Does Cutting Your Hair Make It Grow Faster? Maybe, But Here's What Actually Does

If you grew up dreading haircuts, you may have been told a popular, yet perplexing myth: Trimming helps your hair grow faster. Seems suspect, considering your hair grows up and out of the scalp. Is there any point of communication between those long, dead ends and your follicles? Or is the myth simply just that—a little white lie to wrangle you in the salon chair when you were little? 

That's not to say you should forgo your regular trim. What trimming does do, however, is remove pesky split ends, which can actually halt hair growth by damaging the hair shaft: "When you have split ends, what happens is the hair slowly splits up the shaft, which leads to breakage and slower 'growth,'" says celebrity hairstylist and Biolage brand ambassador Sunnie Brook. Regular trims are the only way to eliminate those frays (read: you cannot heal or restore dry, damaged hair) and thus ensure healthy strands. And as it turns out, healthy hair does grow faster. 

A quick trim won't cut it (pun very much intended): If you really want to enhance hair growth, you've got to approach it internally. That includes both increasing blood flow to the scalp—with a lovely, tension-relieving scalp massage—and taking hair-growth supplements. 

On the scalp massage front, that uptick in blood circulation delivers vital nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicle, which can help promote growth. Perhaps the easiest way is to massage your scalp in the shower: "While shampooing, massage the scalp to increase the flow of blood, relieve stress, and stimulate hair follicles," hairstylist Miko Branch, co-founder of natural hair care brand Miss Jessie's, has explained to mbg. You can also opt for a dry scalp massage, if you so choose, by simply wetting the pads of your fingers with an oil and massaging through. Regardless, regular scalp massages have been shown to promote hair growth1. 

In terms of supplements, both collagen and biotin can provide the body with specific amino acids that make up keratin (aka, what each strand of hair is made of).* Research has even shown that low levels of biotin, in particular, is linked to hair loss2 and that taking both of these supplements can support hair growth3.* Perhaps look into antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E as well, to help manage oxidative stress on your scalp (as it turns out, oxidative stress has also been linked to hair loss4).*