Understanding Hair Science and the Hair Growth Cycle

Each individual hair is formed inside a hair bulb deep in a hair follicle. The follicle is a tiny but powerful factory, which throughout many people's lifetime hardly ever stops working. From a baby's birth for many decades, as much as a century in some people, the follicle continues to produce hairs.

Each hair grows for many years: during this time it will be shampooed, conditioned, cut, blown dry, exposed to sun and wind, colored or bleached or permed. None of these treatments affects the growth of the hair in the hair bulb, even though some may seriously damage the hair shaft. Finally the hair spontaneously falls out. The follicle rests for a little while, and then starts to produce yet another new hair. This is the hair cycle.

You need to know about the hair cycle in order to understand many of the problems people have with their hair. These can range from the sudden appearance of hairless patches to complete baldness in men, and sometimes in women too.

The Phases of Hair Growth
Hair growth is at its most productive cycle between puberty and the mid-twenties. As we grow more mature the growth cycle gradually slows down. The cycle passes through 3 distinctive phases and then, in normal circumstances after a short unproductive period repeats over again.

The phases of the hair growth life cycle:

1. Anagen or growth phase

2. Catogen or intermediate phase

3. Telogen or resting phase

4. Hair Fallout - is perfectly normal. The typical adult loses about 70-100 hairs a day. These usually grow back unless certain factors conspire to shut down the hair follicle thus severely affecting healthy hair regeneration.