Science Behind Hair Growth the hair cycle is essential to optimizing your hair health and reducing hair shedding.
The hair growth cycle consists of three phases: Anagen, Catagen and Telogen.
During the anagen phase, cells in the hair bulb and dermal papilla rapidly divide. New hairs grow and push older hairs up and out of the follicle.
Anagen Phase
During the Anagen Phase of the Hair Growth Cycle, the cells in your hair follicles are dividing to create new hair. This phase of the hair growth cycle lasts two to seven years and determines the length of your hair.
The majority of your hair grows at this stage, resulting in an average of 100 anagen hairs growing on your head each day. As you age, this phase of your hair growth cycle may reduce, leading to thinning and weakened hair.
This can be due to a variety of factors including genetics and diet. If your diet is low in certain vitamins and minerals, this can negatively impact the strength of your hair. Alternatively, you can use supplements to help promote your body’s ability to grow healthy, thicker hair.
Another common factor contributing to thinning and baldness is stress. As we become stressed, our bodies produce more hormones and this can affect the follicles. Adding ingredients that promote relaxation or anti-stress scents to your hair care products could boost its anagen phase.
Increasing the anagen phase of your hair is a natural solution to combating hair loss and slowing down the rate of baldness. It can also make your hair appear thicker and more luscious.
In addition to dietary changes, there are several effective botanicals that can increase the anagen phase of your hair and help to prevent its shedding. They also stimulate follicle stem cells and minimize cell deterioration.
Some powerful ingredients include Scutellaria baicalensis, Triticum vulgare, and Glycine max sprouts. These plants improve the ratio of hairs in the anagen phase compared to the telogen phase, causing them to appear thicker and stronger.
Other herbs, such as rosemary, sage, and aloe vera, also have beneficial effects on the anagen phase of your hair. They are a great addition to your daily hair care regimen.
Although there is a lot of confusion about the science behind hair loss, there are actually many things you can do to boost your anagen phase and promote healthy-looking hair. In addition to incorporating these ingredients into your daily routine, you should consult with your doctor to find the best solution for your specific needs.
Catagen Phase
The Catagen Phase is a short period of time in the hair growth cycle when your hair is in transition from the growing to the resting stage. This phase, which usually lasts 10 days, is where the follicle shrinks and the hair stops growing.
The length of the hair in this phase varies from person to person and depends on a number of factors including your hair type, the shape of the hair follicle and your genetics. The length of the hair in this stage is typically about a quarter of an inch long.
During the anagen phase, rapid cell division occurs in the dermal papilla and the hair bulb. This is followed by the formation of melanin, which is the pigment that gives hair its color.
At the end of the anagen phase, the hair follicle will release its strands. These strands will fall out and the new hair that is formed will start growing in its place.
In this phase, the hair follicle will also shrink and detach itself from the dividing dermal papilla, forming what is commonly called “club hair.” Club hair can be an indicator of hair loss, but is not necessarily a cause for concern.
After the catagen phase, your follicle will rest for about three months. It is not uncommon for your scalp to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day during this period, but this is not something that can be seen by others and should not be alarmed about.
Most healthy people are able to keep their hairs growing for up to 6 years at a time. However, there are some health conditions that can shorten this period such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, stress, vitamin deficiencies, and after childbirth.
The Catagen phase, telogen phase and resting phase of the hair growth cycle are all phases that must be completed before the new hair follicle is born. The shedding that takes place during this phase is not as dramatic as it would be at other stages of the hair growth cycle, and it does not lead to bald spots.
Telogen Phase
The Telogen phase (also known as the resting phase) of your hair growth cycle lasts for about 2-4 months. During this time, your hair follicles go through a resting phase and begin to shed their hair. It is normal to lose up to 100 hairs a day during this period, but new hair grows back in after it falls out.
The duration of each phase varies from person to person. The time in each phase is also influenced by your body’s hormone levels. This is why it’s so important to understand your body’s hair growth cycle.
Your hair growth cycle goes through three phases: anagen phase, catagen phase and telogen phase. In a healthy person, these stages last an average of 2 to 7 years.
However, there are some conditions that affect the hair cycle and cause it to become shorter than normal. This is called androgenetic alopecia.
This type of alopecia is caused by your body producing too much of the male hormone DHT, or dihydrotestosterone. This hormone shortens the anagen phase and lengthens the telogen phase. This can lead to shorter and thinner hair strands, and eventually your entire hair growth cycle will become shorter.
Androgenetic alopecia is caused by a number of factors, including genetics, stress, and certain medications or medical treatments. Your doctor can help you find the cause of this condition and offer treatment to prevent it from becoming chronic.
A doctor can also help you figure out if your condition is caused by a health issue, such as a medical infection or thyroid disorder. If this is the case, your doctor can prescribe medication that can help your body regulate its hair growth cycle.
If your telogen effluvium is caused by a health issue, such a medical infection or thyroid disease, you will likely start to see patches of thinning hair a few months after the illness or treatment ends. If this happens to you, the hair loss should gradually stop or grow back on its own after six months.
Your doctor can recommend medications that can treat this problem, such as minoxidil. In addition, eating a healthy diet can promote the regrowth of your hair. Make sure that you get a lot of protein from foods such as meat, eggs, fish, beans and grains.
Resting Phase
The Resting Phase of the Hair Growth Cycle is the part of the growth cycle in which your hair follicles don’t actively grow. At any given time, about 10% to 15% of your hairs will be in this phase, which can last from a few weeks for eyelashes up to nearly one year for scalp hair.
While you don’t necessarily need to do anything special to keep your hair in this stage, it is a good idea to maintain a healthy diet and avoid stress. It is also important to take nutritional supplements that contain biotin, iron (especially for women), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B12 folic acid and zinc – all of which are necessary for strong, healthy hair!
When the follicle enters this phase, it no longer receives nourishment from the blood supply provided by the underlying hair bulb. Instead, it shrinks and changes from a club hair to a dormant, short, strand of hair that sheds on its own or when it is combed.
This is where the majority of your shedding occurs, as an average healthy scalp will shed between 50-100 individual hairs every day! This is normal and is not something to be worried about, as the remaining 80-90% of your hair will still be in the Anagen phase.
After this, the next phase in the hair cycle is the catagen phase which is a short transitional phase. This phase lasts between two to three weeks and is where your hair stops growing and begins detaching itself from the blood supply.
Once in this phase, your hair is no longer nourished by the follicle and it shrinks to a third of its size – it then enters the telogen phase of the hair cycle. This is a resting phase, where the follicle no longer grows a hair and new hair starts to grow underneath the old club hair.
When the follicle enters this stage, it no longer receives nourishment from its blood supply and it shrinks to a third of the size it was in the Anagen phase. This is a resting phase, as the follicle no longer grows strands of hair and new hair starts to grow underneath the new club hair.