You are born with approximately 5 million hair follicles, which are small pockets in your skin from which your hair grows out. About 100,000 of these hair follicles are on your scalp. On average, your hair grows between 1 and 3.4 centimetres or around 0.4 to 1.4 inches in two months. Various factors can influence hair growth, like genetics, gender, and age. Even nutrition and hair care can impact hair growth. If you feel abnormal hair loss after proper care, you can visit a hair growth clinic like Gro. They offer effective and scientifically tested hair loss treatments to reduce hair loss and improve hair growth. But before coming to any conclusions about your hair and its growth, you must understand how your hair grows and what factors can influence its growth.
Stages of Hair Growth
Your hair goes through various stages of growth in its lifetime. Below are the different hair growth stages:
Anagen Phase
The Anagen phase is also known as the active phase or growth phase. The cells in your hair’s root divide rapidly to form new hair. During this phase, your hair grows about half an inch a month.
Catagen Phase
After the Anagen phase, your hair enters a small, transitional phase called the Catagen phase. This phase indicates the end of active hair growth. The individual hairs are cut off from hair-producing cells and don’t get blood supply. Typically, 3% of your entire hair is in this stage at any given time. The Catagen stage usually lasts for about ten days.
Telogen Phase
This phase is the third stage of your hair growth cycle. It is a resting phase where the hair strands stay in the follicles and do not actively grow. At any given time, 10-15% of your total hair is in this third phase of growth. This stage of hair growth lasts for 100 days or three months.
Exogen Phase
The Exogen phase is the final phase of your hair’s growth cycle. During this stage, individual strands fall out after being released from the follicles. This stage lasts between two and five months.
Factors Influencing Hair Growth
Many factors can influence hair growth. Some of them are given below:
Genetics: Your genes play an important role in how fast your hair grows
Sex: Your gender can impact how fast your hair grows. Male hair is said to grow faster than female hair.
Age: Your hair will grow fastest between 15 and 30 years. The growth of hair will slow down after 30. Some hair follicles may even stop working as you grow older.
How to Promote Healthy Hair Growth
While various factors may influence your hair growth, there are certain things you can do to ensure your hair is healthy. Below are ways in which you can promote healthy hair growth:
Good Nutrition
Your hair is primarily made of protein. Ensure you consume enough protein to help your hair grow. Focus on healthy proteins like fish, lean meats, legumes, beans, and low-fat dairy products. Ensure your body also gets sufficient amounts of Vitamin D and C, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin B12, and Folic Acid to promote healthy hair.
Reduce Stress Levels
High-stress levels can lead to considerable hair loss and other hair-related problems. According to a 2019 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, there are three premature hair loss conditions caused by high stress. These include:
Telogen Effluvium: This condition pushes hair from the growth phase into the telogen and exogen phases, doubling and tripling hair loss.
Trichotillomania: This is a psychological condition that causes an irresistible urge to pull out your hair from the scalp and other parts of your body.
Alopecia Areata: This condition is caused by the body’s immune system attacking healthy hair follicles.
You can reduce stress by practising yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and counselling.
Proper Hair Care
Besides nutrition and reduced stress levels, caring for your hair correctly and regularly can help promote healthy growth. The first step in proper hair care is using the right shampoo. Choose a shampoo that suits your hair type. You get different shampoos for dry, oily, thin, or coloured hair. Combine the shampoo with the right conditioner for better results. Massage your hair with essential oils regularly before washing it to promote healthy hair. Hair is weakest when it is wet.
Towel dry your hair gently after every wash and avoid harsh products and gadgets like curling irons and straighteners. Different people’s hair may grow at different rates. Ensuring you maintain a healthy lifestyle, reduce stress, take good care of your hair, and take help from hair growth clinics whenever required can help maintain your hair’s health and growth rate.
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