As it grows, rests, and renews, your hair undergoes a complicated and amazing process. Common hair problems including thinning, hair loss, or delayed hair growth can be solved by knowing the phases and cycle of hair growth. Knowing what occurs in every phase will help you to encourage better hair development by means of action.
Let’s inspect how you might naturally better the health of your hair by studying the four phases of the hair growth cycle.
What is the Hair Growth Cycle?
Your hair grows, changes, rests, and sheds naturally in cycles. Every strand of hair on your head is in a distinct stage of the cycle hence you never lose all of your hair at once.
The cycle has four phases:
- Anagen Phase (Growth)
- Catagen Phase (Transition)
- Telogen Phase (Resting)
- Exogen Phase (Shedding)
Every one of these phases is absolutely vital for the health of your hair. Knowing them will enable you to handle any hair issues and promote good development.
The Anagen Phase: The Growth Phase
What is the Anagen Phase?
Your hair grows most during the Anagen Phase—also referred to as the “Growth Phase.” At this point, the hair root’s fast-dividing cells begin creating fresh hair. Your hair is lengthening and actively developing in this period.
How Much Does Your Hair Grow in the Anagen Phase?
Hair grows roughly half an inch a month on average, or around 6 inches annually. Captivatingly, hair grows more rapidly in the summer than in the winter probably because of more circulation from higher temperatures.
How Long Does the Anagen Phase Last?
Most people’s Anagen Phase lasts three to five years, which lets hair grow to eighteen to thirty inches. For some, particularly those of Asian background, this phase can last up to seven years, allowing hair to reach lengths of up to three feet!
Some people seem to have longer hair more readily; this is because their Anagen Phase lasts naturally for longer.
The Catagen Phase: The Transitional Phase
What is the Catagen Phase?
Your hair shifts into the Catagen Phase, a brief transitional phase where growth pauses, following the aggressive development of the Anagen Phase. The hair loses both its blood supply and the cells that create fresh hair during this phase. At this point, the hair gets ready to shed.
How Long Does the Catagen Phase Last?
This phase lasts roughly ten days, and at any one moment, just around three percent of your hair is in this stage.
The Telogen Phase: The Resting Phase
What is the Telogen Phase?
Many refer to the Telogen Phase as the “resting phase.” Your hair is not actively developing at this stage; it is still securely in its follicle. At any one time, your hair is in this stage roughly 10 to 15 percent.
How Long Does the Telogen Phase Last?
Before the hair finally advances to the next stage and falls out, the Telogen Phase lasts over three months or roughly one hundred days.
The Exogen Phase: The Shedding Phase
What is the Exogen Phase?
The hair strand sheds from the follicle in this last phase so that fresh hair may replace it. This is a normal shedding procedure that lets the cycle start once more under the Anagen Phase.
Every day, how many hairs do you shed?
Usually, on a good head of hair, you shed eighty to hundred hairs daily. Though it sounds like a lot, this is really normal and expected during the hair renewal process.
What follows from a disturbance in the hair growth cycle?
Although the hair development cycle is a natural process, abnormalities can lead to hair thinning, loss, or even disorders including telogen exhaust. This can be brought on by metabolic problems, stress, illness, or a poor diet.
For instance, you can suddenly lose hair for approximately 12 weeks following a severe fever or a restrictive diet. This results from the shortened Anagen (growth) phase and numerous hairs entering the Telogen (resting) phase simultaneously, therefore generating too much shedding during the Exogen phase.
Whether from poor nutrition or persistent stress, constant disruption of your hair cycle may cause your hair to grow shorter than it once did. This is because your hair never stays long enough in the anagen (growth) phase to reach the desired length.
How to Support a Healthy Hair Growth Cycle
Knowing the workings of the hair growth cycle, here are some easy techniques to assist in better hair:
- Maintain a Balanced Diet
Control of your hair growth cycle depends on a balanced diet high in vitamins, iron, fiber, and protein. To maintain healthy hair from the inside out, include diets high in lean meats, leafy greens, nuts, and nutritious grains. Additionally, filling any dietary voids and giving your hair extra support, dietary supplements might aid.
- Reduce Stress
Stress can force your hair into the Telogen (resting) phase, which increases shedding and stunts hair growth. Try meditating, working out, or deep breathing exercises to help offset this. Your hair will more likely remain in its development phase for longer the less stress your body suffers.
- Choose the Right Hair Care Products
Making all the difference is using hair products catered to your particular hair type and issues. The correct shampoo, conditioner, and treatments may strengthen your hair and enable it to maximize every stage of its growth cycle, whether your hair is thinning or limp. Search for items high in nourishing elements such as natural oils, keratin, or biotin.
Final Thought
Knowing the hair development cycle helps you to better understand why your hair may not always seem to grow as thick or as fast as you would want. Working with your natural hair cycle, you may encourage longer, stronger, and healthier locks by changing your diet, controlling stress, and utilizing the correct products.
See our other hair growth advice and review our guide on natural hair care products if you wish further knowledge on how to treat your hair.