Hope this is not a dumb question, but..........

[NAKISH66]

If your hair sheds 50-100 strands a day when the new hair grows in of course it's going to be really short, so my question is, How do you not mistake new hair growing in from what you might think is breakage? I hope this makes sense . My hair sheds and it doesn't worry me because it has the bulb on the end, but I have places in my hair that has these short, or medium pieces. Could it be new hair that's growing back, and not breakage? Thanks!

 

[Nonie]

I actually think it's a very good question. I don't know the answer, but I'd imagine that if your hair is breaking, there'd be a lot of short pieces all in one area. If it's new hair, I imagine these would be spread out and mixed in well with your other hair so that you'd have to be looking for a needle in a haystack to spot them.

So I wouldn't worry if I saw just one lone short hair, and was happy with the health of my hair. But if there were several hairs in the same area making it look like I cut my hair, then that'd raise an alarm for me.

 

[ravenmerlita]

I can usually tell by the shape/condition of the end. My short hairs that are new growth tend to have a uniform, smooth tapered end. The broken ones usually have a white dot at the end, or a little knot, or they look unraveled or a different color. The broken ends also feel rough when I run my fingers down the hair strand.

Also, usually I have a lot of broken hairs together. Like Nonie said the new hairs are more spread out.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

Its not a dumb question. You'll know a broken hair because the end of the strand will look very thin and more of a brown or blonde color.

 

[tenjoy]

The Hair Growth Cycle

Hair follicles grow in repeated cycles. One cycle can be broken down into three phases.

1. Anagen - Growth Phase
2. Catagen - Transitional phase
3. Telogen - Resting Phase

Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.
Anagen Phase - Growth Phase

Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.
Catagen Phase - transitional phase

At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.
Telogen Phase - resting phase

The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below. Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time.
At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again.

 

[Leslie_C]

The Hair Growth Cycle

Hair follicles grow in repeated cycles. One cycle can be broken down into three phases.

1. Anagen - Growth Phase
2. Catagen - Transitional phase
3. Telogen - Resting Phase

Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.
Anagen Phase - Growth Phase

Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.
Catagen Phase - transitional phase

At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.
Telogen Phase - resting phase

The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below. Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time.
At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again.

great info...I remember people saying that there are some supplements or growth aids that are supposed to lengthen the growth cycle...do u know what they are?

 

[tenjoy]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HAIR FACTS[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The phases of the hair growth cycle[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is easy to remember the lengths of the different phases of
the growth cycle. Very roughly speaking:
anagen 1000 days (or more)
catagen 10 days
telogen 100 days[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The hair growth cycle, showing the changes from the growing of a new hair (anagen) to its shedding (telogen): notice how in anagen the hair bulb lies deep inside the scalp and then rises towards the surface before the hair is shed, then moves down again as the new hair grows[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[tenjoy]

great info...I remember people saying that there are some supplements or growth aids that are supposed to lengthen the growth cycle...do u know what they are?

This is what I found.


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HAIR FACTS[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Follicle activity[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In everyday life, nothing interrupts the activity of the hair follicle. Nothing that is put on the scalp or hair can interfere with the growth of the hairs. Only severe burns or scars can affect the hair follicle.
Certain drugs that are given for cancer treatment can prevent hairs from growing. (This is discussed later in this chapter.) Almost always, however, the interruption is only temporary and hairs begin to grow again when the medication is stopped.[/FONT]

 

[*Muffin*]

Proper hair shedding should have a follicle attatched to one of the ends (signifying it was the end of that follicles growth cycle and that it's time for another follicle to form) Broken hairs usually have no follicles attatched to the ends and are sometimes much shorter in length than the actual hairs on your head. I believe that some breakage is unavoidable, but as long as a majority of the hairs you shed are not breakage, everyone should be all right.

 

[Leslie_C]

This is what I found.


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HAIR FACTS[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Follicle activity[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In everyday life, nothing interrupts the activity of the hair follicle. Nothing that is put on the scalp or hair can interfere with the growth of the hairs. Only severe burns or scars can affect the hair follicle.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Certain drugs that are given for cancer treatment can prevent hairs from growing. (This is discussed later in this chapter.) Almost always, however, the interruption is only temporary and hairs begin to grow again when the medication is stopped.[/FONT]

that is interesting, because if that is the case then how do all these topical growth aids out there seem to produce such great results? (MTG, MN, oils with rosemary/peppermint to stimulate growth, etc). Even stuff that is put out on the market like nioxin,etc is supposed to stimulate growth and its all topical.

 

[NAKISH66]

Thanks for all of the answers ladies! If somebody finds out about the topical growth aids I would love to know that as well. There are so many products out there that claim to make hair grow even in the resting phase. I wonder if it's scientifically impossible.

 

[tenjoy]

that is interesting, because if that is the case then how do all these topical growth aids out there seem to produce such great results? (MTG, MN, oils with rosemary/peppermint to stimulate growth, etc). Even stuff that is put out on the market like nioxin,etc is supposed to stimulate growth and its all topical.

I can't say, as i have never used topical growing agents. But the article say "interrupts" which I guess means nothing topical agent can stop hair from growing? But i dont personaly believe in the topical stuff, to me its probably all the scalp massaging in the process of applying. I have no clue though.