Has your hair stopped growing despite trying all the shampoos, vitamins and serums on the market that promise you longer locks?

According to our friends at Grazia, overzealous hair styling, ageing, stress, genetics and certain medications can all leave our hair thin and damaged, unable to reach its full potential.

Believe it or not, while we may not have control over certain factors, there are some simple beauty routine edits you can do at home to encourage faster growth and healthier hair.

Eating a balanced diet, limiting heat and bleach on hair and regular massage can all help encourage a healthy hair growth cycle.

If you're not sure why your hair is thinning, we've found 10 tips that actually work to not only promote longer locks faster, but also healthier hair, with less split ends, as well as thicker and shinier growth.

If you've had enough of wonder products making unrealistic promises, here are our alternative (and completely natural) hair growth tips to help give you the flowing lengths you dream of.

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1. Hanging upside down

The inversion method, or hanging upside down is meant to increase the blood flow to your head. This causes your hair follicles to reach maximum capacity and stimulate growth.

The method is popular but whether it actually works is debatable. There's no harm in trying, however. Perhaps the most comfortable way of trying this out is laying down on a bed on your back with your head hanging over the end of the bed for about four minutes at a time each morning. You could use this time to meditate or even to give yourself a scalp massage whilst you're at it!

2. Wearing a shower cap

This simply involves wrapping your head in cling film or wearing a shower cap and leaving it on as long as possible, preferably overnight. The idea is that the build-up of heat will increase your scalp’s sebum production and encourage hair growth.

Some also apply a healthy amount of argan oil to their scalp before doing so, as a form of deep conditioning treatment – so if your hair doesn’t grow at least it’ll be super soft and glossy making it a brilliant treatment for dry hair or scalp! Top tip: If you're not keen on cling film and don't want to ruin your shower cap you could always wrap your hair in a warm towel.

3. Fish oil

Full of good fats and omega-3, fish oil is said to fortify your hair and flood your scalp with nutrients. The downside is you’ll be a little smelly and may want to avoid people until you’ve washed it out. Alternatively, you can take fish oil capsules which are a little less smelly and promote nail growth too.

4. Rubbing fingernails

Believe it or not, it's thought that rubbing your fingernails together for 5-20 minutes a day or even more can encourage hair to grow out of your head faster.

There’s no scientific backing for this, but apparently the nerve endings in your nails are connected with your scalp, and will cause a tingling sensation when stimulated.

5. Cayenne pepper

Mixing this spicy powder into oil and applying it to your scalp is growing in popularity as a DIY hair growth recipe. The tingling or stinging sensation is thought to draw fresh blood to the hair follicles and stimulate a healthy growth rate.

It's the capsaicin found in the pepper that apparently stimulates hair growth and is also meant to promote thicker hair as well as longer locks.

6. Apply an egg white mask

Egg whites are known to help your hair regain its gloss, and by making it stronger, it should grow back faster. To make your own hair growth egg white hair mask, separate your eggs to leave your egg whites in a bowl. Add two table spoons of coconut oil to the whites and whisk. Apply allover damp hair and comb through your hair with a wide toothed comb. Leave for 20 minutes before shampooing your hair with cool water - hot water may cook the egg whites while they're in your hair!

Using raw eggs in your hair can be dangerous when it comes to bacteria and the like, so if you'd prefer not to, there are plenty of great egg-infused products on the market.

7. Drink lots of water

Water is great for making you look and feel healthier, and it's always important to stay hydrated to keep you looking and feeling your best on the inside and the outside.

If you’re managing to drink your eight glasses (or two litres) a day then that will help your hair stay stronger which will give it added growing power. Staying hydrated will combat brittle hair, dry scalp and dandruff as well as itchy skin and scalp!

8. Avoid heat as much as possible

Give your hair a day off when you can and avoid putting your hair through too much heat. Applying heat directly to your hair weakens it – stop and you’ll help it grow stronger. Make sure you use a heat protection spray on your wet hair before blow drying. Then it's best to dry 80 percent of your hair by rough drying so your hair isn't under direct heat. Blow out the rest with a round-brush to smooth out.

If you find your hair is on the frizzy side even after blow drying and you need to use straighteners or curlers, try to find heat tools with different heat settings so you can use minimal heat on your hair type.

Top tip: Leave your hair to air dry naturally as much as you can

9. Swap cotton pillowcases for silk

Ditch your cotton pillowcases and replace them with some luxurious silk ones instead. Cotton causes friction, which weakens the hair and causes it to fall out. Swap to silk and you won’t find stray bits of hair on your pillow in the morning.

Alternatively, you could use a silk hair wrap - a cap that will protect your locks whatever pillow you're sleeping on.

10. Scalp massage

Treat yourself to a gorgeous scalp massage – you can simply do this yourself when you wash your hair. There are two different ways you can massage your scalp to promote hair growth:

1. The tapping method - dip your finger tips in some hair tonic or citrus oil and begin to tap gently but relatively fast all over your scalp a few times.

2. The pulling method - use your fingers to gently pull on small strands of hair. You should feel some tension but not so much that it hurts. Work your way around until all your hairs have been pulled slightly.

These exercises stimulate the follicle that helps hair to grow and increase the circulation around the scalp.

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