Nothing is more frustrating than hair that won’t grow, or worse, hair that’s thinning due to a shed. It’s possible to get both faster hair growth and reduced shedding with Hinoki Hair Growth Support Signature Oil. I developed this oil after I changed birth control, going from pills to an IUD. In what was the hormonal equivalent to postpartum hair loss, I lost over a third of my hair volume. My hair is prone to natural taper, but by the end of the shed, the ends were in a sad state.

With the help of Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil and proper nutritional support, I stimulated new growth, turned around my shed, and my hair started replenishing:

Does this actually work? How does it work?

It can, as the reviews on both Etsy and this site attest to, it works!

Factors that affect hair growth & your genetic upper limit

It’s important to remember that there is no Magic Bullet (or in this case Magic Oil, Magic Supplement, or Magic Massage) that is going to give you super-human levels of growth. This is a frustrating reality, but it is reality: you have a genetically predetermined upper growth limit, just like you have a genetically predetermined number of follicles on your head, and a genetically predetermined maximum length your hair can grow to (called terminal length). Nothing, no pill, oil, or magical crystal-woo can override this limit.

The average person grows, give or take, about half an inch (or 1.27 cm) of hair a month, though anywhere from a quarter to one inch is normal. The rate of hair growth is based upon genetics, gender, age, hormones, and nutrition. Optimal hair growth rates are most often seen from ages fifteen to thirty, which reduces after ages forty to fifty.

Understanding what affects growth

If your diet is lacking, if you have poor circulation to your scalp, if you have a fungal growth on your scalp, or you’re deficient in some vitamin, adjustments in these areas will help you reach that limit, but if all your bases are covered, you’re likely not to see much, if any, increase.

Encouraging hair growth is generally accomplished by:

• Increasing circulation to the scalp
• Giving the body the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs to construct hair
• Treating a scalp condition, such as fungus
• Reducing stress
• Providing emotional support (noting that there is a fine line between this and placebo effect)

My hair regrowth methods

When I republished Rehabilitating Damaging Hair Naturally, one of the things I added was an entire new section (it actually doubled the length of the book!) specifically about regrowing healthy hair. There, I discuss growing healthy hair, topical applications, and growth-stimulating techniques, all of which I used after my shed.

Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil

I developed Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil specifically in response to my shed, and based it off of scientific evidence on the growth-stimulating properties of hinoki essential oilThe Japanese Cypress has long been used for building Japanese wooden tubs to create an aromatic and soothing experience. It has a woody, therapeutic scent. Hinoki oil has been shown to encourage hair growth in studies. More as well as the other ingredients.  I applied a generous amount of the oil to my scalp and massaged it in, then let it sit for an hour or two before I showered. On the weekend, or when I didn’t have to go anywhere and looking like an otter in an oil slick wasn’t a problem, I’d leave it on longer.

Scalp massage

Scalp massages stimulate the scalp, improve circulation, and reduce stress. When used with topical applications, it helps work the beneficial ingredients deep into the skin where it is easier for the body to absorb them.

After I applied the Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil, I’d massage it in. To do a scalp massage, begin by spreading your fingers, then place your fingertips on the scalp. Avoid using your fingernails, as they are hard enough to break hair or damage the scalp. Keeping your fingertips on the scalp at all times, extend and contract the fingers two to three times in a firm but gentle motion. Slowly and gently, move fingertips in a circular motion, alternating fingertips around different areas of the scalp.

If you have a medical condition such as psoriasis or eczema, you should talk to your dermatologist before engaging in a scalp massage as it can exacerbate existing conditions and cause symptoms to worsen.

Monistat & Hinoki Hair Growth Essential Oil

Before you balk at the idea of using vaginal yeast cream on your head, there are a lot of people that report results from it (this personally works wonders for me), and several science-rooted theories positing why it may work so well for some people. The active ingredient in these products is miconazole nitrate, an antifungal agent. Miconazole’s chemical structure is similar to another antifungal agent called ketoconazole, which has been shown to block dihydrotestosterone, the hair-killing hormone responsible for female- and male-pattern hair loss. Several other studies have evaluated ketoconazole as an anti-androgen, meaning it combats the kill-off of hair follicles. Since miconazole is similar in nature to ketoconazole, logical extrapolation leads to the belief that it could be effective at stopping female-pattern hair loss. Even for those that don’t suffer hair loss, it seems to encourage more, and faster hair growth. Because the key purpose of Monistat is anti-fungal, it is also efficient in clearing up hair follicle clogging dandruff, oily scalp residue as well as fungus infections. Other theories say that the sulfur in the cream promotes growth in tissue that utilizes keratin as a base, such as your scalp and hair.

After I showered I’d use a blend of water, Monistat, and Hinoki Hair Growth Essential Oil as a weightless, oil-free leave in. Any small bottle works (if you have an amber dropper bottle you can reuse, great!) but I prefer to use a Leur Lock Bottle. It has a very fine tip, which keeps the application right at the scalp, where it does the most good. I’d fill the bottle up about a third with warm water, add a 1 inch ribbon of Monistat, and then 5 drops of the Hinoki Hair Growth Essential Oil. If you wanted, you can also add the Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil instead, just be sure to shake it very well and not add so much you’re making your hair oily. I give the bottle a really good shake to blend it all up, draw thin lines of the mixture on my scalp, and then massage it in.

Another option is to pick up a Hinoki Hair Growth Mister (just select it from the drop down) and add Monistat to it. Just make sure to keep the mist focused at your roots.

The faster hair growth-promoting properties of Monistat and Hinoki Hair Growth Support Oil last about three days, so doing this when I showered made for a nice pairing of routines.

Lifestyle, hydration & nutrition

The big umbrella under which everything, including your hair and its growth, falls is your lifestyle. It’s important to remember that, so far as your body is concerned, your hair is about dead last as far as priorities go. It’s only after it has taken care of the parts of your body more crucial to keeping you alive that the leftover blood and nutrients go to nonessential parts. It’s part of the reason that long, healthy hair proves to be desirable over and over in psychological testing for attraction in mates; healthy people have lustrous hair that shines, whereas when someone is sick, their hair loses its luster. Because hair grows slowly, even shoulder-length hair reflects years of health history that we subconsciously pick up on. That said, when your hair has the building blocks it needs on hand, you get faster hair growth.

The more health-conscious choices you make—the better you take care of yourself—both provides your body with an abundance of nutrients with which to work with, and reduces the deficits that your body has to work against. Adding in positive lifestyle habits and reducing negative lifestyle habits both make things easier for your body to support less-critical parts of itself, such as your hair.

Hydration

You are comprised of about 60% water by weight. Every single system in your body depends on water; it flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, and provides hydration for tissues. The idea of simply drinking enough water is so simple, and yet it’s so easy not to do. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day.

The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day. Although more common, the “8 by 8 Rule” (drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day) rule isn’t supported by hard evidence. However, it remains popular because it’s easy to remember. Although all liquids count toward the total, focus on taking in healthy options such as water, fruit and vegetable smoothies, black coffee, green tea, or herbal tisanes. The grande, quad, nonfat, one-pump, extra-whip, mocha might taste great, but let’s not pretend it’s doing you, or your hair, any favors.

One of my favorite ways to hit this hydration limit is by drinking Miruvor Herbal Tea, which provides hydration as well as herbs that relax the body and provides faster hair growth benefits, such as increased circulation.

Nutrition

The living part of the hair resides under the scalp, where the root is housed within the follicle and gets nutrients delivered to it by blood. Physical or psychological disorders that cause nutrient deficiency, such as anorexia or anemia, can cause hair loss and cause what hair remains to be lank and lackluster. If you suspect that a physical ailment or psychological disorder could be affecting you, you should seek professional assistance to determine the best course for rehabilitation and healing.

Most of us know that our diet isn’t perfect and that we could stand to make some improvements. The ideal diet for supporting your hair, as well as the rest of your body, should contain protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and healthy fats. If your body is in otherwise good health, it is possible to maximize genetic growth through a proper diet including the proper blend of amino acids and B vitamins.

Building Blocks

Your hair is comprised of a few key compounds, and making sure you have enough of these to go around means that your body will feed your hair.

Protein and amino acids—One of the building blocks of life, it promotes cell growth and repair. Having enough protein ensures that hair is created by the body to be as strong as possible. Sources of complete protein include meat, fish, eggs, yogurt, quinoa, and soybeans. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are often missing certain amino acids, but they can be combined to make a complete protein meal. The amino acids L-Methionine and L-Cystein are two of the four sulfur-containing amino acids, supporting hair strength by providing adequate amounts of sulfur to hair cells.

Silica—One of the biggest components of collagen, silica is key to rebuilding cells that have taken free radical damage. It helps balance hormones and also bonds with many minerals in the body, ensuring that the hair follicles are supplied with all the vital minerals necessary for hair growth and vitality. Find silica in fish, oats, seeds, or herbs like horsetail.

Healthy Fats—Avoiding saturated fats and trans fats opens up room in the diet for healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Omega-9 fatty acids and oleic acid are examples of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and are found in avocados and many nuts. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are key, as people on low-fat and nonfat diets are at risk for nutrition-related hair loss because hair needs essential fatty acids. A lack of essential fatty acids causes a drying-up of the scalp and skin and deprives the hair of vital nutrients. The main dietary PUFAs, omega-3 fat and omega-6 fat, are considered essential because they can’t be manufactured by the body and they need to be obtained from food. Find PUFAs in fatty fish such as salmon, fish oil capsules, and avocados.

Supplements

Many common hair building blocks, vitamins, and amino acids can be found in a well-rounded diet. Therefore, although the temptation may be strong, loading up on supplements will neither improve your overall health nor create faster hair growth. Supplements are not in any way a replacement for a good diet full of key nutrients. Taking more than what your body needs also doesn’t do anything but add added stress to the organs that have to filter the excess from your body.

Eating a healthy diet is much better for your long term health and faster hair growth than a poor diet trying to use supplements as a bandage. However, it is rare that all of these key elements are equally available to one through diet at once. If your overall diet is good, it is possible to maximize genetic growth through taking the proper blend of amino acids and B-vitamins. Taking one supplement, such as a multivitamin or a “hair, skin, and nails” blend is fine. Adding in something you know your diet to be deficient in, such as fish oil for those that don’t enjoy fish and struggle to hit their amino acids, is also okay.

Prenatal vitamins are often somehow credited with faster hair growth, but the actual hair growth boost most women see during pregnancy has everything to do with the hormonal changes that occur and little to nothing to do with the bottle of prenatal vitamins. While a prenatal vitamin isn’t harmful if you’re not pregnant, it is tailored to the things the body needs to produce another human being rather than a supplement to a daily diet or something more specialized for hair.

The perils of megadosing

It’s important to address megadosing because the idea that if a little is good then a lot must be better could not be more false. There is the temptation to hope that by taking a ton of something, one will achieve superhuman levels of faster hair growth. It won’t. You are capped at your genetic maximum, and your body must work to remove excess nutrients from itself. Even water-soluble vitamins take resources and energy for the body to process out into urine.

Biotin is the biggest culprit for this, as it is contained in many faster hair growth supplements, and absurd doses are often brushed off as safe because biotin is water-soluble. Going a little over what your body might need is generally harmless, but megadosing (taking double or more the recommended amount) is not going to increase hair growth but will instead stress the body in other ways and can cause side effects such as acne, rashes, and migraines. There is no magic pill that will hyper-boost your hair into growing an inch a week, and it isn’t worth risking your health to megadose in what amounts to an attempt made in vain that guarantees only expensive urine and risks harmful side effects.

With all these techniques together: eating well, taking a Hair, Skin & Nails supplement, and using Hinoki Hair Growth Oil / essential Oil and Monistat, I was able to recover from my shed and grow healthy hair back quickly. Have you tried any of these methods? I’d love to hear how they worked for you!

Read more in Rehabilitating Damaged Hair Naturally!

You’ll find all my faster hair growth-focused products in the Hair Growth Support Kit. This article was just one tiny bit of the growing healthy hair content in Rehabilitating Damaged Hair Naturally: A Guide. It has entire chapters focused on encouraging hair growth through proper nutrition, supplements, topical applications, and growth stimulating techniques.

10| Growing Healthy Hair
There are a few key things that can influence the rate at which your hair grows. Learn which things you can control, which things you can’t, and how to track your monthly growth.

11| Lifestyle, hydration & nutrition
Feed your body and your hair with proper nutrition, hydration, and healthy choices. Discover which nutrients are most important to hair and which foods contain them, across all diets.

12| Topical applications
Gels, creams, oils, essential oils and other serums can be applied to the scalp with the goal of faster hair growth. This section not only provides you with recipes, but also breaks down individual ingredients and their benefits so you can customize your treatments.

13| Growth-stimulating techniques
Treatments such as scalp massage, the inversion method, and acupressure not only encourage faster hair growth, they also allow you to expand your knowledge about what your hair and scalp respond best to, try something new, and empower you to be an active participant in your hair growth.