How to help my hair grow better
(previously published in The Experts Magazine)
Heredity plays a major role in the maximum length that your hair will grow. There are three stages of growth:
- Anagen or the active growing stage includes 85% to 90% of the person’s hair. At this stage, the hair bulb is attached to the follicle and will grow anywhere from 2-6 years, although, periods of 25 years have been recorded.
- Catagen is the transitional stage, when all cell division or growth stops and the hair bulb separates from the follicle. This stage is very brief.
- Telogen is the resting phase, where the hair is no longer attached to the follicle, regresses even further and eventually falls out. On the average, 10% to 15% of hair is in the resting stage which can last 3-4 months. Eventually, cell division is stimulated to produce a new hair, and the growth cycle starts again. Luckily, each hair has its own unique growth cycle, otherwise, we would lose all our hair at once and it would start growing back all at the same time.
That would definitely not be good.
The average rate of growth is approximately ½ inch per month or 6 inches per year. If you do the math, you can see that a person that has a 2 year growth cycle could easily grow hair about 12 inches or a foot long before the hair sheds. On the other hand, someone with a 10 year cycle could end up with 60 inches or 5 feet long (e.g. Crystal Gale, the country singer with long hair almost to her ankles!)
There is nothing we can do about the hereditary growth cycle of our hair, but there are things we can do to keep our hair strong and healthy.
1) General health - Since disease, medication, stress and hormone changes can negatively affect hair growth, it is important to make healthy lifestyle choices. Proper nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep and stress management will benefit hair growth.
2) Get your hair trimmed on a regular basis - even if you are growing it out. This will prevent split ends, or least, keep them from fraying, and will give shape and style to your hair.
3) Protect your hair from damage. The environment, hot styling tools and chemical services (colors, perms) can all take its toll on our hair. It is very important to use professional products to keep your hair looking great.
If you use a flat iron to smooth those tresses, make sure you are using a thermal heat protective product (AG Insulate is a good one). Flat irons can get so hot they can almost melt the cortex of the hair if it is not properly protected.
Also, regular deep conditioning treatments are a must. Protein is needed for building strength and moisture is needed for softness and pliability. Regular daily conditioners don’t do the trick. You need a deep conditioner that will penetrate the hair and replace what is needed. At Masters School of Hair Design we can mix up a special Deep Gloss Treatment by AG Group that will gradually take your hair from dry and brittle to amazingly soft and shiny, so you can look good while your hair is growing out.