Your hair, just like all living things, grows in a cycle. Understanding the cycle helps you keep your hair healthy and allows you to prevent issues with growth, such as thinning and even balding. There are three stages in the hair growth cycle: anagen, catagen, and telogen. 

We lose hair every day, but our hair also grows about six inches per year. If you’re seeing hair in your shower or comb, that normal, but know that excessive shedding is a warning sign and you should consult your doctor. Here’s a blog about excessive hair shedding for you to read! But even though our hair sheds and that’s part of the cycle, your individual hairs aren’t in sync with each, and they can be in different stages of the cycle at any given time. 

Anagen

At six inches of growth per year, that’s an average of half an inch per month. However, due to the weather, your hair actually grows fast in warm conditions rather than the cold. Crippling wind and freezing temperatures cause much more damage than summer, much like with plants. Anagen is the growth phase in the hair growth cycle, which typically lasts 3-5 years. 

Catagen

The catagen phase is a 10-day phase at the end of the anagen cycle. It’s a transitional part of the cycle, and roughly 3% of all hairs on your head are in this stage at any given moment. Hair growth stops and is no longer considered active when reaching this stage! 

Telogen

This phase is the last stage of the hair growth cycle. In the telogen phase, your hair falls out! Your hair follicle then rests for three months, then the cycle repeats. Again, keep in mind that your individual hairs will be at different phases in the cycle at all times, so that’s why some hairs fall out and some are growing! 

If your experiencing excessive shedding or want to learn more about this process, Apollo Hair Replacement of Dallas/Fort Worth offers free consultations to figure out what’s going on with your hair and how you can keep it healthy! 

Contact Apollo today to get your hair and your life back!

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