“My hair just doesn’t grow.”
“Only an inch please!”
“Trim as little as possible.”
“Do we have to cut it?”
Yep, those are phrases you probably hear every day at the chair. Colorado-based stylist Amy Baugh (@hairbyamybee) is all too familiar with guests who want to hold on to the precious length they have. “When you’re trying to grow out your hair, every inch off can sometimes feel like a foot,” she says. “And it can be disheartening feeling like it’s never going to get there.”
However, the stylist recently posted a handy visual that illustrates why trimming “just an inch” isn’t always going to cut it.
“If the ends of your hair look like a garage broom with chunks missing, it’s not pretty, and it’s not going to get longer,” Baugh states. “Split ends tend to travel up the hair faster than hair is typically able to grow. So yes, your hair is growing, but it’s also breaking off at the ends just as quickly and traveling up. By the time you finally cave and let your stylist cut off what it needs, you might end up losing 3 or 4 inches instead of that 1.5 inches that your stylist suggested just a couple months ago.”
What can you do help your clients grow healthy hair faster? Baugh has a few suggestions to get you started:
1. Brush the hair. The bristles on the brush will stimulate blood flow on your scalp and help get things moving. Or a scalp massage!
2. Check your diet! If your diet lacks specific nutrients, including vitamins, minerals or protein, it can affect the condition and strength of your hair.
3. Good products! Drugstore bought shampoos and conditioners are generally super harsh and results in nasty build up, causing unhealthy scalps and lots of problems on the hair itself.
4. Avoid heat. The more heat that gets on your hair, the more that breakage can occur...especially if you’re not using a heat protectant and quality products.
5. A good hair growth supplement! Baugh recommends Viviscal Professional hair supplements, which supply vital nutrients to the hair follicle to prolong the hair growth cycle and promote existing hair growth.
Another problem area for clients is thinning and breakage around the hairline. Baugh shares: “Something that has always driven me crazy is that the hair on my temples is thinner (like everyone’s) but also significantly blonder than the rest of my head. This makes me look bald when my hair is up.”
She recommends XFusion Keratin Hair Fibers by Toppik which come in different shades and stick to the hair to make it look fuller. It can also be used to cover grays and add depth around the scalp.
With patience and the right products, your client can achieve their dream hair. Cheers to helping them along on their #hairgoals journey.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.