Is There a Limit to How Long my Hair will Grow?
Hair can be considered in two separate sections, the root and the shaft. The hair root is located inside of the follicle and exists below the portion of the skin while the shaft is the portion of hair that extends out from the skin. The root of the hair receives nutrients from the blood through the dermal papilla. The nutrients that are supplied to the root of the hair through the dermal papilla, combined with oil from the sebaceous gland, can contribute to hair’s strength. This strength of the hair shaft can contribute to how long it grows before it breaks. Also, keeping it from drying out can prevent it from breaking. As such, a dry environment or treating hair with a lot of chemicals can limit its length.
The hair that grows out of the hair follicle can be course or fine. Coarse hair is thicker because it has a thick central core of cells (called the medulla) that make it stronger and less likely to break due to environmental factors. This is a genetic trait and blonde or fine hair often lacks this dense core. It is thus easier for someone with thick (likely dark) hair to grow it very long. Although the average rate of hair growth is apparently half an inch per month, the rate at which hair grows is also genetically determined.
Hair also sheds, naturally. The normal cycle of a hair follicle lasts from 2-8 years. The first phase, also called anagen, is when the hair shaft grows out of the root. The second phase in the cycle is called catagen and is the period during which the hair follicle shrinks and the root detaches from the blood supply. Catagen lasts for a couple of weeks. The final phase, telogen, is when the hair does not grow, but is still attached. This phase lasts for several weeks. After telogen, the hair follicle moves back into anagen and begins to grow a new hair. It is the pushing out of the old hair that leads to shedding. A normal rate of shedding is 50-100 hairs a day. It is thus the length of this cycle that partially determines how long a hair can get. If one has inherited a shorter hair growth cycle of 2 years, and hair grows at an saverage of half an inch a month, the longest it could grow if it were strong is 12 inches. However, if someone had a very long hair growth cycle of 8 years and their hair were strong, it could grow 4 feet or more!
Super-long hair thus occurs only when there is a combination of several factors: a decent rate of growth, coarse hair, a non-drying environment, a long hair follicle shedding cycle, and, of course, the choice to not visit a barber.
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Hope you are doing great in everything in 2009. More importantly, wish you a wonderful and happy life.
Love.
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There’s a lot of product you can find online. It’s not a big deal.
This topic is quite trendy on the Internet at the moment. What do you pay attention to while choosing what to write about?
Thanks a lot for your post! I found it to be very enlightening and truthful. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to judge my hair growth pattern genetically. I am of mixed origin (Irish, Cherokee, Semoan, African American and Jewish). There is a huge variety of hair growth patterns on both sides of my family i.e. some relatives have very, very, very, very long hair while others have either long, medium or short hair. All of us have the same genes. Both my parents have long, thick and shiny hair, yet out of 7 children 2 of us have very, very long hair, 3 of us have medium length hair and 2 of us have very short hair although it does grow very rapidly. I’m currently trying to grow my hair very, very, very, very long. It’s been a battle since childhood, but I’m not giving up. In fact, I’ve joined some hair growing challenges on some of the boards and also at work. Any ideas or suggestions on quick, healthy hair growth would be most appreciated. Note: I’ve already heard about the norm aka drink plenty of water, eat right, etc. I’m looking for something unique. I’m sure there is something out there that I haven’t yet discovered. Thanks in advance/sorry for the long note.
Hey love this article.. “Super-long hair thus occurs only when there is a combination of several factors: a decent rate of growth” its important to eat well… this is a big factor
Can you help me with my hair.
Over the last 2 years I’ve noticed coarse hair throughout my head. My hair is naturally curly and these hairs won’t curl or even straighten well.
I’ve spent hours on line trying to find the answer, 6 months with a Trichologist and lots of conditioning treatments.I’m very careful not to use my hair dryer and straighteners all the time.
When looking at a strand of coarse hair it’s appears thicker and thinner in some places which gives the coarse feel when I run my fingers down it. It is also quick strong and seems to affect the thickest hairs on my head. I notice the hairs more at the front of my head and on my crown.
Is this just something that is happening with age? I’m now 30.
Hope someone can help.
Thanks
Sam
Hi Heartburn Home Remedy,
I tend to sift through things on the internet, but also try to validate them with some more scientific resources such as journal articles on PubMed. I also mentally cross-reference articles with one another and with my experiences. However, I do not have a specific process outlined! When using the internet as a resource, try to find an actual source for the information being presented. This offers it some validity.
Ycomment,
If your hair is growing faster than it is breaking off, then you have a chance. Since you have examined ways to make it grow faster, I would suggest some strategies to keep it from breaking off. Use gentle clips instead of rubber bands and keep the hair well-moisturized and strong. There are some natural products with jojoba and aloe that are nice. It is very hard to get the natural oils from your head all the way down long strands, so it will be necessary for you to prevent the hair from drying out, especially near the ends.
everyone in our family have some very active oily skin. our secaceous glands are so damn active.`”
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