The Hair Growth Cycle is made up of 3 phases which is important to know. These are called: Anagen (Growth phase), Catagen (Transitional phase) and Telogen (Resting phase).
Hair on our scalps grow about 3 - 4mm per day or about 1 - 1.25 cm per month on average.
Breakdown of the 3 phases Anagen:
- Anagen is the active phase of the hair (living and growing). The cells in the root of the hair are dividing rapidly. A new hair is formed and pushes the club hair up the follicle and eventually out. During this phase the hair grows approximately 1 cm every 28 days. A number of people have difficulty growing their hair beyond a certain length due to the short active phase of growth. However, those who have long hair have had a longer active phase of growth.
- Catagen - The Catagen phase is a transitional stage and approximately 3% of all hairs are in this phase. This phase last for about 2 - 3 weeks. During this time growth stops and the outer root sheath shrinks and attaches to the root of the hair. This is known as the formation of club hair.
- Telogen - This is the resting stage , 10 - 15% of all hairs account for this phase, which lasts for about 100 days on the scalp. For a visual of the hair growth cycle, click here.
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