Many women spend hundreds of dollars a year on expensive salon treatments and commercially prepared hair growth treatments in an attempt to get their hair to grow faster. However, your hair is genetically programmed to grow at a set rate of about six inches a year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
The Hair Growth Cycle
Your hair grows in a cycle of an active growing phase, a resting phase and a shedding phase, resulting in an average growth of 1/2 inch every month. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, this rate slows slightly as you age. The active growing phase lasts between two and three years until your hair stops growing and enters the resting phase, which lasts two to three months. At the end of the resting phase, a new hair starts to grow in the hair follicle, pushing out the hair that was resting.
Factors Influencing Hair Growth
Certain factors that influence hair growth are under your control, such as nutrition, hair care and stress. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, women are at a particular risk of hair loss from stress whether due to childbirth, a stressful life event, illness or surgery. Other factors that influence normal hair growth include genetics, dieting, severe infections, an overactive or underactive thyroid and certain medications, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
Normal Hair Loss
A certain amount of hair loss is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. In fact, you lose 50 to 100 hairs every day just because of the growth cycle, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. You may notice these hairs in your brush or in the shower drain after you wash your hair. It's normal and no cause for alarm.
Unusual Hair Loss
If you notice unusual amounts of hair being shed, consult your doctor. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, excessive hair loss can result from numerous factors. This includes nutritional deficiencies or chemical treatments. It can also be a result of androgenetic alopecia, a genetic condition that can cause thinning hair in women. Other hair loss disorders include alopecia areata, which usually results in hair loss in patches on the scalp; or telogen effluvium, a disorder in which your hair remains in the resting phase longer than it should. This results in abnormal hair loss once the growing cycle begins again.
Considerations
Maintaining a proper hair care routine, getting enough hair nutrients such as B-vitamins and iron, practicing stress management, taking a daily multivitamin and making sure you get enough rest can all have a beneficial impact on hair growth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Avoid excessive chemical processing and be gentle with your hair, especially if it's brittle, damaged or thinning.
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