Many people commit hours of work and hundreds of dollars worth of styling products for their hair, yet few understand how exactly it comes into existence on their heads. This is knowledge many could use, however; it turns out the science behind hair is not only interesting, but highly relevant to haircare.
Knowing how hair grows also prevents hair care mistakes, such as ascribing to the myth that cutting hair helps it to grow faster or thicker, it doesn't, so cutting your hair when you’re already suffering hair loss is pointless and simply liable to add to the frustration of the situation.
The hair growth cycle occurs in three distinct stages: The anagen, catagen, and telogen.
The anagen phase: The anagen phase is also known as the “growth phase” of the hair. Typically this phase produces around half an inch per month of hair growth, and is faster in the summer than in winter. This phase can last for up to five years, totaling a growth of 18 to 30 inches. In Asians, however, this phase may last a full 7 years, with hair being able to grow up to 1 meter. During this phase is the best time for you to ensure a proper diet to help your hair to grow. Taking a hair loss vitamin will make sure your getting everything you need.
The catagen phase: At the end of the growth cycle, there’s a ten-day transition period as hair readies for the telogen phase.
The telogen phase: When hair enters this phase, it’s completed its total lifecycle and will be released, naturally falling out to make room for new growth. Once a hair is released, that follicle will remain dormant for several months before once again beginning to grow a new hair. Most people shed about 80 hairs per day.
Hair loss, hair thinning, and other issues with hair growth generally happen when your growth cycle is disrupted somewhere along the line, usually by things like metabolic imbalances, illness, or improper nutrition. It takes just six weeks of restrictive dieting to cause telogen effluvium (diffuse hair fall). Sometimes even having a high fever can trigger this reaction—the hair growth cycle is surprisingly fragile.
Chronic issues that disrupt this growth cycle tend to result in hair loss or thin, unusually short hair, and many of these issues can actually be corrected once one manages to isolate the cause of them.
Hair Growth Cycles
Why is it important to understand how hair grows? A number of problems that commonly occur with hair can be better recognized and understood by analyzing the hair growth cycle.Knowing how hair grows also prevents hair care mistakes, such as ascribing to the myth that cutting hair helps it to grow faster or thicker, it doesn't, so cutting your hair when you’re already suffering hair loss is pointless and simply liable to add to the frustration of the situation.
The hair growth cycle occurs in three distinct stages: The anagen, catagen, and telogen.
The anagen phase: The anagen phase is also known as the “growth phase” of the hair. Typically this phase produces around half an inch per month of hair growth, and is faster in the summer than in winter. This phase can last for up to five years, totaling a growth of 18 to 30 inches. In Asians, however, this phase may last a full 7 years, with hair being able to grow up to 1 meter. During this phase is the best time for you to ensure a proper diet to help your hair to grow. Taking a hair loss vitamin will make sure your getting everything you need.
The catagen phase: At the end of the growth cycle, there’s a ten-day transition period as hair readies for the telogen phase.
The telogen phase: When hair enters this phase, it’s completed its total lifecycle and will be released, naturally falling out to make room for new growth. Once a hair is released, that follicle will remain dormant for several months before once again beginning to grow a new hair. Most people shed about 80 hairs per day.
Hair loss, hair thinning, and other issues with hair growth generally happen when your growth cycle is disrupted somewhere along the line, usually by things like metabolic imbalances, illness, or improper nutrition. It takes just six weeks of restrictive dieting to cause telogen effluvium (diffuse hair fall). Sometimes even having a high fever can trigger this reaction—the hair growth cycle is surprisingly fragile.
Chronic issues that disrupt this growth cycle tend to result in hair loss or thin, unusually short hair, and many of these issues can actually be corrected once one manages to isolate the cause of them.
