Hair Growth Phases

Each hair has a growth cycle that lasts for two to six years. If you look closely at your scalp, you might notice that your hair isn’t growing in uniform, but in spurts. That’s because each hair follicle is going through a cycle of growth and rest.

The growth rate for each hair follicle is different; some follicles tend to grow very slowly while others produce new hair more rapidly. This explains why some people have thin hair while others have thick hair. The thickness is determined by the number of growth cycles that occur each year.

Hair may grow in a small cyclic pattern, meaning that it grows for a certain time period and then rests for a certain time period. Hair will grow in this stage wherever it loses its connection with the surface of the skin, such as on your scalp and around your eyebrows.

Hair growth is a natural process that occurs in all human beings. This process of hair growth does not follow a regular schedule but instead goes through different phases of hair growth.

The growth cycle of human hair is divided into 4 stages: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), telogen (resting) and exogen (extension of telogen). These vary in length from weeks to months between phases.

Phase 1 – Anagen: This is the phase in which your hair grows from its root and it lasts for 2-5 years, on average. This hair growth phase accounts for 90% of your hair's growth. The anagen phase is when the hair is growing from a follicle, found in the papilla of dermal papillae at the bottom of the dermis layer of the skin, up to the surface of the skin.

Phase 2 – Catagen: This phase lasts for about 10 days and represents only 2% of the normal hair cycle. During this phase, your hair stops growing from the root and starts to fall out. When this first growth stage is complete, the hair enters a catagen stage, which lasts for a few weeks. Catagen literally means "hairless" and this is when the follicle shrinks and severs its connections with the dermal papillae.

Phase 3 – Telogen: This is the pre-final phase in which your hair remains dormant for about 3 months before falling out. If 10% of your hair falls out in this phase, then you should not be concerned about it.

Phase 4 – Exogen: Exogen is the final stage of the hair growth cycle and an extension of the telogen phase. 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. The exogen stage lasts for 2- 4 months.

How to Naturally Stimulate Hair Growth?

Hair loss is a common condition among many men and women of all ages. They have different reasons, which include genetics, ageing, chemicals, stress and malnutrition as well as various medical conditions. 

Hair loss can be a very emotional and stressful experience for many people. It is important to know that hair loss is not always permanent; it can be prevented with the right care and proper treatment.

Many factors affect the growth of hair. In order to stimulate hair growth, you need to understand how the body grows hair. 

Hair follicles work in three ways. First, they grow hair. Second, they maintain the resting stage of the hair. Finally, they fall out when the hair gets too old for it to do its job. Hair grows in cycles with a growth phase and a resting phase. The average person's hair grows about half an inch every month during its growth phase but can take months to move through the resting stage.

The growth phase of a hair follicle lasts around four years before it enters into a resting phase for about two months in some people. The rate of hair growth depends on genetics, hormones and age. Different races' hair is different colours because they have different pigments in their follicles that affect how much light is absorbed by their hair.

Mars by GHC has been in the business of men's grooming for a long. The company's wide range of products includes minoxidil for men, vitamins and supplements for hair growth, hair fall repair, facial hair care and hair loss treatment.

Well, it is an accepted fact that diet and exercise play a vital role in promoting hair health. In fact, eating a healthy diet is more important for growing your hair than using any expensive hair growth products. 

Healthy, well-nourished blood runs through your body and ultimately, to your hair follicles. The nourishment is then transported to the hair follicles to feed and stimulate them for growth. 

That means that if you eat healthily and exercise often, then you are actually stimulating both the hair follicles as well as the hormones responsible for proper hair growth.

For instance, if you are suffering from nutrient deficiency, you might be more prone to having brittle and dull hair, which makes your hair harder to grow.

Similarly, if you don't get enough exercise, then your body won't produce enough blood circulation that is required for optimum hair growth.

Nutrients for healthy hair growth - A healthy diet is essential for healthy hair growth. It helps in the formation of the keratin protein, which forms the structure of the hair, and gives the hair its strength and resilience. 

Whatever you are eating, make sure it is full of nutrients, proteins and vitamins. An imbalance in your diet can lead to brittle hair and dull hair. A healthy diet must include all kinds of food with proteins such as fish, eggs, chicken and meat being the most important. You may also eat smoothies with eggs, almonds, avocados, mangos and berries. For a full source of proteins, you can even add spirulina powder or milk. Healthy fats such as those found in nuts and olive oil are very important for good hair growth.

Take Away

One hair can go through this cycle for several years and then enter into the resting stage for a long time before entering into active growth again. A healthy scalp with good circulation, nerves and blood vessels is very important for hair growth.