“Eating a healthy, balanced, and varied diet is key,” concurs Anabel. “The impact that nutrition has on hair growth should not be underestimated. As hair is non-essential tissue, and hair cells are the second fastest growing cells your body makes, its nutritional requirements are very high,” she says.

Only supplement if you actually need to

It can be tempting to hit Holland & Barrett as soon as your hair isn’t playing ball, but it shouldn’t be your first port of call (see above: start with your diet). “Whilst supplements can be helpful, they are there to supplement. If your levels are already good, chances are that supplement isn’t adding further value to your body and will likely be excreted out or may even cause complications if levels build up too high. Remember, an excellent diet should always come first,” says Eleanore.

That said, “it can be quite hard to give your hair what it needs through diet alone,” admits Anabel. So, if you’re eating balanced meals and you’re still not seeing results, “I often recommend supplementing a healthy diet with nutritional supplements, like our Density Amino Acid supplement, as hardly anyone eats enough protein – at least from a hair growth standpoint – alongside our Density Healthy Hair Complex which contains all the essentially micro-nutrients to support hair growth,” Anabel says.

Style mindfully

We’ve all heard of traction alopecia and product build-up impeding healthy hair growth, so it’s important to style mindfully. “From a styling perspective we can avoid techniques that can put strain and injury on our follicles to avoid the possibility of thinning or even scarring on the scalp surface,” says Teresa Richardson MIT, trichologist at Fulham Scalp & Hair Clinic. “Avoid extensions, tight braiding, weaves or wigs if you really want to reduce tension and avoid the thinning and breakage which, if left untreated, can lead to traction alopecia,” she says.

Likewise, brush gently. “Brushes with long, flexible plastic prongs are best. Boar bristle brushes can scratch both the hair and scalp and cause substantial accumulative damage,” notes Anabel.

And ensure, if you’re using heavy styling sprays and products that you deep-clean regularly, which brings us onto our next point…

Keep it clean

“Keeping your scalp comfortable and clean is so important as this creates a healthy scalp environment, allowing your hair follicles to produce and grow healthy hair at an optimum rate,” says Teresa. “We would recommend washing your hair at least once a week and more frequently if your hair gets greasy or itchy quicker,” she adds.

“Scalp health has a profound influence on hair growth – after all, one supports the growth of the other,” agrees Anabel who recommends targeted scalp masks and toners. Basically, treat the skin on your head with the same care as you would the skin on your face.

Consider minoxidil

There’s no such thing as miracle ingredients, but there are ingredients that have been proven and backed by science to help stimulate hair growth. “If you have female or male pattern hair loss, topical scalp drops containing minoxidil are very effective,” says Anabel. The most powerful are on prescription, so it may be worth booking in with a trichologist for some advice and a prescription, but there are some gentler over-the-counter formulas.

Regaine For Women Extra Strength Scalp Foam

Volumise

If your issue is fine hair that lacks oomph, you need a routine that encourages volume. “Choose products which are lightweight and contain plumping ingredients to give volume and the appearance of fuller, thicker hair,” says Anabel. And look for volumisers that can lift the roots and help to inflate the appearance of strands like the Color Wow Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer.

Celebrate what you’ve got

Lastly, be kind to yourself and what nature gave you. “It’s really important to recognise that not everyone will have very thick hair and that is OK, it doesn’t necessarily mean a deficiency or problem at all,” notes Teresa. “We have an image presented to us from social media and celebrities that everyone successful is blessed with super thick hair, when very frequently, extensions, wigs or other interventions have been added to create a look. We can’t naturally compete, but we also shouldn’t think of ourselves as incomplete as a result, it is so important to get comfortable with what ‘healthy me’ looks like,” she insists.

For more from GLAMOUR’s Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk

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