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If you've got shoulder length hair, it is more than likely that you are sporting 2 years of growth. On average, hair grows about 6 inches every year, depending on your overall diet and health.
Hair growth happens in three cycles. Four if you consider the shedding phase (known as Exogen). The cycles are as follows:
Anagen
Catagen
Telogen
The Anagen phase is the longest lasting phase of the three. This phase is where about 90% of your hair is at any moment, and lasts for about 3 years on average. However, it can range from a few months to a decade! The amount of time spent in the Anagen phase determines how long your hair will be.
The next stage, Catagen, is where the normal growth in the follicle stops and begins to degenerate.
The Telogen phase can last for upto 3 months in some people. This is also known as the "resting stage" in the process. The hair is being held in place only by a cluster of cells left over from the growth cycle, and can so easily get pulled out by a normal routine such as brushing or showering.
As mentioned earlier, Exogen is the shedding phase of the hair growth cycle. It is estimated that a human will lose, on average, anywhere from 30 to 150 strands a day in this phase. Once a strand of hair is rolled out, a chemical signal within the body will cause a new hair follicle to form around the previous, empty one.
Although this entire cycle repeats itself through the lifetime of an individual, there are various factors that may disturb the process and result in severe hair loss. These can range anywhere from certain medicines, hormones, chemicals, radiation and even genetics.
