• Question: how does hair grow?

    Asked by jayjay to Jo, Mark, timcraggs on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Joanna Buckley

      Joanna Buckley answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Hiya jayjay 🙂

      When I was younger I had very long hair. At one point I remember being strangely proud that I could sit on it!

      Hair grows from the base of your scalp through your folicle. It has three phases of growth: the anagen, the telogen and the catagen. The anagen is the first phase with new hair growing in the hair bulb. The catagen is the next phase when hair stops growing because the cell division has stopped. The telogen is the last phase and the new hair starts growing and the old hair falls out.

      I’ve got some ace hair facts for you.

      Your hair grows differently at different times of the day. It’s slower in the day than at night and hair grows at 1.7 × 10−8 km/h. That is slow! That’s about 12 mm per month.

    • Photo: Tim Craggs

      Tim Craggs answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      I think it grows from the bit in your head, rather than from the ends! But it is produced by special cells at the follicle. They divide and push the shaft of the hair up through the skin.

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