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What Causes Hair Growth and Hair Shedding?
Let’s be real: who isn’t obsessed with hair? Whether it’s on your face, body, or scalp, we’re always looking for the latest scoop on how to achieve our hair goals. Maybe you want to replicate a glossy blowout you saw on TikTok, or you’re thinking about trying a hair removal hack that promises zero ingrown hairs. Whatever result you’re looking for, we’re all on some kind of personal journey with our follicles. Of course, everyone’s hair dreams are a lil different, but we think that’s exactly what makes you your most original self.
Hair is so much more than just proteins and melanin – our hair makes up a lot of our individual identities and even carries memories and trauma, too. Not all hair is made equal, but do you know we all experience the same growth and shedding cycles? We like to think all self-care starts with understanding the basics of our natural cycles to make the best decisions, so let’s break down some science together.
All Hair Grows and Sheds in Cycles
Anyone with a pet knows that the second spring hits, everything you own is absolutely covered with your little fur baby’s hair. Unlike animals who shed seasonally, the hair on our bodies is in a constant state of growth and shedding. So at any point in the year, a random number of hairs will be in one of four stages of growth and shedding. And this is true for ALL the hair on your body.
Lol… what? Basically, throughout these stages, your hair is in a constant state of growth or shedding.
What Are the Hair Growth Cycles?
There are four phases in the hair growth cycle:
- Anagen
- Catagen
- Telogen
- Exogen
Let’s break these down.
Anagen Phase (Growth Phase)
Anagen is the growth phase.
Each part of your body (that has hair) has maximum lengths it can hit before moving to the next stage. The length of the anagen phase controls how long your hair can get. To show how different all areas are, here’s a look at some of the different phase lengths we experience:
- Eyelashes: 30-45 days
- Eyebrows: 2-3 months
- Scalp: 3-5 years
When you look at those time frames, it’s easy to see why the hair on your head gets so much longer than your eyelashes, eyebrows, or legs.
Think of it this way: If your eyebrows had an anagen phase of 2-3 years, instead of 2-3 months, you could probably tuck your brows behind your ears—Lorax chic.
Catagen Phase (Transition Phase)
Once your hair has completed the anagen stage and stops growing, your hair follicle begins to shrink. This new period is called the catagen phase, a transition period that signals the end of hair growth. Typically, hair doesn’t fall out during catagen; however, if a hair falls out or is plucked out at this time, it won’t start growing back until the catagen phase is completed.
This is the shortest period in your hair cycle, and only about five percent of the hairs on your head are in the catagen phase at any given time.
Telogen Phase (Resting Phase)
An estimated 10 to 15 percent of your scalp hairs are in the telogen phase, which lasts an average of about 100 days. During this process, your hair undergoes little to no change and begins to shed. Once your hair begins to shed, the follicle won’t start growing hair again until after the final phase is completed.
Exogen Phase (Shedding Phase)
Finally, our hair journey ends at the exogen phase. This state is like an extension of the telogen cycle in which new hairs begin growing in the follicles as the old hairs fall out. This shedding period can last anywhere from 2-5 months. Out with the old, in with the new.
This phase gets some bonus assistance from washing and brushing your hair, so that’s why you’ll see hairs chilling on your tub floor after a thorough shampoo session. Shedding is a totally natural occurrence we all experience. Excessive shedding can be problematic and indicative of a larger issue, but losing the occasional eyelash, brow hair, or head hair isn’t something to worry about! Experts estimate on average, a person has 100,000 hairs on their head and over 5 million hairs across the entire body. So, don’t stress about losing some hair – you’ve got a lot to give.
Now that you’re a pro on all things related to the growth phases let’s debunk some hair myths we’ve been hearing all our lives and see where Babe fits into your hair growth journey.
Can You Make Your Hair Grow Faster?
You probably have seen advertisements that say certain supplements make hair grow faster, right? Unforch, our locks don’t quite work that way.
What actually happens with most “growth” treatments is that a combination of ingredients stimulates the follicles and helps the anagen phase last longer than it usually would. So, for example, instead of your eyelashes having a 30-45-day growth period, it might have something more like a 2-3 month anagen phase, allowing them to continue to grow for a longer period of time before entering the next phase.
This is how Babe serums can give your follicles an extra push to reach their full potential. The ingredients in our products, including peptides, biotin, and panthenol, help extend your anagen phase in as soon as four weeks. Then, once you’ve maxed out the potential of your lashes and brows with consistent use, you can dial down the application to 2-3 times a week to maintain this new period.
Also, while we’re on the topic: cutting your hair will not make it grow faster. Instead, cutting your hair just shortens the length of your locks—end of story.
What About If I Stop Using Babe?
Like we said earlier, Babe products really kick in and help the anagen phase. If you stop using a Babe product, you’ll find that your lashes/eyebrows eventually return to their original length during their natural exogen shedding cycle. Stopping your Babe treatment doesn’t make your hair fall out. Remember, if you want to keep up your results, continue applying the product 2-3 times per week.
Other Factors That Affect the Hair
Of course, the hair growth and shedding cycle isn’t the only thing that affects your hair length, fullness, and overall health, including:
- Damage
- Medication
- Genetics
What’s Your Damage
Hair damage happens, babe. Any time you put heat or dye on your hair, or if you brush your hair too aggressively, it takes a toll. We’re even subject to damage from external and environmental factors, such as smog, overheating in the sun, or chemicals in our shower water. Thankfully, we currently have better access to information about how to improve our hair game and better understand what is damaging our hair.
Did you fall victim to the over-plucked Y2K eyebrow trends? Tbh, who didn’t go a lil wild with their mom’s tweezers growing up. Unfortunately, plucking, pulling, dying, bleaching, and waxing can damage your follicles. If you do it enough, it reduces the capacity of your strands to move through the growth cycle fluidly. In some instances, it can actually cause premature hair fall-out, weakness, or even follicle death. RIP. 💔
The good news is there are ways to nourish and revitalize your hair from root to tip. While a lot of skincare philosophies begin with drying out your skin, we believe in adding hydrating ingredients, like sodium hyaluronate, whenever possible.
Another thing to consider with your lashes and brows is how you’re removing makeup at the end of a long day. Are you taking off your makeup the right way? Or be honest – are you sleeping in your makeup sometimes? If you aren’t putting as much care into how you take your makeup off, you could be undoing the hard work of your Lash and Brow Serum and causing follicle breakage, and no one wants that. Skip that drama – give your lashes the love they deserve and take your makeup off gently and thoroughly (Psst – not sure how? We made a makeup removal guide for you here.)
Medication & Your Hair
It should come as no surprise that all bodies react differently to medications. These reactions are why ads for medicine show off those extensive lists of potential side effects. Unfortunately, many important and necessary medications and treatments do affect the hair, and can cause hair loss.
Obviously, the most important thing is that you get the treatment you need to be healthy. But if you notice that your hair is breaking or falling out more than usual after incorporating a new medication into your routine, talk to your doctor*. They may have a solution!
*But remember – your health is the MOST IMPORTANT thing. Consult with your doctor before making any changes to your treatments.
It’s All in the Genes
Ultimately, no matter how hard we may try, genetics usually win out in the end. If your parent(s) experience baldness, you also might get some hair thinning. But it’s not just baldness that is inherited – you can inherit thicker or thinner hair.
Researchers have found that different ethnic groups have longer or shorter hair growth cycles. For example, most people have a hair growth (anagen) phase of 3-5 years, whereas people of Asian descent have growth cycles of 7 years or more, allowing their hair to grow longer than most.
So remember – even if you’re doing everything right, your hair will always look different from everyone else’s hair. And that’s a good thing – it’s beautiful!
You’re an original, and your hair journey is unique to you and your experiences. Own who you are. Trust that your personal brand of beauty is perfect as it is. And if your personal goals have you wanting a little hair boost, we’re always happy to help you become your own kind of original babe.
