How Fast Does Women’s Hair Grow?

It takes some women what seems like forever to grow their hair. Meanwhile, other women have to regularly trim their quick-growing tresses. How fast does women’s hair grow? What are the factors that affect the speed of hair growth?

The Life Cycle of Your Hair

Hair grows about half an inch every month or about six inches per year. It undergoes four phases of growth:

• Anagen 

Hair follicles produce hair shafts with the help of nutrients and blood from your body. 80 to 95% of your strands actively grow all the time. The rest are in a “resting state” or are about to fall. Also referred to as the growth phase, anagen lasts from 2 to 7 years. 

• Catagen 

Strands shrink and move nearer the surface of your scalp during this stage, which is also referred to as the transitional phase. 3% of your hair undergoes catagen at any one time, usually for about 2 weeks.

• Telogen 

When strands enter the telogen or the resting phase, follicles stop growing and stay inactive for 3 to 4 months until they shed. At least 10% of your hair is at rest during this stage. 

• Exogen 

Old hair strands fall and new strands begin growing in their place during this shedding phase. You normally lose between 50 to 100 telogen hairs daily. But don’t worry—this is just a fraction of the average 100,000-150,000 strands on a human head.

Factors Affecting Hair Growth Speed and Retention

There are a variety of factors that can influence hair growth:

• Scalp conditions

Dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and fungal infection, such as folliculitis, can inflame your hair follicles and make your scalp itchy, which can slow or stop hair growth. Meanwhile, hair falls out in the case of alopecia areata.

• Ethnicity

According to research, the shape of people’s hair follicles may differ and be influenced by their ethnicity. The shape of hair follicles affects how fast their hair grows. 

A study published in 2016 showed that Asians, whose round-shaped hair follicles rise perpendicular to their scalps, grow hair the fastest (1.4 centimeters monthly). Meanwhile, the oval-shaped follicles of African hair, which rise nearly parallel to the scalp, grow the slowest (0.9 centimeters monthly). Caucasian hair grows diagonally at an average of 1.2 centimeters per month.

• Hormonal changes and aging

Estrogen prolongs the time your hair spends in the anagen phase. Hence, women tend to lose hair when estrogen levels drop after pregnancy and menopause. Hair loss also occurs when your thyroid hormones go out of balance due to an underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism) thyroid gland. Meanwhile, the increase in a woman’s progesterone and estradiol levels during pregnancy can boost the number of hair in the anagen phase.

• Genetics

The duration of your hair’s anagen phase is hereditary. Your genes determine how soon you will experience hair thinning or hair loss.

• Hair products and procedures

Some harsh chemicals that can cause hair damage or thinning. These are ingredients such as Polyethene glycol, which makes shampoos look creamy, and paraphenylenediamine, which gives hair dyes their long-lasting natural color. Choose herbal or organic alternatives instead. Also, avoid excessive cleansing to allow and retain the flow of natural oils on your head.

Frequent heating through blow-drying, curling, and ironing can also make your hair strands break easily. Meanwhile, tightly pulling back your hair often can lead to hair loss (traction alopecia).

• Diet

Because your hair is composed of proteins, a diet that’s rich in protein and vitamins can help promote strong and healthy hair. A 2017 study showed that deficiency in Vitamin D, iron, zinc, Vitamin B3, fatty acids, selenium, and biotin can lead to hair loss. 

Moreover, eating sugary food and starchy refined grains can weaken the capacity of your hair to absorb protein. The dehydrating effect of liquor can also cause hair to be brittle. Your body also loses its ability to absorb nutrients when you drink too much alcohol.

• Seasons

Warmer temperatures during summer can lead to an intake of a greater variety of (thus, healthier) food and a more active lifestyle, which in turn results in better blood flow and more nutrients reaching your hair follicles. This helps boost hair growth or retention. Your scalp also produces more natural oil that can help enhance hair health.

• Environment

Dust, smoke from vehicles or cigarettes, and other pollutants can cause scalp itchiness, pain in the hair roots, and even hair loss. 

Your Hair Health Matters at Dapper & Divine

Are you searching for a “women’s hair salon near me” online, particularly around Boca Raton? Choose Dapper & Divine Ladies Hair Studio. Our expert team can help you take care of your hair and make you look your sensational best. We ensure that our styling and coloring techniques cause as little to no harm to our clients’ hair and scalp as well as the environment.  

Book with us now or read our tips on hair cut frequency and choosing the best hair cut before giving us a call. We’re looking forward to hearing from you soon.