(A quick 4 min. read)
You and your bestie did the big chop together! Go #teamnatural! Similar routines, same products, even similar hair textures but now she's at bra strap length and you're still stuck at shoulder...what gives ?!?! Genetics most likely...
We've seen how hair grows and how the key to hair growth lies in the blood: blood quality and quantity/circulation! (Catch up on that here!) Now, let's add DNA to the mix.
Your DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the code, inherited from your parents and unique to you, that tells your body how it should be built. It's like a manual carried in your cells, that stores the instructions as to how things should grow and be formed. Your hair is no exception: the colour, texture, curl pattern, density, et cetera are all influenced by your DNA. Included in that is how long your hair can grow.
There are three main phases that your hair goes through as it grows, the: Anagen, Catagen and Telogen phases.
- The Anagen phase is the actual growth phase; stem cells in your hair follicles are being produced, getting keratinized and pushing up as hair strands. The maximum rate recorded is 1/2 inch per month!
- The Catagen phase is when the hair strand disconnects from the capillaries that feed it in the follicle and it stops growing.
- The Telogen phase occurs when the hair shaft is finally shed, the follicle can rest and get ready to start the Anagen phase all over again.
These phases are happening continuously and simultaneously! On average 90% of your hair is in Anagen, 1% is in Catagen and 9% is in Telogen at any one point in time.
The length and rate of the Anagen phase is determined by genetics.
DNA sets the maximum limits of:
1) How long the Anagen phase lasts - ranging anywhere from 2 to 8 or even 10 years!
2) How quickly it grows - for example a 1/2, 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch per month!
Think about it! If your bestie has an Anagen phase of 4 years at 1/2 inch per month, she will have hair about 24 inches long. If your phase is 2 years long, even at the same rate, you'll have a maximum length of just 12 inches! The room for variation is almost endless, but scientific. BOTH of you have healthy, beautiful hair...just different genetics.
Still skeptical? Think about your eyelashes, how long have they ever grown? Why aren't they 100 inches long even though you've never trimmed them? What about the hair on your forearm or legs, even if you never shaved or waxed, you will never have hair there long enough to braid (hopefully). Why? Because they have short Anagen phases and naturally fall out at the end of it, then another strand takes their place. Phases also explain why hair shedding is a normal and expected phenomena.
If you don't style your hair daily it can seem like ALOT of hair loss when you finally do-think about what happens after a month in braids! But it's really just the culmination of all the normal daily shedding. Only worry if it isn't growing back!
Of course in reality, we can all probably improve our Anagen phases! Gentler styling techniques, healthier diets, exercise, more masks, scalp massages or less processing...but there is always going to be the uncontrollable genetic factor that lays the foundation of just how much we can accomplish length wise.
Did you know?
Holding on to that length is the other half of the long hair equation and that is a whole other ball game!
Stay tuned…
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(A quick 4 min. read)
The number one hair question we get...how do I get my hair to grow?! Faster, thicker, longer?!?
What if we told you that growth is super simple and there is only ONE real secret to hair growth?
Only one…
First things first, how does hair actually grow? As mentioned in our last post (Need a quick refresh? Click here!) the real hair drama happens at the root-the follicle. Each follicle is connected at its base to blood capillaries that provide the oxygen, hormones, minerals and vitamins critical to cell growth. As these cells - fed and triggered by the blood supply - divide and multiply they:
Yes, the ONLY living part of your hair is at the root! THAT’S where growth happens-fueled by the blood capillaries.
Anything that affects the blood supply/circulation to your follicles or the health and composition of your blood will affect your growth.
That includes:
Did you know?
Your hair can show the history of stressful events, medication or drug use, etc. that happened over the last 3 months!
So ANY product that genuinely works on growth has to directly or indirectly affect those two things: blood circulation or blood composition. No two ways around it.
Did you know?
Living hair cells divide/grow faster than any other cell in the body, about every 23 to 72 hours.
But hair that grows does not necessarily mean hair that’s long … length & length retention are a whole other hair game. Stay tuned…
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Psst...know someone who needs to know the secret to hair growth?
Be a doll & share Hair 101 with them!
Here are the facts to make your hairCARE journey so much easier. We're starting at the literal hair root-the follicle!
]]>(A quick 4 min. read)
One of the joys of being a mammal is that we get to be cute and furry! Well...technically.
Our hair serves mainly to:
We actually grow three types of hair in our lifetime-lanugo, vellus and terminal hair. The type that gets the most attention is Terminal Hair - scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits and the like.
Each strand has two main zones:
Did you know…
By week 22 of pregnancy, all our follicles are already formed? Approximately 100,000! We don’t generate any additional ones as we grow, so if you find your hair isn’t as ‘thick’ as it was when you were younger…that’s normal! You have the same amount of follicles, but now- as we say in Trinidad
‘yuh head big’.
It’s also why you should take care of the ones you have.
Even though we care about the shaft the most, all the drama happens below the surface at the root!
The follicle is a marvel, made up of many different parts, including:
Using products with little, preferably no mineral oils & silicones; shampooing less (e.g. you can remove sweat & some buildup with warm water & conditioner vs. shampoo) as well as using oils like jojoba, which help regulate sebum production, are good options.
Source: lumenlearning.com
The only living, growing part of the hair is at the very base of the follicle , connected to the papilla. So what’s the secret to hair growth?
Stay tuned…
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