What Is The Life Cycle Of Hair? How Fast Does Hair Grow?

The speed of natural hair growth depends on many factors, which include genetics, the environment, your diet, and general scalp health. As a hair extensions brand, we were eager to find out all there is to know about this topic and if there’s anything we can do to speed it up. In today's blog, we explore the science behind our hair, the growth rates by hair type, how your environment can effect the speed of growth, and if you can make the process faster.

What Are The 3 Stages Of Hair Growth?

The three stages of hair growth are Anagen (growth), Catagen (transition), and Telogen (rest).

In simple terms, the growth stage (anagen) is where the hair shaft is born and begins to grow inside the hair follicle eventually reaching the scalp surface where it continues to grow to its maximum length. According to ‘The national library of medicine’ this phase can last several years.   

In the transitional stage (catagen) which only lasts 2-3 weeks, the hair removes itself from the blood supply and stops growing becoming what’s known as ‘club hair’.

The final stage is rest (telogen). The ‘club hair’ remains in the root, resting, whilst a new hair is beginning to grow underneath it. When the new hair reaches the surface the ‘club hair’ simply falls out to allow the new hair to flourish.

How Fast Does A Hair Grow In A Month?

In general, our hair grows around half an inch per month, this is just under 1.5cm. Disappointing right? If you're desperate for longer hair and you just can’t wait you can always use hair extensions to add extra inches and thickness. Instead of waiting over a year to get the length of your dreams, extensions give you the transformation in as little as 5 minutes! Read “How to put in clip in hair extensions” to find the perfect clip-in hair extensions for your hair type and desired length.

How Much Does Hair Grow In A Year?

In general, hair grows around 6 inches per year however this can be affected by various factors. Genetics and ethnicity do have an influence on the rate of growth, according to ‘Live Science’ Asian hair types grow faster than Caucasian and Afro-Caribbean hair textures by a whole inch per year.

How To Stimulate Hair Growth?

Sadly, it is not possible to increase the speed of your hair growth as this is pre-determined by factors out of our control. However, good news is we can certainly stimulate the scalp to encourage new hair to grow and repair damaged or blocked hair follicles that could be preventing fresh hair from thriving. Hair growth shampoos, vitamins for hair growth, and scalp scrubs are just a few of the products that can be used to support healthy growth cycles in your hair. To find out more, read “Best Oils For Hair Growth And A Healthy Happy Scalp”.

How Often To Trim Hair For Maximum Growth?

Understandably, people find it difficult to believe that trimming your hair can actually speed up growth, but it genuinely does help. If you're trying to grow your hair you should have small trims every 10-12 weeks to remove dead ends. This is because the ends of hair become weak and brittle over time which eventually leads to split ends, trimming away the split ends when they begin to form keeps the hair healthy and strong reducing the risk of breakage which allows to hair to continue growing. Not sure when it's time for a trim? Read “7 signs you need a haircut”.

Does Hair Grow Faster With Hair Extensions?

Using permanent hair extensions will not physically speed up nor will it slow down the rate of your hair growth however it can give the impression of faster growth as your own hair is not visible on a daily basis. Ever heard the saying time flies when you're having fun? Well, if you're staring at your hair all day every day it can seem like it takes an age to grow whereas if you only see your natural length every 3 months when your extensions are removed and refitted the growth will be much more noticeable.

If you're interested in Tape hair extensions or Nano Rings, take a look through our wide selection of colours and lengths.

Best Extensions For Growing Out Hair?

The best hair extensions for short hair are I-Tip hair extensions or Nano Ring hair extensions as they are the most discreet and can be applied to hair as short as 4-5 inches. For a more temporary option that you can apply yourself, Seamless Clip-ins are the most suitable as the seams are almost invisible even in very fine hair. Our dedicated blog “How To Grow Out Your Hair” has loads of tips for growing out your hair including hair extension hacks and tutorials.

Does Hair Grow Faster In Summer?

Some scientists do believe that hair grows faster in the summer or in warmer climates however there is not quite enough evidence to fully support this. According to studies, during warmer weather people tend to eat more fruit and vegetables which can encourage healthier hair and growth. Seemingly, exposure to UV rays from the sun can also stimulate growth yet too much sun or heat can damage the hair and cause dryness which can lead to breakage.

Conclusion

Even though its almost impossible to increase the rate of growth of your natural hair, human hair extensions can provide an instant solution to an otherwise time consuming problem. Whilst your waiting for your natural hair to grow its vital to take care of your precious locks with a healthy diet, routine maintenance and regular trims all of which will prevent your hair from breakage and weakness.