Three Phases of Hair Growth

Understanding how your hair grows can be key to identifying whether your hair, and in fact your body, are healthy. By knowing what happens throughout the hair growth cycle, as well as how to react to the different phases, not only can you learn how to have healthier and thicker hair, but you will also learn how to prevent hair loss and baldness from occurring unnaturally.   

It is known that hair grows continuously from the scalp. The rate of growth varies according to the person, but averages about six inches per year. From here, the hair that you have will move from your scalp in three different phases in order to allow for continuous growth from your scalp. At any time, you will have hair in one of the three phases.

Phase One: Catagen

The first phase that hair will go through is known as the catagen or transitional phase. When the hair is in the catagen phase, the growth of the hair will completely stop. This allows for the outer root of the hair to shrink and attach to the root of the hair.  

Phase Two: Telogen

The telogen, or resting, phase is the next phase your hair enters into. The telogen phase will occur directly after the catagen phase in order to complete the formation of the hair. This will usually last for about a hundred days, allowing your hair to stay rooted in your scalp. If you pull out hair during this phase, it will cause irritation in your scalp, and you may notice a hard, dry, white material at the root of the hair.   

Phase Three: Anagen

The last of the three phases is the anagen phase. While in the telogen phase, hair that is unable to grow anymore will fall out. The remaining hairs will move into the anagen phase, which is also known as the active phase. During this phase, the roots of the hair will begin to produce and divide cells. This will then produce a new hair that will push through the open follicles in the scalp. Typically, a hair will stay active for two to six years. If you have hair that does not grow long, it is because you hair has a shorter anagen or active phase. 

If you are losing hair or going bald, the anagen phase of your hair is not as active as it used to be. Knowing this will allow you to respond properly to the hair growth cycle in order to give your hair the boost that it needs to become more active. Understanding the hair growth cycle will help you to understand what is going on in the different areas of your scalp, and how you can treat your scalp in order to prevent hair loss.