Whether it’s a new hair loss challenge you’re looking to overcome or a lifelong struggle with thinning that you’re dealing with, understanding more about your natural hair and its growth rates can certainly help. By digging deeper into the science of the hair, you can uncover the keys to supporting natural growth, knowledge which may just help you solve those temporary hair loss or thinning problems for good.
There is much and more information across the web regarding how fast the hair grows, some sources of which are reliable and others a little less so. In this blog post, our experts bust the myths and share the tips that’ll help make faster, stronger and healthier hair growth possible.
Human hair growth occurs across four stages – the growing phase (known officially as ‘anagen’), the transition phase (catagen), the resting phase (telogen), and the shedding phase (exogen).
The growing phase lasts the longest, with the average head hair up to five years old. The transition phase is the shortest, with the hair follicle taking approximately 10 days to shrink and separate. The resting phase follows and, as the name suggests, hairs don’t grow during this stage. This lasts for a period of three months.
The fourth and final stage is the shedding phase. We’ll let Healthline share the facts about this crucial chapter:
“The exogen phase is essentially an extension or a part of the telogen stage of hair growth. During the exogen phase, hair is shed from the scalp, often helped along by washing and brushing. Losing 50 to 100 hairs per day during the exogen phase is normal. During the exogen phase, which can last about 2 to 5 months, new hairs are growing in the follicles as old hairs fall away.”
As the lifecycle of hair proves, continuous growth and shedding is normal. While those suffering from hair loss or thinning experience a faster rate of shedding and slower growth than others, understanding what’s the average can put things into perspective to help you identify if you need to seek help.
As a rule of thumb, the hair grows by around half an inch every month, with each follicle in one of the stages of hair growth at any given time.
One of the biggest myths we’ll tackle is whether you can make your hair grow faster than the average rate. Unfortunately, this myth can be busted rather quickly.
The truth is that despite the many claims for fast hair regrowth found across the web there is nothing you can do to accelerate growth beyond the natural rate. What you can do is minimise the risks that slow growth, and keep your hair and scalp as healthy as it should be to keep hair growing as close to the average rate as possible.
There are many factors that will impact just how close to the average natural rate your hair grows. Your genetics, diet, age, hair type, mental wellbeing and physical health have major parts to play. There are also some medications, medical treatments and underlying conditions that can prevent your hair from reaching its full potential.
The key to faster, stronger and healthier hair regrowth is looking after yourself. Make sure you eat a balanced diet that has the hair and scalp health enhancing vitamins, minerals and nutrients to support growth. Omega-3, zinc, biotin, vitamin C, iron and vitamin D have all been linked with healthy hair growth.
Applying essential oils – such as lavender, chamomile, peppermint, thyme and garlic extract – has also been found to positively influence hair growth. Topical treatments, keratin supplements, and even caffeine shampoos offer improved results for those prone to hair loss and thinning too.
Whatever stage you’re at in your hair loss journey, we’re here to support you. Check out our selection of men’s and women’s wigs today.
