Hair Growth

If you're beginning to have problems about shedding more than usual – then you're absolutely not alone. It is estimated that 20% of the population experience some type of hair loss in their lifetime, and roughly 50% of men and women begin to lose 50 percent of those locks by the age of 50. Understanding hair growth is a step towards preventing or, at least, delaying the alopecia.

Each strand of human hair consists of a shaft, the one protruding from the scalp, the root sank below the skin, and the follicle (from which hair grows). The shaft and just above the base of the root is composed of nothing else but dead tissue and a type of protein called keratin and other proteins, except for a few cells lying at the base of the root.

Hair growth is initiated by rapid divisions of cells forming at the base of the follicle that are eventually pushed upwards at the hair bulb, where they harden and go through pigmentation. Melanin is the color pigment on people's hair consisting of special cells containing pigments called melanocytes.

The normal hair growth cycle lasts between two and six years. The hair on people's scalp typically grows half an inch each month, and incurs a lifetime of three to six years. Within this time, people shed about 50 to 100 hair strands a day, which is considered normal and part of the three phases of the hair growth cycle.

The hair growth cycle consists of three phases: the anagen, catagen, and telogen. About 80 to 90 percent of people's hairs are in the anagen phase – which means they have been growing for at lease six years. The anagen phase begins when new hair begins to surface from the bulb and continuous to grow until it reaches the catagen phase.

The catagen phase is brief respite of hair growth that usually lasts between two and four weeks in the scalp. There are no activities at the bulb during this phase. The follicle ceases to produce new hair and no pigmentation is carried out. The bulb simply moves upwards to the surface of the scalp.

It is during the telogen phase that hair is shed. This phase lasts for 2-3 months, and it is also during this phase that hair growth at the follicles begins. As new hairs are formed, the old hair is pushed upwards causing it to fall out. This is an average individual who is not experiencing alopecia (the medical term for hair loss) sheds hair every day.

How Fast Does Hair Grow?

As mentioned earlier, hair grows on an average of half an inch every month but what determines the length of the anagen phase is influenced by genetics. It is the extent of this phase that decides the length of hair in each individual.

The problem of alopecia and hair nourishment has haunted people even thousands of years before Cleopatra. Today, you can actually select from hundreds of hair growth products all claiming to stimulate hair growth, although the process is largely controlled by genetics. However, nutritional and health factors are believed to be crucial for growing healthy hair. This is the underlying reason why people with eating disorders experience hair loss.

Poorly nourished people are inclined to have brittle hair since vitamins and minerals are crucial in keeping hair nourished. Vitamins for promoting hair growth include Vitamin B or panthenol (known to improve hair elasticity, gloss, and strength), Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Inositol, Niacin, para-amonobenzoic acid, and pantothenic acid. These vitamins can easily be derived from a person's diet mostly through green vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and dairy products.

Taking care of your well being through proper diet results in overall health that serves as an excellent foundation later in life when hair starts shedding more.