The 4 Stages of Hair Growth: Cycles, Timeline & What Affects Them (2026)

This site is supported by our readers. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links.

Your scalp holds roughly 100,000 hair follicles, each operating on its own biological timeline. At any moment, 90 percent are busy growing while the remaining 10 to 15 percent rest or prepare to shed.

This asynchronous cycling prevents sudden baldness, but it also means you’re constantly losing 50 to 100 strands daily without realizing it. The stages of hair growth—anagen, catagen, telogen, and exogen—dictate how long each strand survives, how quickly it lengthens, and when it finally releases its grip on your follicle.

Understanding these phases gives you real control over what’s happening beneath your scalp and explains why some people grow waist-length hair while others plateau at shoulder length.

What Are The Stages of Hair Growth?

Your hair doesn’t grow continuously—it moves through a predictable cycle that determines when it grows, rests, and eventually falls out. Understanding these stages explains why you shed hair every day without going bald and why your hair only reaches a certain length before it stops.

Interestingly, an itchy scalp doesn’t necessarily mean your hair is growing—though many people assume it does.

Your hair grows, rests, and sheds in a predictable cycle that explains why daily hair loss doesn’t lead to baldness

Let’s break down the four distinct phases that every hair follicle on your scalp goes through.

Anagen (Active Growth Phase)

Your hair follicles are in overdrive during the anagen growth phase. This powerhouse stage lasts 2 to 7 years, with about 90 percent of your scalp hairs actively growing right now.

Cell division happens rapidly as matrix cells churn out keratin production, pushing your hair shaft up roughly half an inch each month. Anagen duration determines your maximum hair length.

For more on how nutritional deficiencies impact hair, check out detailed guidance from experts.

Catagen (Transition Phase)

After anagen winds down, your hair follicle biology shifts into the catagen phase, a brief two-to-three-week window where the hair matrix stops producing new cells. Cell apoptosis kicks in, dismantling the lower follicle while growth factor signaling triggers follicle regression.

Your hair shaft remains anchored but detached from its blood supply. This phase marks the critical handoff between active growth and rest in the hair growth cycle.

Understanding the catagen phase’s key role is essential for appreciating how hair renews and gets ready for its next growth cycle.

Telogen (Resting Phase)

Once catagen completes its work, your follicles enter telogen, the resting phase lasting three to four months.

About 10 to 15 percent of your scalp hairs pause here at any given time, attached by a club-shaped root that receives minimal nutrients. This dormancy isn’t failure—it’s your follicle’s strategic reset, preserving stem cells while preparing for the next growth cycle.

Exogen (Shedding Phase)

Exogen marks the final act of follicle renewal, the shedding phase where old hairs physically detach from your scalp. This isn’t telogen—it’s the proteolytic release that follows resting, dropping 50 to 100 hairs daily while new anagen strands push upward.

The exogen process overlaps with active growth in neighboring follicles, maintaining your overall density as the hair growth cycle perpetuates scalp health through constant renewal.

How Long Does Each Hair Growth Stage Last?

Your hair doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all timeline. Each growth phase runs on its own schedule, and understanding these durations helps you set realistic expectations for hair length and shedding patterns.

Let’s break down how long each stage actually lasts and why your individual cycle might differ.

Stress management plays a bigger role than most people realize—chronic cortisol levels can actually disrupt your beard’s growth phases and slow down how quickly follicles develop.

Anagen Phase Duration and Characteristics

Think of the anagen growth phase as your hair’s power window. This active phase usually lasts 2 to 7 years, with 80 to 90 percent of your scalp hairs in it right now.

During anagen, hair follicles kick into high gear—rapid cellular processes drive keratin production, growth factors fuel elongation, and your strands can extend about 1 centimeter every 28 days.

Catagen Phase Timeline

After anagen winds down, your follicles shift into the catagen phase—a brief intermediate stage lasting just 2 to 3 weeks.

During this catagen intermediate phase, hair follicle activity plummets: the bulb shrinks, blood vessels regress, and keratin production stops. Your hair shaft detaches from its nutrient supply but stays anchored temporarily.

Only a small fraction of hairs enter this growth cycle phase at once.

Telogen Phase Length

Once catagen ends, your follicles settle into the telogen phase—the resting stage lasting 2 to 4 months on your scalp.

During this telogen duration, about 10 to 15 percent of your hair pauses growth while club-shaped roots stay anchored. Follicle health remains active beneath the surface, preparing for reentry into growth cycles.

Eventually, new hairs push out the old, triggering hair shedding.

Why Hair Growth Cycles Vary

Your hair growth cycle isn’t set in stone. Genetic factors determine your baseline anagen phase length, while hormonal influence can shorten growth in specific scalp areas.

Age effects slow each hair cycle phase over time. Nutritional impact from deficiencies disrupts normal hair growth stages, and environmental triggers—like stress or illness—push more follicles into the telogen phase prematurely.

Factors That Influence Hair Growth Cycles

Your hair growth cycle doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Several biological and environmental factors can shift how long your follicles stay in each phase—and whether they complete the cycle at all.

Let’s break down the main forces that control your hair’s behavior.

Genetics and Hair Growth Patterns

Your DNA writes the playbook for hair growth patterns before you’re born. Genetic influence determines everything from hair texture and follicle size to growth rate and pigmentation patterns.

Some people inherit longer anagen phases, which means their hair can grow several inches longer than others. Hair loss genetics also control your sensitivity to androgens, affecting follicle health and whether you’ll experience thinning.

Your family tree holds clues to your hair growth cycle destiny.

Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles

Hormones run the show in terms of follicle sensitivity and hair growth cycle control. DHT shortens anagen phase duration by binding to androgen receptors, miniaturizing scalp follicles while promoting beard growth.

Estrogen role includes prolonging active growth and reducing DHT impact through local aromatase activity. Progesterone effects counter androgens by inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase conversion.

Cortisol from chronic stress disrupts hormonal regulation, pushing more follicles into resting phase and accelerating hair loss causes.

Nutrition and Hair Cycle Health

What you eat directly fuels follicle activity and cycle timing. Protein intake of 1 gram per kilogram body weight daily promotes keratin formation during anagen.

Iron and ferritin levels correlate with hair density, while omega-3s from fatty fish reduce scalp inflammation.

Vitamin balance—especially Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and B-complex—strengthens growth phases. Mineral deficiency in zinc or selenium disrupts cycling.

Hair supplements and dietary patterns emphasizing whole foods enhance nutrient absorption, delivering nutritional support for hair follicles when hormones alone fall short.

Stress Impact on Hair Phases

Chronic tension throws your hair growth cycle off balance. Elevated cortisol from ongoing stress shortens anagen and pushes follicles into telogen prematurely, triggering telogen effluvium—diffuse shedding you’ll notice two to three months later.

Stress hormones disrupt hair follicle stem cell signaling and reduce scalp blood flow. Stress management through sleep, relaxation practices, and balanced routines helps normalize cortisol effects and restore fuller density.

Common Disruptions to Hair Growth Stages

Your hair growth cycle doesn’t always follow the script. Several conditions can throw your follicles off track, pushing too many hairs into the wrong phase at the wrong time.

Here’s what can disrupt the natural rhythm and what each disruption means for your hair.

Telogen Effluvium and Excessive Shedding

Stress, illness, or dramatic life changes can push your hair follicles into overdrive, triggering telogen effluvium—a wave of excessive shedding that often catches you off guard 2 to 3 months after the initial trigger. During this disruption, a disproportionate number of follicles shift prematurely into the telogen phase, releasing resting hairs and temporarily compromising scalp health.

Common telogen effluvium triggers include:

1. Severe illness or high fever – Your body redirects resources away from non-essential functions like hair growth during recovery.
2. Major surgery with anesthesia – The physical stress disrupts normal follicle cycling, leading to diffuse hair loss weeks later.
3. Postpartum hormonal shifts – Pregnancy hormones keep hair in growth mode; delivery triggers synchronized shedding.
4. Crash diets or rapid weight loss – Nutritional deficits starve follicles, forcing premature shift into the resting phase.
5. Certain medications – Antidepressants, blood thinners, and beta-blockers can accelerate the shift from anagen to telogen.

You’ll notice diffuse thinning rather than bald patches. Hair shedding becomes obvious when brushing or washing, but there’s no scarring or inflammation. Most cases resolve within 6 to 12 months once you address the underlying cause, and hair regrowth usually restores your previous density as follicles resume their normal cycles.

Anagen Effluvium and Growth Interruption

Unlike telogen effluvium‘s delayed shedding, dystrophic effluvium strikes during the anagen phase—when toxic exposure directly damages your hair follicles.

Chemotherapy effects are the classic example: cytotoxic drugs attack rapidly dividing cells in the hair growth cycle, causing hair shafts to break at the bulb. You’ll experience anagen damage within days of exposure, leading to toxic hair loss that can range from patchy thinning to complete shedding, depending on the toxin dose.

Medical Conditions Affecting Hair Cycles

Your body’s hormonal orchestra can throw your hair growth cycle off-key. Several dermatological conditions disrupt normal follicle function and require targeted hair loss therapy.

1. Androgenetic alopecia shrinks follicles through genetic sensitivity to hormones, shortening your anagen phase progressively
2. Thyroid disorders accelerate telogen effluvium by altering metabolic rates that govern follicle activity
3. Scalp infections and follicle disorders damage the root structures, demanding prompt alopecia treatment

Nutritional Deficiencies and Hair Loss

Your scalp demands specific nutrients to maintain normal hair growth cycle function. Iron deficiency disrupts follicle activity and accelerates shedding, particularly when ferritin drops below 30 ng/mL.

Vitamin D role includes activating dormant follicles. Biotin benefits brittle strands, while zinc supplements support enzymatic processes.

Protein intake—46 to 56 grams daily—provides the building blocks your hair follicle health requires to resist nutritional deficiencies hair loss.

Supporting Healthy Hair Throughout Growth Stages

You can’t change your genetics, but you can absolutely influence how well your hair grows through each phase.

The right habits protect your follicles during active growth, minimize damage during the resting phase, and set the stage for strong regrowth. Here’s what actually has an impact in supporting your hair cycle from anagen through telogen.

Nutrition for Optimal Hair Growth

Your follicles depend on strategic meal planning and consistent micronutrients to fuel the anagen phase. Nutritional deficiencies in hair growth stimulation are preventable with these dietary patterns:

1. Include lean protein at every meal to maintain keratin production—aim for 46-56 grams daily.
2. Eat fatty fish twice weekly for omega-3s and vitamin D that support follicle cycling.
3. Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C to optimize absorption and oxygen delivery.
4. Snack on nuts, seeds, and eggs for biotin, zinc, and selenium.
5. Limit refined sugars that trigger inflammation and disrupt nutritional support for hair.

Hair supplements can’t replace whole-food nutrition for hair growth.

Scalp Care and Blood Circulation

You control more than you think in terms of follicle nourishment. Scalp massages for just 5 minutes daily increase blood flow and deliver nutrients directly to hair follicles. Use gentle fingertip pressure or try warm coconut oil to boost circulation and scalp health.

Regular cardio workouts also improve whole-body circulation, giving your scalp the oxygen-rich blood it needs for healthy hair follicle health.

Gentle Hair Care Practices

Your daily styling choices directly affect every phase of the hair growth cycle. Proper hair care protects follicles from unnecessary disruption and breakage.

1. Hair Washing Tips: Use sulfate-free shampoo with lukewarm water, massaging only your scalp for 60 seconds to preserve natural oils and follicle health.
2. Gentle Combing: Detangle with a wide-tooth comb starting at ends, working upward to prevent traction damage.
3. Daily Styling: Choose loose hairstyles with soft scrunchies to avoid pulling on hair follicles and interrupting growth phases.

Stress Management for Hair Health

Chronic stress floods your body with cortisol, extending the resting phase and pushing more strands toward shedding.

Daily 10 to 15 minute mindfulness sessions lower stress hormones within minutes, stabilizing your hair growth cycle.

Mindful hair care includes gentle scalp massage for 5 to 10 minutes to boost circulation, plus 4–7–8 breathwork to restore cortisol balance and support hair health.

When to Seek Professional Help

Self-care won’t fix every problem. If you notice hair shedding exceeding 100 strands daily, sudden patches with redness, or rapid thinning over weeks, book a dermatologist visit for medical evaluation.

Hair loss signs like scalp sores, severe pain, or accompanying fever demand emergency care. A hair specialist can diagnose disruptions in your hair growth cycle and recommend targeted hair loss prevention or hair regeneration therapies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)