Long lustrous hair has been considered a sign of femininity and sexual attractiveness for hundreds of years. Shorter hairstyles may go in and out of fashion but at some stage most women feel like growing their hair long, at least for a while. If you want longer locks then perhaps you are looking for ways to encourage natural hair growth . There are definitely things you can do to encourage hair growth but first it is necessary to understand how the process occurs.

The Three Phases

On average hair grows at a rate of about half an inch per month and about six inches per year. The rate of hair growth begins to slow down as a person gets older. There are about one hundred thousand hairs on a healthy scalp. We lose an average of about one hundred hairs per day. In most cases these lost hairs are replaced by new ones. Hair growth and loss is cyclical and there are three separate phases.

During the initial anagen stage hair growth begins in the follicle and the hair gradually becomes longer as new cells grow. This pushes older cells forward so that the newest hair is always near the base of the scalp. The anagen hair growth phase ends when the new cells cease to develop.

The catagen phase is when the cells of a hair stop dividing to form new ones. That means that the hair stops growing all together and it is only a matter of time before it drops out to make way for a new one. When a new hair begins to grow in the papilla and the old one finally drops out is described as the telegen phase.

Eat Right For Longer Hair

It stands to reason that the healthier you are then the faster your hair will grow and go through the three natural phases. That means that hair growth requires a healthy diet which has sufficient vitamins and essential nutrients.

Hair growth entails the use of protein that comes from foods such as soy, nuts, beans, meat, fish and dairy products to make new cells. Hair growth also requires vitamins such as E and C. If you want your hair to grow quickly you will need to make sure you get the right amount of niacin, inositol, and B complex vitamins. You can get these vitamins from fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.

The hair growth process is slower than it should be for many Americans because we make poor diet choices and do not consume enough of the aforementioned whole foods in order to get the proteins and vitamins we need. If you are concerned your diet is not encouraging hair growth you can either make healthier diet choices or begin a regimen of taking a daily complete multivitamin. Alternatively you could consider having hair extensions. However, extensions can damage the quality of the natural hair.