The quick answer is up to 100 hairs per day can be normal if your hair is in it’s shedding phase (exogen phase) and your hair may have a shorter growing phase (anagen phase) than someone else which will determine your average hair length.
Hair Cycle Explained
At any given time each individual hair can be in a different phase of the Hair Cycle. Roughly 90% of hair should be in the Anagen/Growth Phase, 3-5% in the Catagen/Regression phase, 6-15% can be in the Telogen/Resting and/or Exogen/Shedding phases.
So what this means for you in terms of hair loss/fall (this does not include breakage) is that on any given day you could lose 25-100 hairs and this can appear worse if you have darker hair or long hair. Hair loss can be exacerbated by poor nutrition, health, genetics, hormones and stress. As we age we also have a shorter Anagen phase so hair loss will happen more regularly and hair will not grow as long as it used to.
Hair length is determined by the length of the Anagen phase as hair grows approximately 1cm per month. As an example, if your Anagen phase is 2 years your hair may only grow to 24cm whereas someone with an Anagen Phase of 7 years could grow their hair to 84cm. Many factors can affect this but to try and assist with hair growth you need gentle hair care, healthy proteins and key vitamins & minerals.
Healthy proteins ideal for hair come from;
- lean meats
- fish
- beans
- legumes
- low-fat dairy
Essential fatty acids such as Omega 3 and 6 (Alpha-Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid) are really important for hair and can be found in;
- vegetable oils
- nuts
- seeds
- fish
- leafy veg
- grass-fed animal fat
There are many vitamins and minerals that CAN/MAY assist in healthy hair growth such as;
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Iron
- Zinc
- Folic Acid
- Vitamin B12 (and possibly all B vitamins).
It may also be that Selenium and Collagen can assist however Selenium can work the opposite way if you have too much of it so taking these as supplements is advised with caution.
If you’re really concerned about hair loss/lack of growth it’s best to see specialists – GP, Dermatologist, Trichologist etc.
