Did you know every strand of hair on your head has it's own life cycle. This life cycle helps us understand the components of hair loss and better care for our hair and scalp to reduce the risk of hair loss, thinning and receding hair lines.
It is easy to forget that by itself, a strand of hair is just a lifeless string of proteins. The follicle – located right at the scalp and inside the skin itself – is where all the action happens. All hair strands have a lifecycle consisting of three different stages.
One: The Growing Stage
This is called the Anagen Phase. Each individual head hair has its own lifespan of 2-7 years, and almost all of it is spent in the anagen phase, growing rapidly. At any given time, about 90% of the strands on your head are in this stage.
Two: Growth Finalisation
Eventually each hair will stop growing and enter the Catagen Phase. It cuts off its own circulation and dries up.
Three: Hair Shedding
This is known as the Telogen Phase; when the dried up follicles naturally fall out, and a new one starts growing in its place.
Every single hair goes through these stages, but the length of each phase varies a lot. Eyebrows, for example, only have an Anagen Phase of about 4 months and grow much more slowly, which is why they never get too long.
Clinical thinning or baldness occurs when something is interfering with these stages or with the hair strands.