Written by Philip Kingsley Trichologist, Stephen Pullan.

Start from the inside: diet and supplementation

Hair is alive while it's forming. Each follicle, the pocket beneath the scalp where hair originates, has its own network of nerves, blood vessels and muscles, and the capillaries within it deliver nutrients to the living cells that become the keratinised protein growing outward from the scalp.

The nutrients hair needs come from diet, which is why what you eat, and whether you're getting the right supplementation, matters more than most people expect.

Look after your general health, not just your hair

As the cells in the scalp are so active, they're sensitive to changes happening elsewhere in the body. Keeping the body functioning well benefits hair, and internal problems or hormonal imbalances can leave hair less healthy than it would otherwise be, so medical issues should always be addressed directly with a doctor.

Use products suited to your specific hair and scalp

Every individual's hair and scalp is different, so products should be chosen to target specific needs rather than picked generically. A shampoo, conditioner and scalp tonic formulated for your hair type, used daily, forms the baseline; a weekly intensive conditioning treatment on top of that is typically beneficial for most hair types.

Handle hair gently when drying and styling

Hair fibre is resilient, but constant moderate abuse still takes a cumulative toll as hair ages and grows longer. Avoid being rough when towel-drying, keep a hairdryer on a lower heat and velocity setting, and use styling, brushing and combing tools suited to your hair type.

Trim regularly to help hair grow longer

The ends of the hair are the oldest part of each strand and the most prone to dryness and breakage. Trimming regularly, though it seems counterintuitive, actually helps hair grow longer overall because it prevents splitting and fraying further up the shaft. Most hair grows at an average of half an inch a month, so a quarter-inch trim every other month allows hair to keep growing while staying healthier at the ends.