hair type and hair growth rate

YuNg

New Member
Does coarse hair grow slower than fine or medium texture hair because it requires more stuff like protein and biotin? Because i notice that my girlfriends fingernails grow faster than mine and hers is way thinner. I figured since nails are made up about the same stuff as hair it would be similar.
 
I would have to say that it really depends on the person. I don't think that there is a direct correlation between GROWTH and hair type. However, if a hair type has a tendency to be drier, and with chemical processing, it breaks easier, than I think that can disguise what growth that person is getting.

I have an example...I have fine hair, and my boyfriend has coarse hair, but his hair grows WAY faster than mine. I always tell him if I had his hair and didn't cut it, it'd be down to my butt.
 
Also, I wanted to add that fingernail growth rate and hair growth rate don't match up either...there was a post where people reported that when they increased their biotin intake, their nails grew fast but they didn't notice the difference in their hair growth rate.
 
I've never thought about that. In my opinion I think it grows the same, but maybe in your friends family there hair/nails grows faster...
Taking extra protein/biotin should help..
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i think kinky/curlier hair types may have disguised growth. If you are 4a (like me) my hair grows in very tightly waved so my 1 inch will be compressed and appear to be 3/4 inch. BUT when strecthed out i see the full growth. So that may be one reason some hair types may appear to have slower growth.
 
You guys are so right. I have 4a/b hair and my hair grows extremely fast, but it has the tendency to break more which challenges the actual growth factor and it being visible.
 
YuNg, I think I know what you're talking about, because it has crossed my mind before. For example, if the diameter of my hair was twice the diameter of your hair then my hair would need twice the amount of nutrients to grow at the same rate. I think that is a very hard question to answer because from person to person there are too many different variables that affects the growth rate. People eat differenty, get different amounts of exercise and have a different number of hair strands on their head. So there is no way to really tell. Even if a person had a really course (thick) strand- say at the crown of the head- and a really fine (thin) strand- say at the hair lin- it would still be hard to tell because the hairs break off at a different rate.

I wouldn't give this too much thought because there are just too many other factors for this to matter and it's not like anyone could really alter the size of their strands LOL.
 
Natural nappy hair grows to the same lengths of relaxed hair. Natural hair tends to grow out then down also one must consider the srinkage factor when it comes to natural hair. Because of srinkage natural hair might appear shorter then it really is and it might take you a long time to see that bra strap length without manipulating your naps somewhat. But it grows just fine just like everyone elses.
 
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another. I believe if you was to do a survey people with type 3 hair would be longer then those with real type 4 hair. I am type 4 and my sister is type 3 I take care of my hair alot better then she does and her hair grows like weed. She has a more moisturized, oily type of hair structure where my hair dries out very fast. I have a friend who can keep a relaxer in for 6 months without a re touch her hair is down to her waist... I can only go for 1 1/2 without a re touch. Some hair textures require less maintenance this leads to more growth. I strongly believe that some people hair will not grow as long as another person's hair because of the different hair textures. I am very realistics with my hair goals so that I will not get all stressed and upset when it's not down to my waist.
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atlien said:
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another.

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Do you mean different hair types have a higher growth rate than others, retain more length than others, or both?

I always thought that growth rate was based on a number of factors but hair type (texture) wasn't one of them.

One of my asian friends cut her hair to her ears in September of last year. Her hair is now at her shoulders! I was shocked!
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But some people just get phenomenal hair growth whether they have 4B or 3A hair.

-Ebony
 
My hair grows at different rates depending on what I do to myself, in the summer I have more time to exercise and take vitamins, so my hair grows faster. Different sections of my hair grow at different rates also...I used to think it all grew an inch every month, but it's more like 1/2 an inch.
 
My hair and nails grow very slowly. My hair is fine textured and medium thickness. I don't think the faster/slower difference is based on texture or genetics, I think it's based on individual body chemistry.
 
different hair types do grow at different rates...i read somewhere that asian hair typically grows 6in/yr, Euro 5.5in/yr, and afro-textured hair something like 4-5in/yr
 
YuNg ~ Nice photo in your avatar.
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I think hair's growth rate is genetic and has nothing to do with its "coarseness." Here's why:

<ul type="square"> [*]"Coarse" has to do with the diameter, i.e., thickness, of an individual strand of hair - not whether the strand is tightly coiled, soft, hard, etc. Coarseness has nothing to do with softness/roughness. It's possible to have soft, coarse hair - or hard, fine hair. Coarseness and the degree of softness, as far as I know, do not affect how quickly one's hair grows out of one's scalp. I believe genetics, diet, and handling do.

[*]Coarseness does not dictate the ultimate length hair length, nor how many strands one has. For example, naturally-straight Asian hair is coarse but can grow very, very long - but all Asians don't share the exact same hair growth rate. One can have coarse, slow-growing hair that is pampered enough to reach, say, waist-length while someone else can have fine, fast-growing hair that breaks off quickly due to bad habits and never even reaches shoulder or nape length.
[*]In addition, it's possible to have many densely packed hair strands that are fine, which makes hair look thick, or coarse hair that's relatively sparse. The reverse is also true. Neither, I believe, impacts the growth rate or achievable length. As Adrienne's signature says, "It's not what you make, it's what you keep."


[*]Coarseness also has nothing to do with the degree of curl/coil/wave. Many black hair care experts describe tightly-coiled (Ben Wallace, Kobe Bryant) and curly (Rick Fox) hair as *fine* - meaning again, the diameter of the hair strand. The coil/curl affects the *appearance* of length - but it doesn't dictate the growth rate and it doesn't have to determine a person's ultimate hair length - as many inspiring LHCF pix show.


[*]In my humble opinion, genetics determines one's growth rate, how much hair one grows (sparse/thick), or whether one will grow any hair at all. Diet, handling (eg, chemical abuse, too tight braids, improper weaves, etc.) and physical health also directly hair growth rate. Retaining length is a related, but separate, issue.[/list]

Hope that made sense!
 
All hair types grow the same. It is just another stereotype that has been implanted in our minds so that we think our hair can't grow. Some people's hair grows faster and some grows slower but it has nothing to do what type of hair you have or race. I am black and my hair grow .5 inches a month. Also the blacks here in the US and on other parts of the world have a lot of different blood running through our veins so to say blacks only grow to this length doesn't quite fit.
 
Interesting topic, personally I think that some people's hair goes, faster some longer, and it is nothing to do with hair texture, however kinky/curlier hair tends to be much more drier and it breaks easy and you cannot see any length, because it is breaking as fast as it is growing. People with tightly coiled hair need to study the hair properly and plus we need to give ourselves time. There are a lot of black people who have not been ethnically exposed to other races and they have in fact very long hair. Our type of hair thrives better in warm, moist climates, however living in colder climate, does not mean that we cannot achieve long hair, if we cut down on the blowdrying, the tonging, if we choose to colour our hair or have it relaxed also, we need to moisturise our hair on a regular basis. Our type of hair needs moisture on a regular if not daily basis and avoid going to hairdressers, stylists who are just really interested in the holistic and care of the hair and do not really take time.
 
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katie said:
I've heard Asian hair grows at 0.75 inches a month.White at 0.5 inches and Blacks at 0.3 inches

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I have to personally disagree with these numbers
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...(NOT you katie) but those numbers because I get 3/4 or and 1in in a month and the reason I know this is 'cause I put color in my hair Feb 7th....and my the color/hair (type 4a hair) has already grown out more than an inch now...so that to me IMHO shouldn't be considered a standard

I agree with Nyam.... and that it depends on your personal makeup, how you eat and take care of yourself on the inside and what you do with your hair.....that makes a huge difference( what you do on the inside and outside)
 
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atlien said:
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another. I believe if you was to do a survey people with type 3 hair would be longer then those with real type 4 hair. I am type 4 and my sister is type 3 I take care of my hair alot better then she does and her hair grows like weed. She has a more moisturized, oily type of hair structure where my hair dries out very fast. I have a friend who can keep a relaxer in for 6 months without a re touch her hair is down to her waist... I can only go for 1 1/2 without a re touch. Some hair textures require less maintenance this leads to more growth. I strongly believe that some people hair will not grow as long as another person's hair because of the different hair textures. I am very realistics with my hair goals so that I will not get all stressed and upset when it's not down to my waist.
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What's a "real type 4"
 
I sometimes question real type 4. take my friend for example his hair looks like that picture of kelis when its in a afro. but when its in a pony tail it looks like a type 3 he has a really good curl definition. I also watched his hair and another friends hair who has really coarse hair. They both kept there braids in for about four weeks. My first friend with the curl pattern i mentioned had almost an inch of new growth where as my other friend hardly looked like he had any. That's what brought me to this question.
 
i think it's heredity and how you take care of it. i mean as long as youre not frying your hair and damaging it, it will grow. now heredity is where HOW much it will grow takes over i think. Like for myself, my mom told me that all the women on her dads side had hair almost to their butts. (they were 1's thru 3a's) i have 4a/b hair and it's always grown at a pretty steady rate. it's thick as long as i dont do anything crazy to it. i think this is the same for everyone though. just NOT doing anything crazy
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-- jainygirl
 
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ccd said:
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atlien said:
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another. I believe if you was to do a survey people with type 3 hair would be longer then those with real type 4 hair. I am type 4 and my sister is type 3 I take care of my hair alot better then she does and her hair grows like weed. She has a more moisturized, oily type of hair structure where my hair dries out very fast. I have a friend who can keep a relaxer in for 6 months without a re touch her hair is down to her waist... I can only go for 1 1/2 without a re touch. Some hair textures require less maintenance this leads to more growth. I strongly believe that some people hair will not grow as long as another person's hair because of the different hair textures. I am very realistics with my hair goals so that I will not get all stressed and upset when it's not down to my waist.
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What's a "real type 4"

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I'm still not clear on what "real..." means here, does this mean hair that is not processed in any way? someone please clarify??? TIA
 
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EbonyEyes said:
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atlien said:
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another.

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Do you mean different hair types have a higher growth rate than others, retain more length than others, or both?

I always thought that growth rate was based on a number of factors but hair type (texture) wasn't one of them.

One of my asian friends cut her hair to her ears in September of last year. Her hair is now at her shoulders! I was shocked!
shocked.gif
But some people just get phenomenal hair growth whether they have 4B or 3A hair.

-Ebony

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I just read in SELF magazine that Asian hair grows faster than caucasian hair and cauc. hair grows faster than black hair (on average). Source was Loreal Scientists.
 
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YuNg said:
Does coarse hair grow slower than fine or medium texture hair because it requires more stuff like protein and biotin? Because i notice that my girlfriends fingernails grow faster than mine and hers is way thinner. I figured since nails are made up about the same stuff as hair it would be similar.

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I think there are a lot of factors to consider with the rate of hair growth, not hair type. I've seen way too many exceptions to the rule when it comes to what hair type grows faster or longer.
Besides exercise, nutrition ahd proper haircare, I feel that our beliefs, intentions and expectations play an important role too. If we individually or as a race don't believe our hair can grow long or even faster, it probably won't. Some of us have fallen prey to the programming that black hair doesn't or can't grow long or quickly. Since coming to this board and seeing phenomenal hair progress from the ladies here (of all hair types), I see what black hair can do. My perceptions and beliefs about my own hair have really changed in a very positive way.
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I think this topic is interesting. The right side of my hair grows fastest, and though all of my head is 4a, that side grows the loosest coils. The left side is the slowest and most prone to breakage, and the coils on that side are super small and tight.
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I don't think it's necessarily the growth rate. Different hair types are dryer than others, thus more prone to breakage
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So different hair types may grow at the same rate but the dryer hair breaks faster, so the growth isn't seem. If that makes sense.
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True...but the newgrowth on the right always comes in faster than on the left when I stretch out coils from both sides.....
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I know, it's simply a coincidence.
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ccd said:
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atlien said:
Yung, I do believe that different hair types grow faster then another. I believe if you was to do a survey people with type 3 hair would be longer then those with real type 4 hair. I am type 4 and my sister is type 3 I take care of my hair alot better then she does and her hair grows like weed. She has a more moisturized, oily type of hair structure where my hair dries out very fast. I have a friend who can keep a relaxer in for 6 months without a re touch her hair is down to her waist... I can only go for 1 1/2 without a re touch. Some hair textures require less maintenance this leads to more growth. I strongly believe that some people hair will not grow as long as another person's hair because of the different hair textures. I am very realistics with my hair goals so that I will not get all stressed and upset when it's not down to my waist.
smile.gif
ohwell.gif
wink.gif


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What's a "real type 4"

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When I say real type 4 I mean people who have an extemely tightly packed curl pattern (kinky), not that loose curl pattern that forms a wave when stretched as Yung described in the difference of his two friends.
 
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