When should you get your hair cut?
We’re often asked how often you should get your hair cut and your stylist is responsible for giving you the advice to help keep your hair in the best condition and style it can be.
The growth and loss of hair may seem like a simple process, but the hair growth cycle is composed of four distinct phases. These stages of hair growth have been studied in great depth to better understand how hair grows and what might be done to prevent or treat premature hair loss.
The first three phases — anagen, catagen, and telogen — cover the growth and maturation of hair and the activity of the hair follicles that produce individual hairs. During the final, or exogen, phase, “old” hair sheds, though usually, a new hair is getting ready to take its place.
Each phase has its own timeline, which can be affected by age, nutrition, and overall health. That means there are steps you can take along the way to help ensure that your hair follows a healthy growth cycle.
- Anagen: Growing phase
The stages of hair growth begin with the anagen phase. It’s the longest phase, lasting about 3 to 5 years for the hairs on your head, though for some people a single hair could continue growing for 7 or more years.
Fortunately, the anagen phase differs with different types of hair. For example, the anagen phase for eyebrow hairs is much shorter than the phase for your scalp hairs.
During the anagen phase, your hair follicles are pushing out hairs that will continue to grow until they’re cut or until they reach the end of their lifespan and fall out. At any time, about 90% of the hairs on your head are in the anagen phase.
- Catagen: Transition phase
The catagen phase starts when the anagen phase ends and tends to last about 10 days or so. During this chapter, hair follicles shrink, and hair growth slows. The hair also separates from the bottom of the hair follicle yet remains in place during its final days of growing.
Only about 5 percent of the hairs on your head are in the catagen phase at any given time.
- Telogen: Resting phase
The telogen phase typically lasts around 3 months. An estimated 10 to 15 percent of your scalp hairs are in this phase.
Hairs don’t grow during the telogen phase, but they don’t usually fall out either. The telogen phase is also when new hairs start to form in follicles that have just released hairs during the catagen phase.
Some consider the telogen phase the shedding phase, as well, but many scientists have divided this stage into two parts: the telogen and exogen stages.
- Exogen: Shedding phase
The exogen phase is essentially an extension or a part of the telogen stage of hair growth. During the exogen phase, hair is shed from the scalp, often helped along by washing and brushing. Losing 50 to 100 hairs per day during the exogen phase is normal.
During the exogen phase, which can last about 2 to 5 months, new hairs are growing in the follicles as old hairs fall away.
Good nutrition
Because hair is largely made of protein, you should keep up your protein intake by focusing on healthy proteins. That includes:
lean meats
fish
beans
legumes
low-fat dairy products
A 2019 study also found that sufficient intake of the following nutrients was associated with healthy hair growth:
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Iron (especially in women)
Zinc, folic acid and vitamin b12 may also be associated with promoting healthy hair growth.
Proper hair care
Healthy hair care starts with choosing the rights shampoo. Ask your stylist for products designed for your type of hair, whether it’s oily, dry, fine, colour-treated, etc.
The right conditioner can also make a difference, but finding the right products may take some trial and error. Pay attention to how your hair responds to various shampoos and conditioners.
Being gentle with your hair is also important to promoting healthy growth. Avoid very hot water when you shampoo and towel-dry your hair gently when you’re done. Hair is more vulnerable to damage when it’s wet. Turning down the heat when drying your hair may also make a difference.
If you are finding that your hair is hard to style and manage on day-to-day basis then it is time to book in with your stylist, also if you find you have lots of tangles and visible split ends, its time for a trim, no amount of conditioning masks will help you now.
Split ends are when you can see 1 strand of hair having multiple ends or little white tips are at the end. If you don’t have the split ends taken off, you’ll find your hair breaking and getting visible shorter and uneven so it’s always best to get them taken off as soon as you see them, especially if you are wanting to grow your hair longer. Leaving it too long in between hair cuts is the most common mistake we see when clients are trying to grow their hair.
Depending on your hair length and needs will determine the advice your stylist will give you. On average your hair will grow 1cm each month. Obviously, some people will have faster growing hair and some slower. Also, we do go through growth cycles so if you find your hair has got long rather fast in between your appointments it might just be a growth cycle.
To guide you best on how often to visit your stylist this is a guide.
To maintain your style
♥ Cut short hair every 3 – 5 weeks
♥ Cut mid length hair every 5 -8 weeks
♥ Cut long hair every 8 – 10 weeks
To grow your hair longer
♥ Cut short hair every 6-8 weeks
♥ Cut mid length hair every 8-12 weeks
♥ Cut long hair every 12- 14 weeks