Whether you’ve been missing your long strands after an impulsive bob cut or become a victim of a regrettable TikTok hair trend, wondering how to grow your hair faster is a universal question we’ve all experienced at least once in our lives. How to go about promoting healthy hair growth depends on your specific wants and needs, but one thing is certain: There is no quick fix.

“The day you decide to grow out your hair, you have to really start taking care of it,” says hairstylist Mark Townsend, insisting, “to get the length, there are sacrifices.” The reality is there’s no shortcut to an endless, luxurious mane—it’s a months-long, methodical process. One that can feel especially tedious if you’re contending with stress-induced hair shedding.

But don’t feel overwhelmed or defeated just yet. With a little bit of patience, the right products, hair-growth-focused ingredients, and some pivots to your everyday routines, you’ll be on the right track for growing out your hair. Here, Townsend and other sought-after pros weigh in on how to grow your hair faster and maximize your length.

How long does it take for your hair to grow?

Your hair has three stages of growth: the anagen stage, the catagen stage, and the telogen stage. Hadley King, MD, New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, explains that during the anagen stage is where the hair does most of its growing. Each strand can spend three to five years in this phase on average, with hair growing around half an inch per month. Once this stage starts to end, it moves to the transitional catagen stage that lasts for about ten days. Then it will enter the telogen phase where strands are released and fall out, and the whole process is repeated.

But Andrew Fitzsimons, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Andrew Fitzsimons haircare, says that while hair will grow around six inches per year, there are still a number of different factors (hair type, daily hair routine, genetics, etc.) all impact hair growth.

What affects hair growth?

According to Marc Ballance, a Manhattan-based hairstylist at IGK Salon, many factors can influence hair growth. The main ones are: diet, stress, scalp and hair health, and age. “Eating clean, healthy, and balanced diets along with looking after the condition of your hair and scalp can definitely help with improving hair growth,” says Ballance. “Age affects all aspects of the body, and the more you look after yourself as you get older, the more it impacts your hair.”

Your hair texture or length won’t affect hair growth at all, he adds. All hair grows out of the root at the same pace, it just may appear that you’ll see progress on different textures and lengths. “Typically most hair textures grow at the same rate,” he says. “But straighter hair textures can appear to grow quicker because of them being straight and flat. Curlier textures can appear to stay at the same length for longer because as length comes into the hair, it just curls up more.”

Tips for Growing Hair Faster

All the experts agree that there are a few things to help you grow your hair faster. The most common ways include:

Commit to Regular Micro-Trims

When you go for a “dusting”—taking off just an eighth of an inch—versus a standard trim, you barely see hair on the floor, says Townsend. A carefully calibrated shearing preserves length while getting rid of split ends caused by environmental damage, such as physical stress or hot tools. “If left to their own devices, those split ends can work their way higher up the hair’s shaft,” explains hairstylist Vernon François. “If you wait too long in between trims, you’ll end up having to take off more length in the end.” In order to keep hair healthy, most pros recommend at least three dustings a year and embracing split-end treatments, such as Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! Strengthening Treatment oil and Amika’s The Closer Instant Split-End Hair Repair Cream.

Nourish Your Scalp

As the scalp ages, it becomes more fragile and dry, says Debra Lin, Ph.D., a hair science expert and chief scientific officer for hair care brand Better Not Younger. “It’s important to care for the scalp to help optimize the environment to support healthy hair growth,” explains Lin. “Keep the scalp clean with a scalp cleanser for more oily scalps and use a scalp and hair serum to nourish and condition it,” she instructs, highlighting the New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser, which has a built-in massaging applicator and removes buildup and excess oil, while supporting hair growth with antimicrobial activated charcoal, exfoliating lactic acid, and soothing menthyl lactate. Another beneficial elixir to have on hand is a lightweight, supercharged leave-on scalp serum, like the Superpower Hair and Scalp Fortifying Serum or Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Scalp serum, which will hydrate and enhance overall scalp health.

Do a Weekly Conditioning Treatment

In navigating how to grow out your hair, stylists unanimously agree that a weekly deep-conditioning treatment, such as the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask or Townsend’s go-to Iles Formula Haute Performance Conditioner, is nonnegotiable for all hair types, but especially if hair is fine, curly, or color-treated. “As hair grows longer in length, the tips will go through more environmental stressors and deplete the natural oils that keep hair shiny and smooth,” explains It’s helpful to keep hair soft and conditioned at the tips to support the ends as hair grows longer.