Ew. I know, right? I sound like an old man- except i'm a girl and balding at 18!
The lack of nutrition in my body meant that my hair was the
last of my worries and, thus, became brittle and started breaking off, while no
more grew. I was repeatedly asked if I’d cut my hair, but it had just all fallen
out, sometimes in clumps. I’ve seen tweets from girls needlessly seeking to
lose weight saying things like “the worse part about losing weight is losing
your boobs” to which every bone in my body longs to reply “wait until you lose
your hair…”
The great phrase: ‘you don’t realise what you have until
it’s gone’ seems applicable here (not in a dramatic sense). I took my long,
soft honey blonde hair for granted for all those years. I never had thick,
glossy locks but I had beachy waves on holiday and my hair went nice and golden
in the sun. It suited me so much more than the bleached, dry straggles that
have hung from my scalp for the best part of a year. I feel so ugly without my long hair.
In March, as I started to gain the weight that is making me
look so very repugnant at present, I decided to go for the chop. I headed to
Cobella in Selfridges and had my shoulder length hair cut into a swishy bob. At
first I loved it, but it really didn’t take long for the novelty to wear off. I
WANT MY HAIR BACK.
So this P.O.P post is dedicated to those looking to grow
their hair, either as part of recovery from an eating disorder, or just because
you too have made the decision to cut off your hair without fully considering
it.
Here are my tips for sustaining hair growth that, so far,
have worked for me. It looks like these tips are working, so
please do let me know if you have any others!
EAT WELL
It’s such an obvious one but starving your body of
the nutrients it needs immediately affects your hair, skin and nails. You
really need to nourish your hair from the inside out. Protein is crucial, think
nuts, fish and eggs. A healthy diet will show in your overall appearance,
regardless of your weight.
SCALP MASSAGE
This is a little tip I got from my friend
Harriet (an annoyingly gorgeous budding beauty journalist with a fantastic
little blog here) for which I am eternally grateful! I have only been doing it
for just over a week but have immediately noticed a difference to the volume
and strength of my hair. Massaging your scalp for around 3-5 minutes a day
makes a world of difference. Just massage your scalp gently as you condition
your hair and it shall stimulate the growth of the hair. It also feels pretty
darn nice. I like to treat myself to Bumble & Bumble Mending Masque which I
put on, massage my scalp for around five minutes (bit of a bicep workout to be
honest!) then leave the masque for a further 10 minutes. My hair is soft,
glossy and looks so much healthier as a result.
SEA KELP
Another little tip from the lovely Harriet.
Supposedly sea kelp tablets (which you can buy from Holland and Barrett- in the
penny sale just now!) help promote the healthy growth of hair. There is, as of
yet, no scientific proof of this but seaweed is iron-rich and therefore sure to
be beneficial. It should take a while for me to see the results, but I shall
let you know if this really does work. Harriet says she’s noticed a difference
in her hair and has had it recommended to her by a few friends so I’d
definitely suggest giving it a try.
BLOW DRY HAIR STRAIGHT
Rather than ironing your hair every
day, as I used to do, try blow drying it straight with a ceramic barrel brush,
using a heat protector product to keep the condition (my favourite heat protector is the GHD one but i'm not fussy!)
MOROCCAN OIL
I have heard great things about Moroccan Oil
for assisting hair growth. I personally have not tried the Morroccanoil brand,
but am very keen to. I actually use Keihls Argan Oil on the ends of my hair to
keep it smooth. It is a weekly treat for my hair and I have started to massage
my scalp with a few drops of Argan oil as well as applying a little to the
midlengths and ends of my hair. It does promote strength of hair as well as
length and there is very little better for your hair! Just don’t overdo the
hair oil as fine hair is more prone to greasiness.
Hopefully you have found these tips reasonably helpful and
please do let me know any more tips you may have on hair growth (recovery or
not!) as I’m all ears! I’ll let you know how my hair progresses… As I’m sure
you’re riveted.
