health advantages for the hair, scalp, and skin.

Aloe oil used directly on the scalp and hair may help thicken and strengthen hair over time. Aloe vera is an active component in several commercial products, including gels and creams.

Aloe vera gel may be applied to the scalp and hair, allowed to stay for 30 minutes, and then rinsed out for at-home treatment. Some individuals blend the aloe alongside olive oil or coconut oil.

This therapy may be used once to thrice a week by a person.

• Avocado

Many people feel that avocado is a fantastic moisturizer because of its high vitamin E content. A simple avocado massage may be used twice a week.

 

Final Thought

The best way to get thicker hair is to take care of your hair and nourish it. Even if you can't change the strands themselves for something healthier or curlier, you can protect your hair from further damage by following the steps above (or even fixing existing damage).

It is important to seek medical treatment if you notice a sudden or inexplicable loss of hair or thinning of the hair.

Natural home treatments may be cost-effective and risk-free. A commercial product developed to treat or cure hair loss may be preferable in certain instances.