MTStock Studio / Getty Images
On average, the hair on your head grows about 6 inches a year.
That doesn’t vary much from person to person, and people shed and regrow hair throughout their lives.
Several factors affect how long hair grows and can remain on your head until it is shed.
MTStock Studio / Getty Images
There are some ways to extend the time hair is retained so it can continue growing.
How Fast Does Hair Grow?
In a single day, a strand of hair grows about 0.35 millimeters.
That adds up to about one-half inch a month.
In a year, your hair grows about 6 inches.
The Hair Growth Cycle
Each hair follicle cycles through different phases of growth and shedding.
The hair growth cycle has four phases, including:
What Can Affect the Hair Growth Rate?
You do not have control over how fast an individual hair grows.
Thatallows your hair to continue to grow, but you cannot speed up hair growth.
The shorter the pause, the more hair you are growing at a given time.
They can evaluate the cause of hair loss and help determine proper treatment.
This does not apply to hair loss due to genetics.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Hair usually thins with age.
StatPearls Publishing.Anatomy, hair.
StatPearls Publishing.Physiology, hair.
Wall D, Meah N, Fagan N, York K, Sinclair R.Advances in hair growth.Fac Rev.
2022;11:1. doi:10.12703/r/11-1
Penn Health.Hair loss (alopecia).
American Academy of Dermatology.Hair loss: diagnosis and treatment.
2016;16:e8.
2017;13(2):e1006594.
2023;14(7):1326. doi:10.3390/genes14071326
Penn Medicine.Hair loss (alopecia).
