It’s quite a common misconception that the hair grows indefinitely, all the time, and it doesn’t deviate from this unless the case is illness. This isn’t actually true – hair indeed goes through four phases which affects hair growth, inactivity and shedding. Many people grow frustrated at their hairs “lack of progress” or wonder why their hair seems to grow astronomically at times but is otherwise stagnant. Usually, these are just symptoms of the phases the hair is in and can easily be explained.
Anagen (Growth Phase)
This phase is the longest, lasting from anywhere between 2-8 years. Hair follicles are actively being grown and pushed out. Genetics, age and lifestyle ultimately decide how fast the hair will grow when in this phase.
Catagen (Transition Phase)
During this secondary phase, hair growth ceases and hair follicles shrink. It lasts about two weeks too.
Telogen (Resting Phase)
In this portion, hair remains rooted in the follicle but isn’t actively growing, with the exception of new hair forming in follicles that have just exited the catagen phase. The duration of this lasts about 3 months.
Exogen (Shedding Phase)
Here is the final stage of the hair – it sheds with a loss of about 50-100 hairs per day. This section can last up to a few months and washing plus brushing can help sweep the shedded hair away.
This is the cycle that hair adheres to, and you can use it to pinpoint what phase exactly your hair is in, depending on its state. Ensure you work alongside the cycle – in the sense you reduce stress as to not worsen shedding and that you eat well all round, so that when the anagen phase comes around, maximum growth occurs.
