How fast does hair grow? Exact daily and monthly length revealed

How fast hair grows

StatPearls reports that in one day, a strand of hair grows by about 0.35 millimeters. This is approximately 1.27 cm per month. In a year, hair can grow about 15.24 cm.

Similar to skin, the body uses stem cells to rapidly form the structures we call hair, which emerge from follicles.

Hair growth cycle

Each hair follicle goes through different phases of growth and shedding. Throughout your life, you will experience 10 to 30 such cycles. The length of these phases may vary, affecting the length and thickness of your hair.

The journal Clinical Medicine notes that the hair growth cycle has four phases, including:

• Anagen is the growth phase during which hair actively grows. It lasts from 2 to 8 years. About 90% of hair is in the anagen phase
• Catagen is the transitional phase, lasting about two weeks, during which the attachment of the hair to the follicle weakens
• Telogen is the resting phase, lasting from 2 to 3 months. In this phase, new hairs form in the follicle while the old one "rest"
• Exogen is the shedding phase, when hair detaches from the follicle and falls out, while new hair emerges from the scalp. On average, people lose 50 to 100 hairs per day

What can affect the speed of growth

It is not possible to control the growth rate of an individual hair. However, you can increase the number of follicles in the anagen phase and the duration of their activity. This allows hair to continue growing.

Hair density may depend on how much hair you lose and how long it takes for new hair to grow back from the follicle after shedding.

According to Penn Health, certain factors may lead to excessive hair loss. Among them are:

• Medications
• Extreme calorie restriction or nutrient deficiency
• Illness
• Pregnancy
• Stress

Tips for healthy hair growth

To keep your hair healthy and growing regularly, consider the following:

• Make sure you get the nutrients necessary for good overall health. Some deficiencies are linked to hair loss or brittleness
• Try supplements with fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6, which may help with female pattern hair loss
• Avoid extreme diets
• Avoid styling hair with high heat and coloring it, as this may increase shedding
• Avoid tight ponytails and buns

Other methods to improve hair health and growth include:

• Shampoos and conditioners with caffeine
• Scalp massage, which can improve blood supply and benefit the follicles
• Certain essential oils

You may be interested in:

• Is it safe to wash your hair every day without damaging it
• How much hair loss per day is normal

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.