Knowing about the hair growth cycle is important in determining if your hair, as well as your body, is healthy. By understanding what happens through the hair growth cycle, as well as how to react to the different phases, you can not only learn how to have healthier and thicker hair, but will also learn how to prevent hair loss and baldness from occurring unnaturally.

It is known that hair grows continuously from the scalp. This will vary according to the person, but should be at an average of six inches per year. From here, the hair that you have will move from your scalp in three different phases in order to allow for continuous growth from your scalp.

The first phase that hair will go through is known as “catagen”. This is also known as a transitional phase for your hair. When the hair is in the catagen phase, it means that the growth of the hair will completely stop. This allows for the outer root of the hair to shrink and attach to the root of the hair. It is known that different areas of your scalp will be in this phase all of the time, while others will be in the next phases.

Telogen is the next place where your hair may be in at any time. This is also often referred to as the resting phase. The telogen phase will occur directly after the catagen phase in order to complete the formation of the hair. This will usually last for about one hundred days, allowing your hair to stay rooted in your scalp. If you pull out hair during this phase, it will cause irritation in your scalp, which is usually recognized by a hard, dry, white material at the root.

Anagen is the next phase that the hair will go through. When in the telogen phase, the hair that is not able to grow anymore will fall out. The rest will move into the anagen phase, which is also known as the active stage. During this stage, the roots of the hair will begin to produce and divide cells. This will then produce a new hair that will push through the open follicles in the scalp. Usually, this type of hair will stay active for two to six years. If you have hair that doesn’t grow long, it is because the anagen has a shorter active phase.

If you are losing hair or going bald, it means that the anagen phase is not as active as it used to be. By knowing this, you will be able to properly respond to the hair growth cycle in order to give your hair the boost that it needs to become more active. Understanding the hair growth cycle is an easy way to know how your hair should be taken care of and what is happening with the different areas of your scalp. After this, you can properly treat it in order to prevent hair loss from occurring.