Understanding the Hair Growth Cycle: Anagen to Telogen

Have you ever been worried about having any kind of hair down there? No worries! Some of my hair falls every day and that's fine.

Hair is not merely a thread of hair; rather, the hair cycle is a continuous process of losing and growing hair. Every hair follicle of my hair operates independently. While one thread of my hair lies low, other hair is getting ready to fall down.

In this way, we can get to know about how our hair operates below and select suitable products for our hair to make them healthy and thick. 

Hair Follicles

For understanding this process of development of your hair follicles, we need to understand what makes up an individual strand of hairs.

1 .The hair shaft

That’s an example of hair growth coming through my scalp. Dead cell material is filled with a tough protein known as keratin. Since a shaft isn't alive, it can't repair itself if there are damages on them. That's because we need protection against heat and other dangers.

2 .The hair root and bulb

The follicles are located deep within this small space of hair follicles. The base of a plant grows and turns into an oval-shaped structure known as the hair bulb. It is fully alive, containing rapidly dividing cells which are constantly dividing to create the physical structure of your hair.

3 .The dermal papilla

It's an extremely small piece of tissue located right below the hair shaft. Acts like the head office, brain of hair follicles. There are lots of tiny capillaries here which deliver nutrients such as oxygen and vitamins for our new locks. If there isn't enough oxygen available for growth then you'll have slow and weak hair.

The 4 Stages of Hair Growth

Your hair goes through four stages, so you can think about them as a circle. Each and every strand of hair you have grows several thousand times during its life cycle, all by itself.

That's how it works for every stage of this process.

1 .Anagen (the growth phase)

The plant is currently growing actively. Roots get their nourishment through blood flow and push up above skin level.

• Duration: Usually between 2 and 7 years.
• Active cell division: The cells inside the bulb grow very quickly at this point.
• Determines maximum length: Anagen duration determines how much longer you'll be able to have natural growth for your hair. An anagen stage too short can mean that you won't have more than shoulder-length hairs on your head. Longer means you could have your hair growing down to your waist.
• Scalp population: About 85-90% of hair on my head is currently in this stage.

2 .Catagen phase

In this phase, your hair growth will completely come to a halt. The hair strands will separate out from their blood supply and sit on top of it.

• Duration: It takes anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks.
• Shrinking of follicles: Hair follicles shrink to become just about one-tenth of their normal length.
• Club hair formation:Hair solidifies and becomes in the shape of a white club-like structure. It is known as club hair. Your hair strand stays locked in its follicle and doesn’t grow anymore.Scalp population: Just 1% to 2% of your hair is in this phase.

3 .Telogen (the resting phase)

Old hair is dormant while young hair grows above it.

• Phase duration: 3-4 months
• Total relaxation:Follicles have stopped working during this phase of hair growth cycle. Cell division does not take place during the telogen phase.
• Planning for the future:However, even while hair rests there are still some chemicals that wake up at its root for new growth to begin.
• Scalp percentage: 10-15 percent of my hair is currently dormant

4 .Exogen (the shedding phase)

Another name is the natural shedding phase where your head hair stops holding onto their lives tightly. This takes place when brushing, washing, and styling your hair.

• Duration: This process happens on a daily basis.
• Make room for your new hair: As you get older, your old hair begins to shed while new hair starts growing over your old hair.
• Loop reset:When the dead old hair gets into the anagen phase once again after shedding, it all begins for both hair simultaneously.
• What’s normal:It's totally fine to lose around 50 to 100 hairs per day. This just means that your hair is growing independently.

Hair Growth Cycle at a Glance

Why Does Excessive Hair Fall Happen?

The natural cycles sometimes get disrupted by humans. In case of a shock attack on your body, your body will tend to conserve energy by ceasing unnecessary activities, for example, hair growth of hair. The effect of that will be many hairs growing, resting, and shedding at once.

After some time after the shock, one will start experiencing bald patches on their heads. Some of the reasons are:

Stress, extreme physical and mental:

• Very high fever is not good for your body and can lead to many illnesses.
• Stress and physical shock may result in hair loss.
• Another name for telogen efflorescence is telogen effluvium due to its quick action.

Hormonal changes:

• Women after childbirth usually experience a lot of hair falling out due to pregnancy.
• Going into menopause and taking birth control pills may result in changes in hair growth.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome, pcos leads to hormonal imbalance and affects follicle development.

Diet and nutritional problems:

• A sudden crash diet would starve your hair of necessary nutrients.
• A low protein diet makes it difficult to develop new hairs.
• People suffering from anemia cannot deliver sufficient amounts of blood.
• Thus, their hairs lack the necessary amount of oxygen.
• Zinc, vitamin D & B deficiencies cause dry and brittle hair.

Role of DHT:

• The genetic type of hair loss is caused by the action of hormones like DHT on these hairs.
• DHT causes reduction of size of hair follicles called miniaturization.
• It reduces the period of hair development.
• As a result, each next growth is shorter than the previous one.
• In the end, the hair follicle becomes too small for any hair to grow out of it.

How to Support Your Hair with the Right Products?

You can repair and nurture your hair growth cycle by using products that specifically help nourish your scalp and roots. By using the right topicals, you can extend the duration of your hair’s growth cycle and reduce premature hair shedding.

Step-By-Step Guide

Proper technique is required in order to maximize the efficiency of these products in the process of applying hair care products. Here are some guidelines that will help you achieve better results.

Step 1: Wash your hair

• Apply moisturizer to your wet hair using hot water.
• In case of having poor quality of hair, apply Tinfal anti-hair fall shampoo to clean your hair.
• In order to grow roots, you should use the best shampoo for hair growth.
• Massage on your hands and feet for 2 min after which wash off using water.

Step 2: Condition the ends

• In order to extract more moisture from your wet hair, you need to perform these actions.
• Apply the shampoo on the mid-point and tips of your strands separately.
• Keep your conditioner at least 12 inches from your head in order to have healthy and shiny hair without dandruff.
• Two-minute pause, rinse with cold water.

Step 3: Serum your head

• Moisten your hair with a soft cloth without wetting it.
• Put some drops of a hair growth serum based on oil to your head where you are experiencing thinning.
• Apply some of it on my skin using an oil-free lotion.
• Do not wash it off because you will need it on your head for the entire day.

Easy Daily Checklist for Healthy Hair

Topical products are most efficient when combined with proper daily habits. Here is the list that would help you ensure proper health and longevity of hair follicles and, thus, proper growth.

1 .Protein intake

Keratin is the protein that makes hair grow. For proper body development, it is necessary to consume plenty of eggs, chicken, fish, paneer and beans.

2 .Mind your iron intake

It is important for the transportation of oxygen through the hair follicle. Thus, leafy greens, legumes and cereals must become an integral part of your diet.

3 .Extra care when wet.

Once the hair gets wet, it becomes really sensitive. It is not recommended to rub your head using a dry towel roughly; you should pat it gently instead.

4 .Use wide-tooth combs

Do not use fine plastic combs when pulling on hair. In doing this, use wide toothed wooden combs and gently pull your hair at its roots before moving up to its ends.

5 .Heat down for styling.

Avoid the use of blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons. Heat results in high temperature damage of skin cells hence causing breakage.

6 .Daily scalp massages

Massaging your scalp with clean fingers for four minutes everyday. This is how this simple technique works in increasing circulation of oxygen and nutrients to plant roots.

7 .Reduce stress

Stress results in production of high levels of cortisol hence damaging hair growth cycle. Deep breathing techniques work well. Daily walking is also good and getting enough rest at night.

Conclusion

Hair fall is a natural process that occurs when one is experiencing the exogen stage. It allows clearance of follicles for the development of new ones. Hair follicle continuously performs the process behind the scene whereby it keeps on replacing the old hair with new hair.

Proper eating of balanced diets will ensure reduced stress levels while at the same time supplying the body with all the nutrients needed for hair growth through particular treatments to the scalp of the body.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q1 .Is my hair falling fine or not?

It is considered normal for you to lose around 100 hairs per day in the exogen phase of the hair cycle. However, if you find your hair shedding in large clumps as you touch your hair then there are some indications of unhealthy scalp like the presence of white patches on your scalp and thinning of hair very quickly on the top part. You are advised to consult a dermatologist for excessive hair fall, especially if it is taking place for many months together.

Q2 .What is the required time to see the benefits of hair growth serum?

As the hair rests for 3-4 months in a year, you cannot expect a quick result from the use of hair growth serum as it would take some time for these hair follicles to come out of their resting phase and start growing. Thus, you are required to apply the hair growth serum regularly for 3-6 months to observe any visible improvement in your hair thickness and volume.

Q3 .What ingredients are good for promoting hair growth in a shampoo?

Ingredients that increase blood flow in the hair follicles and prevent hormones from acting on them are required. Caffeine, rosemary oil, and ginseng extract make for great ingredients that stimulate growth in hair roots. Apart from this, one must include some biotin, niacinamide, and protein powder since these ingredients strengthen your scalp against UV damage.