Updated on April 25, 2025 | 10 min read
Understanding your hair’s growth cycle can help you grow and maintain longer, stronger strands. The four stages of hair growth: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), telogen (resting) and exogen (shedding) are different phases requiring their own attention and hair care. If you’re ready for your longest, strongest head of hair yet, you’re in the right place. Because we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the hair growth cycle- including tips for healthy hair and the best products for each phase in the cycle.
In this Article:
This article explores the science behind the hair growth cycle, providing a clear understanding of each stage and its impact on hair health. We Provide a guide through the phases of hair growth and offer tips on maintaining a healthy scalp and hair care routine tailored to each stage.
Jaclyn LaBadia,
Davines Writer
Understanding each stage of the hair growth cycle and its impact on your hair’s health will help you build the best hair care routine for your strands. The science behind the hair growth cycle goes like this. Your hair grows in four different stages. Strands start out in the first one, known as the anagen phase, where they spend three to five years growing. Then they move into a transitional stage for about ten days, called the catagen phase. The next stage your strands go through is the telogen phase, going dormant for up to four months.
The last stage of the hair growth cycle is the exogen phase, when strands are finally shed from the follicle, before starting in anagen all over again.
Hair grows in four distinct stages. The first three phases- anagen, catagen, and telogen- are the actual growing period of the strands. The last, or exogen phase is when the old strand finally sheds from the follicle. Each phase has its own timeline, affected by age, nutrition, and overall health. Let's take a deeper dive into each phase of the hair growth cycle below.
Your hair starts off in the anagen phase, where cells are rapidly dividing for active growth. During this phase, your hair grows around half an inch a month, or about 6 inches a year. Anagen lasts an average of 3-5 years.
After anagen, your hair enters a short transitional phase called catagen. During this stage hair follicles shrink and detach from their blood supply. The catagen phase signals the end of active hair growth and lasts around 10 days.
The next phase in the hair growth cycle is telogen, also known as the resting stage. Here, strands remain in the follicle, but are no longer actively growing. This period of dormancy lasts from 3-4 months before shedding begins.
Next up is exogen, and if you’ve been wondering ‘what is the phase of the hair growth cycle in which the hair can shed?’ this is it. In this final stage, strands are released from their follicles and fall out, before the whole cycle begins again.
Remember that hair follicles are independent of each other and have their own growth cycles, so new hairs are introduced as the previous cycle sheds. A disruption in this cycle, however, can force more follicles than normal enter the telogen resting phase, causing noticeable hair loss or thinning. Hair loss shows up as one of the following disruptions-
androgenetic alopecia; a widening of the hair’s natural part strongly links to both genetics and hormones and is more common with age
alopecia areata; an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to sudden, round patches of hair loss
telogen effluvium; excessive hair shedding that temporarily occurs after a stressful event, hormonal imbalance or certain medications
traction alopecia; hair loss caused by prolonged tension from tight hairstyles that pull on the hair, leading to permanent follicle damage
Maintain your hair health during all phases of the hair growth cycle and handle disruptions by managing your stress, eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, using high quality products made from natural ingredients on your hair and scalp, limiting heat and harsh chemicals and avoiding tight hairstyles.
Whether you struggle with hair thinning, hair loss or limp lifeless strands our hair care will help your hair thrive, at whichever stage. We’ve rounded up the best products from Davines to support a healthy hair growth cycle. From anagen to catagen, telogen and exogen- these are our favorites for supporting your hair’s development through every phase.
Choose products that stimulate and moisturize the scalp in anagen like-
An exfoliating shampoo with gentle surfactants and scrub particles to gently, but deeply cleanse the scalp, while protecting it from free radicals.
Heart of Glass Rich Conditioner
An intensely nourishing and fortifying conditioner with our exclusive Biacidic bond complex and Baobab extract.
Choose gentle cleansers and leave-in treatments to maintain healthy strands in catagen like-
A mild shampoo that reinforces weak hair, prevents breakage, and reinvigorates the scalp to promote new growth.
Our best-selling multi-functional leave-in treatment milk that controls frizz, hydrates, protects, and softens, leaving hair shiny and silky.
Choose hydrating hair masks to help mitigate damage in telogen like-
A protein treatment mask that restructures and nourishes the hair shaft leaving the hair soft, shiny and full-bodied.
Choose soothing scalp treatments to help hairs shed the follicle in exogen like -
Relaxing scalp and hair mask. A true wellbeing experience: softness, hydration and comfort for hair and scalp needing a break.
A serum that improves the scalp tone, controls the production of oil, and reduces hair loss, improving density.
The full hair growth cycle of growing, resting, and shedding typically lasts between 2 to 7 years, depending on the individual. Hairs spend most of their time actively growing in anagen, which can take anywhere from 2 to 6 years. Each hair follicle goes through its own cycle over this timeframe meaning strands are constantly in different stages, all the time.
You know that anagen is the longest, so what stage is the shortest hair growth cycle? If you guess the transitional phase between active growth and resting, or the catagen phase, you’d be correct. The shortest stage of growth typically only lasts around 10 days.
The hair shedding phase, or exogen, is the final stage of the hair growth cycle. It’s during this phase, where hair strands are shed and released from the hair follicle. The entire shedding process can last anywhere from 2-5 months.
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