There are several myths about how to grow your hair. Many people swear by getting their hair trimmed on a regular basis, while others avoid using scissors and just let their hair grow naturally. Despite our own oddities and hair-growing techniques, one undeniable truth is how hair follicles develop: it is known as the hair development cycle.
In the process of hair follicle development, epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMI) occur, which are complex interactions between the mesenchyme and the epithelium. At some point, the specialized hair follicle will have 20 or more distinct cell types. Melanocytes, which give hair color, come from the neural crest, and their quantity diminishes with age, resulting in hair whitening (grey).
In humans, hair follicle formation starts with an epithelial-mesenchymal contact between weeks 9 and 12. The lanugo hair, the first type of hair that grows on the bodies of some newborn babies, is substituted by vellus and terminal hairs in the later fetus stage or soon after birth. During adolescence, under the impact of steroidal hormones, the second cycle of development occurs.
The hair follicle is also a home for stem cells, which allows the follicles to be replaced.
Stages of Hair Follicular Development
1. Anagen
The anagen phase also referred to as the growing phase, is the first stage of hair development. The hair bulb’s cells divide quickly, resulting in new healthy hair. It’s the longest period, spanning around 3 to 5 years for the hairs on your scalp. However, a single hair can grow for up to 7 years in some people.
Fortunately, different types of hair have different anagen phases. As an example, the anagen phase of eyebrows and pubic hairs is significantly shorter than that of head hairs.
2. Catagen
The transition phase, which begins when the anagen phase finishes, is known as the catagen phase. This is a brief period, lasting about 2-3 weeks, during which hair follicles atrophy and hair growth slow down. The hair also detaches from the hair follicle’s base, but it stays in place throughout the life cycle of the hair until it sheds.
A maximum of 5% of the hair on your head is in the catagen phase at any given time.
3. Telogen
Finally, the hair reaches the third and last stage of its development, which is Telogen. This stage usually lasts three months. Approximately 10% to 15% of all the hair on your head is in this stage at any given time.
During the telogen phase, hairs don’t grow, but they don’t fall out either. The hair follicle simply holds them in place, but they are not rooted. There will be new hair growing from the hair root under the existing telogen hair. So there may be two hairs in the same follicle, one nearly ready to fall out, and another forming at the root. Eventually, the anagen hair pushes the telogen hair out of the follicle, causing the telogen hair to fall out.
Scientists have divided the shedding process into two stages: telogen and exogen, though some health care professionals believe the telogen phase is the shed phase.
4. Exogen
During the exogen stage, telogen hairs fall out, allowing the hair follicles to have more room for new hair to grow. There is no need to be concerned when this happens as it is a naturally occurring phenomenon. The hair follicles are autonomous and go through the development cycle at different times, so they don’t leave a pattern of hair loss or thinning in non-balding individuals. It is common to have 100,000+ hairs on one’s head, but only 50-100 of those hairs are shed each day, and just as many hairs enter the anagen phase and start growing in the same follicles that hairs are shed from.
How Long Is the Hair Growth Cycle?
The average hair growth cycle lasts between two and six years, but it varies from person to person, and the majority of this time the hair is in the active growth phase. As new hair grows in the follicle, it pushes the preceding hair out. Hair grows around 1 centimeter every 28 days during this phase.
The length of our hair is determined by the time it has spent in the anagen growth stage, which lasts two to seven years. Catagen, on the other hand, is a 10-day transitory period, and the telogen resting phase lasts about three months.
Where Does Hair Growth Occur?
Hair growth starts in the root of the hair follicles on all the areas of your body where hair grows.
Human hair grows all over the body, excluding the bottom of the foot, inside the mouth, the lips, the upper back of the ears, the palms, some genital and anus regions, the navel, scar tissue, and the eyelids above the lashes.
How To Know What Phase Your Hair Is In
It is not easy to find out at any specific moment which phase your hair is in. But if you monitor it for weeks, you may find out which stage it was in in the previous weeks due to whether it grew or not.
If you measure the length of individual strands of hair and they don’t grow any longer for a week or two, those specific hairs are most likely in the telogen stage.
If it grows very slowly, like 1 mm, it could be in the catagen stage or just entered it.
If the hair falls out, it was in the telogen or exogen stage.
Most of your hair is in the anagen growing phase and will continue to grow longer once it is cut.
How To Increase Anagen Phase of Hair
The solution to the problem of how to enhance the anagen phase of hair might vary from person to person. The anagen phase would work differently depending on the composition of genes, exposure to toxins, and the stressors humans encounter and experience on a daily basis. As a consequence, the anagen phase is distinct, and the methods for increasing it differ.
Here are a few essential points to help you address the problem. Hair development is affected by the amount of water and nutrients consumed.
Rubbing your scalp with coconut oil or other essential oils is among the most effective ways to address how to boost the anagen phase of hair.
Protein, essential vitamins, niacin, biotin, zinc are some of the important components of healthy hair; therefore, make sure you are not vitamin deficient if you wish to have long, thick, and healthy-looking hair. If you are deficient you may want to look into hair supplements.
Dry hair may be helped by rubbing essential oils or lotions on your scalp.
An argument may be made that even water can help you grow your hair because hydration helps with detoxing and aids in the elimination of poisons and other potential stressors.
Some sources suggest that head massages will impact hair development. Gentle massages help to improve your head’s blood circulation, allowing more nutrients and growth to the hair follicles.
But if you are not deficient in any necessary component for hair growth, then by far the most effective way of increasing and extending the anagen phase of the hair follicle is to use a hair growth stimulant such as topical minoxidil in combination with microneedling.
If your hair is thinning because of male pattern baldness, it won’t matter how much you try to increase the anagen hair phase. Your hair follicles are being damaged and miniaturized by the production of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), so you may also consider a DHT-blocker.
Conclusion
So far, we’ve learned that hair development is divided into four stages: anagen, catagen, telogen, and exogen. Every stage lasts for a specific amount of time.
A stress-free lifestyle, a balanced diet, and gentle hair care, and a proactive approach to treating hair loss are some of the factors one should consider in order to avoid hair loss and increase the chance of positive long-term hair development.
Consult a doctor if you notice that you’re losing your hair at a faster pace than usual. An underlying illness that disrupts hair growth phases might be to blame, and addressing it quickly could help reduce hair loss and maintain the good hair you still have.