Why Won’t My Hair Grow?

Have you ever wondered why your hair gets to a certain point and then it just doesn’t grow any longer? There could be a few contributing factors but the main one is down to genetics.

All of us have a hair growth cycle. There are 3 stages to the cycle, Anagen, Catagen and Telogen.

Anagen

This is the active growing phase whereby the hair can grow on average 1/2 inch per month, that’s an average of 6 inches a year. This stage lasts an average of 3-5 years but can last as much as 7. 

Catagen

This is the transitional phase. This signals the end of the active hair growth, cutting off the blood supply and cells that produce the new hair. This stage lasts around 10 days.

Telogen

This is the final stage known as the resting phase. Hairs in this phase are “resting” in the follicle waiting to shed. This phase can last around 3 months. Let’s take into consideration the first stage of hair growth, Anagen. All of us will have a different length of growth phase to our hair. Whilst some might have a long growth phase of up to 5 years, there will be some of us whereby our growth phase is only around 3 years. This is why some of us can only grow our hair to a certain point, as our growth phase is shorter.

Whilst this is the most common reason for variations in hair growth, there are some other factors which could cause slow growth. These could be poor diet, stress, age and poor hair condition. All of these individually or combined can result in issues with hair growth. Establishing a good hair and scalp care routine will certainly support good hair growth, but more importantly it comes from within, so ensuring a good diet and lifestyle will certainly help towards healthy hair growth.