Your hair and how it grows
Human hair goes through 4 cyclical growth phases.
1: Anagen Phase
Our hair is in a constant state of growth and shedding. Hair growth begins with the anagen phase. This is an active phase of growth that lasts for approximately 3 to 5 years, however, some people can have active hair growth for up to 7 years.
During the anagen phase, new hair growing in the follicles push through the scalp, whilst this is happening, hairs that are no longer growing fall out and are replaced with the new growth. At any given time, 90% of the hair on your head is in the anagenic phase but it’s not something we can actually see or feel happening aside from noticing hair in the shower tray or trapped in the bristles of brushes.
2: Catagen Phase
This (catagenic) phase starts when the anagen phase comes to its natural end. Your hair follicles start to shrink and active hair growth slows. During this stage, the hairs will separate from the hair follicle, but they will remain active whilst the growth activity slowly stops during its final days of growing.
Approximately 5% percent of the hairs on your head are in the catagen phase at any given time.
3: Telogen Phase
The telogen phase usually lasts around 3 months. Up to 15% of your scalp hairs are in this phase.
Hairs don’t grow during the telogen phase, but they don’t usually fall out either, hence the fact that it is sometimes called ‘the resting phase’. The telogen phase is backed up by a new anagenic phase, meaning as the telogen hairs start shedding new hair is forming in the follicle following the release of new hairs in the catagen phase.
4: Exogen Phase
The exogen phase is the conclusion of the telogen stage of growth. Hair is shed from the scalp, helped along by shampooing, brushing and natural elements like wind and brushing. Don’t panic, losing 50 to 100 hairs per day during the exogen phase is normal.
During the exogen phase, which can last about 2 to 5 months, new hairs are growing in the follicles as the hair that has stopped growing falls away.
This is a natural part of the hair growth cycle and is normal for everyone, and it actually happens to all hair on the human body, but in different stages and time frames. If you notice an increase in the amount of hair you shed daily speak to your Rhona McCallum Hair stylist who can offer advice and product recommendations to help combat excessive loss.
