When hair grows. How fast does the hair on your head grow? Trichologist's opinion

Misconception #1. A thick layer of mayonnaise or olive oil will improve the condition of your hair.

Many of the ingredients we find in our kitchen contain moisturizing components. But they won’t make all hair silky. The success of treatment with olive oil or homemade mayonnaise depends on your hair type. If your hair is thin and limp, then this treatment will only weigh it down and make it greasy. Oil wraps, etc. Suitable only for dry and thick hair.

How you use it is also important. My recipe is this: Take one tablespoon of oil or mayonnaise and distribute it onto clean, damp hair. Concentrate especially on the ends. Leave on for 30 minutes and then wash with a mild shampoo.

Misconception #2: You must constantly change your shampoo and conditioner in order to get more results.
Answered by stylist Doug Di Canio, Blow Salon, New York.

If your shampoo and conditioner that you are used to no longer suit you, do not rush to switch to new products. Contrary to popular belief, hair cannot get used to any products. Most often, it is not shampoos and conditioners that are to blame, but improper use. Firstly, washing your hair daily is not always justified. Secondly, particles of your products inevitably accumulate on your hair, even if you rinse your hair well after washing. Therefore, once a week it is worth doing hair masks; they will not only restore your hair, but also rid it of accumulated remnants of conditioning and styling products.

Misconception #3: Cutting your hair will help it grow faster.

Regular trimming is a great way to keep your hair healthy, but it won't make you have long, thick hair. On average, hair grows at a rate of about 12mm per month, whether you trim it or not. Although there is some truth in this statement. The fact is that by regularly trimming the ends of your hair, you make your hair healthier and prevent split ends and hair damage. Healthy hair grows slightly faster than dry and brittle hair. How often should you trim the ends of your hair if you are growing your hair? At least once every 8-12 weeks.

Misconception #4: You can't dye your hair during pregnancy.
Answered by Amy Barkett, MD, Ohio, USA.

In truth, there are no studies that support such concerns. However, I share the concerns of those pregnant women who are always worried about any changes in their body during pregnancy. What bothers me about paints is that most of them contain formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen. And I would advise you to stay away from formaldehyde. And not only for pregnant women.

Read food labels! It is better if the list of ingredients contains more natural substances, for example, henna-based dyes. If you dye your hair at a hairdresser, warn the hairdresser if you are pregnant. Perhaps he will have a safer coloring option for you.

Formaldehyde may also be contained in hair straightening products and medicated hair balms.

Do not dye your hair during the first trimester of pregnancy, because it is in the first trimester that the risks of pathologies in the development of the fetus are highest.

Misconception #5: If you have oily hair, don't use conditioner.
Answered by stylist Doug Di Canio, Blow Salon, New York.

Oily hair is caused by overproduction of sebum, a waxy, oily substance that is secreted by the tissues of the scalp. Therefore, eliminating the air conditioner from use will not affect the problem at all.

Another thing is that sebum in large quantities makes hair oily faster. Therefore, it makes sense to use hair moisturizers only on the ends. To dry your hair roots, you can alternate between washing your hair and dry shampoo. To prevent sebum from spreading into your hair, always keep your comb clean.

Misconception #6: Always comb your hair from top to bottom.
Answered by Jenny Cho, stylist at Suave Professionals.

This is not always true. Often such combing only leads to hair breakage. This is especially true for wet hair. Never scratch them along their entire length. Instead, start combing your hair from the ends, gently and gently. Never pull your hair. If combing is not easy, it means that the hair requires even more careful and lengthy combing.

Misconception #7: All hair grows at the same rate.

Hair grows at different rates in different areas of the body. Each hair goes through three growth phases, in which it grows at different rates. Scalp hair does not grow evenly; it is in different growth phases. It is impossible to smooth out this process. Therefore, you should not hope that once you trim your hair, the shape and length of your hair will be maintained.

Misconception #8: Hair cannot change its structure throughout life.
Answered by Joela Schlesinger, MD, board-certified dermatologist and president emeritus of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery.

Hair structure is not a constant value. Naturally straight hair can suddenly turn into wavy hair. This is due to nutrition, taking various medications, and lifestyle. Although hair is actually a dead organism, the hair roots and scalp are not. Medications affect the strength of hair roots and can cause hair to become wavy and discolored. For example, everyone knows what changes chemotherapy leads to. From color changes to complete hair loss. Stress and hormonal changes can also turn your hair from thick to weak and vice versa. During pregnancy, many people notice particularly thick and silky hair.

From time immemorial, hair has played a big role in human life. They are a product of the epidermis and perform a protective function of the body, mainly in mammals.

Hair, in addition to its protective function, also performs many versatile tasks, which are treated differently in different countries, depending on the existing mentality and established national traditions. This is reflected in the social status of hair within different cultures. In this article we will look at the following question: “How long does hair grow?”.

History knows legends and beliefs that tell about the traditions of different peoples related to hair. This is not an idle question at all, since hair has always been considered a container of vital energy. In the ancient world, the absence of hair indicated that a person belonged to a slave position. It was not customary among the Slavs to cut a child’s hair before the ritual holiday called “Postrizhiny.” By this day (3 – 5 years old), the boys of the princely family were supposed to be mounted on a horse for the first time. As for girls, the one who had a long light braid was considered a true beauty..

It was not customary to cut all the hair of children of Ancient Egypt; it was necessary to leave a strand that would protect the health and life of the child. In China, boys always had bangs, and girls' long hair was tied with red thread. What all nations have in common is the desire to preserve the health and beauty of hair, as well as its presence and length..

Hair growth: per day, month, year

If the hair length requirements of all nations are met, the question arises: How many centimeters does hair grow (per month, per day, per year). To do this, you need to understand the types of hair on the human body, since this and many other factors determine how much hair grows in a certain period of time.

There are three types of human hair:

bristly (their location is on the pubis and in the armpits);
rod ones appear in the form of a mustache and beard in men, on the head;
vellus are almost colorless and very thin, which are found all over the body. The soles of the feet, the red border of the lips and the palms of the hands remain uncovered.

Three types of hair:

Vellus, found all over the body. They are not the same in people and differ both in their number and in the depth of their follicles. From 9 to 22 pieces fit on one square centimeter.

The bristly hairs are located in the ear and nose and also form the eyebrows and eyelashes. At the same time, the bristly ones, which in these cases are also called ciliated, are not numerous (there are only 400 of them in the eyelashes, and 600 in the eyebrows);

The long ones are located in only two areas: 1) in the armpits; 2) on the head (on the face and cranial vault). They are distributed unevenly in these areas: a larger number from 90,000 to 150,000 are on the cranial vault, they are also numerous on the face;

Hair growth time should be tracked day and night, that is, per day. At the same time, hair grows slower at night than during the day, and in winter slower than in spring and summer.. Basically, hair growth per day is 0.35 mm. For the speed of hair growth, such important indicators as gender and age are significant. Hair growth on the cranial vault in women is more intense than in men. Affects growth and such a thing as the hair growth cycle. In youth it is more intense in women and men. By the age of sixty, it is significantly reduced, resulting in thinning hair, loss of strength and an increase in the percentage of hair loss. The hair growth cycle is divided into three parts and represents the following picture:

intensive hair growth that occurs over 2–4 years;
intermediate state between the first and third stages: hair stops growing. This lasts only a few days (15 – 20 days);
hair growth stops completely. This cycle lasts from 90 to 120 days.

If you take a fragment of the time of hair growth, then at any moment you will find that 93% are in the growth stage, 1% are in the intermediate stage, and 6% are in the final stage. In particular, if we focus on the growth of hair on the cranial vault, then this genetically programmed growth cycle will repeat itself 24–25 times during a lifetime.

Considering the fact that the daily rate of hair growth is 0.35 mm, hair grows by 1 cm per month. Growth per year with such calculations could be 12 centimeters. We should not forget about hair growth cycles, where it is intense only in the first stage, and slows down in the next. Therefore, how many centimeters per year will be added to existing hair depends on many constituent factors that can ensure more intense hair growth:

age;
hair growth stages;
hair care;
proper nutrition.

Essential in hair care is the correct selection of shampoos, conditioners and masks, systematic massage treatments at home. You can speed up hair growth using folk remedies. The ideal option would be to visit a hair care salon, but practice shows that the lack of funds for expensive procedures and a busy work schedule do not always allow you to seek the help of specialists. By following a few basic preventative rules for hair care at home, you can keep your hair healthy for many years:

selection of shampoos, conditioners, conditioners and other hair care products according to hair type;
If you frequently use foams, gels and hairsprays, you need to additionally introduce a home care product such as a conditioner-rinse. It is selected from one cosmetic line and with an emphasis on type and condition (for thin hair - voluminous, while a restorative conditioner will help weak curls);
Daily massages with massage brushes are one of the most effective hair care products.

How long does hair grow on your head?

The timing of hair growth on the head depends on color, thickness, gender, so it can be noted that hair on the head grows faster in women on the cranial vault, and in men on the face (mustache, beard). Their growth period on average ranges from 0.35 cm per day, 1 cm per month, from 7 to 15 centimeters per year. It is noted that they grow more intensively in girls and women from 15 to 30 years old. The density of hair on the head, for example, depends on the color of the hair: redheads have 80 thousand, brunettes have 102 thousand, and blondes have 140 thousand. Every day 50 – 100 hairs fall out. The lifespan of hair can range from 4 to 10 years with proper care.

How long does hair grow on your legs?

The growth of hair on the legs is a true punishment for women, since it grows very quickly (within a few days: from 1 to three). Therefore, it is better for women to use other folk and cosmetic means than daily shaving, since women’s skin is much more delicate than men’s:

razors, creams and aftershave gels especially for women, which will help for several days;
depilator removes hair for a week;
after using the epilator, hair growth on the legs stops for 1 – 2 weeks;
Waxing provides a guarantee for 2 – 5 weeks;
photoepilation, electrolysis – 1 month.

How long does pubic hair grow?

Pubic hair growth occurs in female and male patterns. It begins from the moment of puberty and until its completion, that is, until the body fully matures. With old age, these processes slow down. The issue of caring for pubic hair receives a lot of attention today. It is everyone’s right to adopt one or another method of caring for them, but if the choice is made to cut or shave pubic hair, then the curl will grow quite quickly (several weeks) and this procedure will become systematic.

Practice shows that hair care using a large number of cosmetics and folk remedies will greatly help keep hair curls in a healthy and well-groomed condition.

For dessert, video: All about hair growth

At all times, hair has been considered a frame of beauty, which can highlight the advantages of appearance or hide its shortcomings. To keep your curls in excellent condition, you need to constantly take care of them. Knowledge of how hair grows and what determines its good or bad condition helps to approach this problem competently. This article is devoted to this issue.

Hair structure

The outer shell of the hair is made up of keratin scales superimposed on each other. Its outer part is called the shaft, and the inner part (located under the skin) is called the hair follicle, or root. The bulb is surrounded by a hair sac called a follicle. Interestingly, how hair grows on a person’s head depends on its shape. Round follicles produce straight hair, oval follicles produce slightly curly hair, and kidney-shaped follicles produce curly hair.

Each hair consists of three layers. The outer one (cuticle) consists of scales and has a protective function. Underneath it is the cortex - a substance containing dead elongated cells that give the hair elasticity and strength. This layer contains the pigment melanin, which determines the color of the curls. In the very center of each hair there is a medulla, through which, presumably, the cuticle and cortex are nourished. The natural shine of the hair depends on the fatty lubricant secreted by the sebaceous glands of the scalp into the follicle.

Hair color

Natural hair color is influenced by the ratio of two types of melanin (pigment) - pheomelanin and eumelanin. They differ in the shape of their granules. In pheomelanin they are round, and in eumelanin they are oblong. Naturally, each of the pigments is a carrier of a specific color. Pheomelanin is yellow in color, and eumelanin is brown. The predominance of one of the pigments determines the color of a person’s hair. He can be brunette, blond or red. More than 300 shades of the main color of curls are known. In black hair, eumelanin predominates, and in light hair, pheomelanin predominates.

Hair growth process

In order to recognize the wrong shampoo for you, two uses are enough. A suitable hair care product requires careful research over a period of two to three weeks.

All modern shampoos can be divided into several groups: regular (neutral); caring or therapeutic; tint and intended for deep cleaning.

To determine the quality of a hair wash, you need to mix it with water and let it brew. If a cheesy sediment appears at the bottom of the container, it is not recommended to use this shampoo. Do not use products that contain ammonium or sodium sulfate. These foaming agents do not truly cleanse the hair, but only harm its condition.

How to wash your hair correctly?

In order for your hair to grow better, you need to take proper care of it. Washing your hair takes a central place in this process. If you do this procedure without observing certain conditions, it can lead to a deterioration in the structure and appearance of the hair. To prevent such troubles from happening to them, the following rules must be followed:

Before washing, you need to comb your hair thoroughly to remove dandruff and styling product residue.
Use your fingertips to distribute the shampoo along the entire length of your strands. They should move from the hair roots to their ends, since cuticle particles grow in this direction.
It is better not to tangle your hair while washing, so as not to damage it later when combing.
It is better not to rub the strands too much, so as not to damage the cuticle and hair shaft.
Dirt, fats and sweat are washed away from the head instantly. Therefore, the hair washing procedure should be done quickly.
It is very important what kind of water is used to wash your hair. Regular tap water is usually quite hard, so it is better to use pre-boiled water. You can add various hair growth products to it: baking soda (one teaspoon per liter), ammonia (one teaspoon per two liters of water), glycerin (one teaspoon per liter of water).
You need to lather your hair at least twice during washing. You should not pour shampoo on dry hair; you should first wet it with water.
Too hot or, conversely, cold water harms your hair. The oilier your curls, the cooler it should be. The most suitable temperature for washing your hair is 35-45 degrees Celsius. It is better to rinse with cold water.
Long hair should be washed less frequently to avoid drying it out. Short hair, on the contrary, is better to wash more often, since it is in close proximity to the fat glands.

They say that French women love short hair, Italian women love thick caps of curls, but in Russia women simply adore long hair! There is hardly a woman who has never dreamed of lush, shining waves that fall spectacularly below the shoulders. But alas, not every attempt to grow long hair leads to success. The ends grow back slowly, the hairstyle gradually loses volume and eventually begins to look unkempt. What should I do? In order for your hair to grow faster and at the same time maintain its beauty, you need to try: carefully choose the method of care that is suitable for you and do your best to avoid drying out your hair. Here are 9 tricks that will make things easier for you.

1. Don't wash your hair more often than necessary
Oddly enough, fanatical daily washing is not at all the path to beauty, much less healthy hair. From frequent washing, they gradually begin to lose their own natural substances that maintain their shine and prevent fragility. For the beauty of a hairstyle, this is also most often useless (the exception is very oily hair, but this is a rarer case than one might think): hair devoid of vitality looks correspondingly - tired and dull. Hair growth also slows down. To make your hair grow faster, try washing your hair not every day, but once every two days: on the one hand, a day doesn’t seem like that much, on the other hand, it turns out that you wash your hair half as often. If you still feel uncomfortable and are tormented by the feeling that your hair is dirty, try dry shampoo!

2. Don't limit your care products to just shampoo and conditioner.
The combination of shampoo and conditioner is a good combination, but it is not enough to speed up hair growth. Try special masks for hair growth and strengthening serum - the latter is especially useful if you often have to use a hair dryer and do styling. The serum will protect your hair from dryness and brittleness.

3. Try making a homemade hair mask
Have you mastered store-bought masks for hair growth? An important step has been taken, but there is no limit to perfection! Now you can make such a mask at home - so that the composition definitely does not contain any unwanted chemicals from formaldehyde to parabens. Homemade masks are made from yogurt, honey, avocado, lemon juice and other quite affordable ingredients, they are completely natural, the care is at the level of an expensive salon, and you can endlessly experiment with the ingredients, independently adjusting the composition to your own preferences. But it is precisely individually suitable care that you will need to make your hair grow faster.

4. Rinse your hair with cold water
Hot water is better at removing impurities, but rinsing with cold water is a reliable and proven way to make hair softer and more manageable, and therefore protect it from breakage, which ultimately keeps it healthy. “Cold” does not mean “icy”; it is not necessary to freeze.

5. Do not dry your hair with a towel, just pat it dry.
When getting out of the shower, do not dry your wet hair with a towel, but just pat it dry so that the fabric absorbs excess water. Drying - especially if it's overzealous - can kink and even break hair. First of all, of course, this threatens dry and damaged hair. If you have long hair, then you can blot it at the ends, and slightly squeeze it closer to the ends, but very gently.

6. Use a hairdryer as little as possible
No matter how advanced your hair dryer is, drying it is not the healthiest thing you can do to your hair. Even with professional drying and styling equipment, you still run the risk of drying out your hair. Of course, sometimes you just can’t do without a hair dryer (especially if you have already achieved some success in growing your hair!). In this case, then at least don’t dry your hair “to the bitter end” - let it remain just a little damp. If the hair dryer model allows it, gradually lower the temperature and finally run a stream of cool air through your hair.

7. Trim your hair regularly
If you are planning to grow your hair long, this does not mean that now you don’t need to cut it at all. Just the opposite! It is important to remove split ends in a timely manner: even if the hair roots look amazing, unkempt ends still spoil the picture. This in itself does not affect hair growth too much, but your goal - beautiful, neat, long hair - will be achieved much faster.

8. Brush your hair more neatly
Immediately after washing, going through wet hair with a stiff brush is what you need if you want tangled, brittle and unmanageable hair. In order for hair to grow faster, it is important to ensure its health - that is, to protect it from such deprivations! Use a comb with elastic teeth instead of a brush. Let your hair dry slightly and only then comb it - carefully and slowly. If your hair is long, then there is no way without a methodical approach: divide your hair into strands and comb each one separately; if your hair gets tangled, then start untangling from the very ends, gradually - slowly! - rising higher.

9. Choose smoother bedding
In fact, it’s not surprising that bed linen affects the condition of your hair: after all, your hair spends a good third of the day in close contact with the pillowcase! Buying a satin pillowcase will not change your life, but after a certain time it will show results - your hair will become less brittle and tangled, and softer. If your goal is not just long, but also healthy, beautiful hair, then it is better to completely switch to satin bed linen.

A person's hair can tell a lot about his health, as well as his character. Nature has blessed one with lush and thick hair, while the other is knocked off his feet in search of a miraculous care product. The hair is curly, wavy or completely straight. It exists by nature, and not from over-drying with a hairdryer. Everyone is different, just like their hair. Why is this happening? What determines how much hair a person has? Let's look at the reasons and factors in order.

How much hair?

It will probably come as a surprise to many that the amount of hair in all people is approximately the same. On average it is about 100 thousand. This number constitutes the basic set of active bulbs from which hair grows throughout life. This number is individual for everyone and can change under the influence of genetic factors, as well as hormonal levels. This is how nature intended it. However, in practice it is not actually possible to count how much hair a person has. Yes, this is not necessary. Why then does the hair visually appear different? It's all about density relative to the entire area covered by the bulbs. After all, everyone is different. The second reason is the density and thickness of the hair. It is this factor that visually makes the hair thick.

How do curls grow?

In general, how healthy natural hair will be is determined genetically. If the mother had thick and luxurious hair with curled curls, then, most likely, the children will inherit it. Of the two genes, as a rule, the stronger one is passed on to offspring. This also applies to growth rate. Although this indicator has its average value - about 0.3-0.4 mm per day. The norm per month is 1-1.2 cm. It turns out that hair grows by 12-14.5 cm per year. However, there are many people who, after a short period of time, seem to be completely overgrown with hair. For many, hair grows 15 centimeters or more in 12 months. This is due to rapid metabolism. Also, as mentioned earlier, genetics have a big influence. However, living conditions, local water, a nutritious diet, and high-quality care cosmetics certainly have an impact on hair growth. All these factors must be taken into account when wanting to grow your braid as long as possible.

Useful haircut

For those who want to find out how quickly the hair on their head grows, they can make a control haircut and note the time interval during which a certain length will appear. It will not only be educational, but also useful for your hair. There is an opinion that if you regularly cut the ends of your hair, your curls will grow faster. There is a deal of truth in it. The fact is that by cutting off, as a rule, the damaged and lifeless part of the hair, we thereby allow the rest of the length to completely absorb all the incoming beneficial substances. Now they will not be wasted on split ends of hair, which only scissors can help. You just need to remember that if you want, you should get your haircut done as soon as possible during the new moon. This is what legends say, and this method has really been tested by time. To maintain healthy hair without losing length, you need to get your hair cut once every one and a half to two months, but no more than 1-1.5 cm.

Hair growth and season

How quickly hair grows on the head is influenced by many factors, so this indicator is individual for each person. However, scientists who conducted observations in this area identified a certain pattern. For example, in the spring-summer period, hair growth is significantly activated, as well as during the daytime. Like nature, the human body also has a peculiar seasonality. This is due to the characteristics of the diet at different times of the year. Food rich in vitamins, microelements and various beneficial substances helps speed up metabolism in the body. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in calcium have a special effect on hair growth and good condition. Improvement in structure occurs with sufficient intake of B vitamins in the diet.

Hair growth and age

How quickly hair grows on your head also depends on your age. The most active phase is observed in adults; children and elderly people have a slightly lower rate. Different rates are associated with metabolism. Children spend a lot of resources on the overall growth and development of the body, while in old age the metabolism slows down. These factors also influence other indicators of human health. Depending on changes in hormonal levels, the growth rate may vary. For example, women during menopause, and also often during pregnancy or during breastfeeding, men during puberty lose a significant part of their scalp. How quickly the hair on your head grows is directly related to your hormone levels. Therefore, during stressful situations, many people notice a sharp loss. In this case, the hair roots are insured by nature, although this technique does not always work. The fact is that in the scalp, in addition to the main 100 thousand bulbs, there are also the same number of spare ones. They are in a state of sleep and ready to wake up if necessary. For these purposes, various growth activators and special procedures are often used. However, initially the cause should be sought inside the body. It happens that the spare bulbs are damaged or are not viable at all, so the restoration of hair after complete or partial baldness does not occur. This mainly applies to males.

What to do to avoid losing hair?

Sometimes the cause of rapid hair loss is vitamin deficiency or an insufficient diet. The body simply does not receive the necessary nutrients and microelements that promote healthy hair growth. In this case, you should definitely consult a doctor, then undergo a course of treatment with vitamins. At this time, you can help your hair outside by making nourishing masks. One of the natural growth activators is onion juice. Our grandmothers also skillfully used this product to make natural hair thicker, give it strength and shine. To do this, take one onion and use a grater to obtain a paste. It was poured into gauze folded several times and the miraculous juice was squeezed out. They rubbed the hair roots with it. If your scalp is sensitive, the juice should be diluted by a third with water. You can add a few drops of castor, burdock or olive oil to it. After application you should wait 10-15 minutes. If it starts to burn, you need to wash it off immediately to avoid burning your scalp. In the future, the juice should be diluted with water and only then applied to the hair roots.

Knowing how long your hair grows, and this happens throughout your life, you need to start taking care of it as early as possible. If the thickness from childhood leaves much to be desired, you should not hope that the situation will change for the better with age. It is necessary to start strengthening from a young age. For this purpose, there are many folk methods that are based on the use of natural ingredients. A storehouse of useful substances is found in vegetable oils and extracts. Based on them, many masks are prepared for hair and scalp. For example, olive oil has excellent moisturizing properties. It should be used in a heated state, applied both to the hair along the entire length and to the roots. It perfectly nourishes and soothes the scalp, on which the condition of the entire hair directly depends. It should be remembered that the formation of the structure and potential of the hair occurs in the bulb. Therefore, it is so important to monitor the health of the skin on your head.

Walnut oil for hair

Walnut oil will perfectly moisturize weakened hair along the entire length. It adds shine, volume and strength. At the same time, the product practically does not weigh down the hair and does not contribute to the formation of oiliness at the roots. It is also useful to apply castor and burdock oil and rub in with massage movements. This improves blood circulation, and the flow of nutrients through the pores of the skin occurs more actively.

After washing your hair, you need to apply conditioner to it. This procedure closes the scales throughout the entire structure. Thanks to this, the hair becomes shiny and smooth. It can also be rinsed with herbal infusions. For light hair, chamomile and calendula are suitable, for dark hair - an infusion of onion peels, nettles, etc.