On average, the hair on your head grows six inches every year. Buuuut… there’s always the one person who claims that growth in mere weeks, thanks to such and such miracle remedy. If nearly a decade of Top Shelf interviews has taught us anything, it’s that there are as many reasons your hair might be thinning as products that swear to reverse it. Here are our most zealously shared tips—what are yours?
Slow, steady, and natural
“I had really bad alopecia from stress in my early 20s—my grandma discovered it when she was braiding my hair and screamed. I got steroid shots, I did head massages, I did meditation, I did cinnamon and all the things people tell you to try. I literally just did all the things. Then I got out of a bad relationship, got my healing together, and my hair started to grow back.” —Tanaïs
“There is so much to be said about the vitamins that are going into your body through what you’re ingesting. I soak raw vegetables in olive oil or eat giant coconuts or coconut products—not stuff that comes in packages. I think that is the key to good nails, hair, and skin growth.” —Nikki Reed
The routine upgrade
“I would put [my hair] up in a super tight bun, just to control it, and eventually I had a lot of hair loss. If I look at photos of myself from eighth grade, my hairline looked totally different. At like, 24, I decided to learn how to take care of it on my own. One of the biggest revolutions was using a low-suds, sulfate-free conditioner and a really juicy moisturizing conditioner.” —Harling Ross
The original hair vitamin
“I take a hair, skin, and nail vitamin called Maxi Plus because I got a terrible haircut about a year ago and I’ve been trying to grow it out ever since, so the MSM and biotin help.” —Jenny Slate
“I take biotin from Life Extension for my hair and skin, and I’ve considered taking collagen as well—I’ve heard really good things about it for hair growth.” —Sonia Patel
And the new(er) classic
“I used to have such thin hair, because of genetics but also because I used to do so many shows, and it wouldn’t grow. Viviscal is a miracle. But you have to stick with it—I’ve been taking it for five years, and my hair’s never been so long.” —Caroline Trentini
“I’ve taken Viviscal on and off for years. It really works when you stick to it for a while. You have to take it for a couple months before it starts working, but then it’s incredible the way your hair grows.” —Jessica Stam
“Jessica Stam told me about Viviscal supplements. I bought a 3-month supply—you take one in the morning and one at night, and literally the difference in my hair is like night and day.” —Karlie Kloss
And the worth-the-money supplement splurge
“Nutrafol is my shit. I got it for free and at first I didn’t believe it would work, but it’s legit—it’s thickening up the sides and crown of my head, which has some stress breakage.” —Mary Pryor, Co-Founder, Cannaclusive
“One of our friends was losing their hair and they recommended this supplement called Nutrafol to me. It’s expensive, but it’s really incredible.” —Darroch Putnam, Co-Founder, Putnam & Putnam
“I take a supplement called Nutrafol. Actually I use the men’s formula because it’s better for [hair growth].” —Padma Lakshmi
The repurposed wild card
“Are you ready for this hot tip? Watered down Monistat massaged into the scalp. Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I got about an inch of growth per month, so there you go—receipts!” —Jessica Yen
The one for at-home chemists
“Liquid panthenol is actually used in hospitals for chemotherapy patients who lose their hair and have sensitive scalps. My friend recommended that I use it, and my hair grows so much faster now. I put mine in a little spray pump so I can just apply to the roots after I wash my hair and rub it in.” —Anja Rubik
The one for baby hairs
“I’ve been using Latisse on my hairline. For Broadway shows you wear microphones in your hair, and you always have to bobby pin them in the same spot. I have a little bald spot because of that. I guess it took three months or so with the Latisse before I saw any difference, but now I have all these tiny baby hairs that are growing back. It worked.” —Sutton Foster
And the high-tech solution
“When your hormones change and when you hit 35, your texture changes. My curl came back and my hair is so much thinner. I took vitamins and I’ve seen doctors about it. PRP made my hair so much thicker, it’s amazing—like the Vampire Facial, but on your scalp. It hurt so much but I had all this hair regrowth. I did it a year and a half ago but it was wonderful.” —Karen Elson
Photo via ITG
