Breakage is a big thing that can limit length. Growth rate depends on your unique hair growth cycle, but the average person's hair grows half an inch every month. That's about six inches of growth a year. However, if your hair is breaking off at the same rate that it's growing, you aren't going to see new length.
When hair breaks, the broken strands do not grow back, but the hair follicles themselves remain intact and can continue to produce new hair. As long as the underlying scalp health is good and the causes of breakage are addressed, new hair should grow in to replace the broken strands over time.
Because hair is not a living tissue with regenerative ability, it cannot heal and repair. You can use oils, conditioners, hydrolyzed proteins or other ingredients to disguise the issues temporarily but it's akin to using makeup on the face.
Hair breakage and thinning can commonly occur due to several factors, including frequent heat styling, harsh chemical treatments, and tight hairstyles that put stress on the hair. Additionally, environmental factors like pollution and sun damage can deplete moisture and weaken strands.
Looks like new hair, you can tell by looking at the ends of the hair. If the ends are blunt, split, or have little white dots at the end, it's breakage. If they are gently tapered off (like the ends of eyelashes) then it's new growth.
What does hair breakage look like? Knowing when your hair is damaged is a special skill in itself. The main symptoms are broken hairs in your brush or drain, split ends, fly-aways, extreme dryness, a loss of volume, and tangles or knots after washing.
In most cases, hair replenishes itself by growing back to maintain a full head. However, you may experience unusual hair breakage due to stress, illness, hormones, or aging. Simple observations and daily assessments can help to keep your hair healthy for as long as possible.
Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is essential for creating the cells that develop into hair follicles. It also supports healthy bones and your immune system. If you have hair loss and low vitamin D levels, your doctor may recommend vitamin D supplements.
Fine: thin and fragile with two layers – the cortex and the cuticle – becoming oily and greasy quickly, and breaking more easily than thicker hair. Medium: has more volume than fine hair, is less prone to breakage and holds styles better.
Newly growing hair is often finer and thinner than mature hair. It may appear wispy or delicate in texture. Initial growth can be short, with new strands only a few centimeters long. The length may not be immediately noticeable.
All experts agree on this: when hair is damaged, it must be cut off. “If the damage is so bad (you're bleaching too much or using too much heat), that's when it becomes a cut instead of a trim,” says Polko. “You're going to have to commit and then let your hair grow back out.”
So dead hair follicles can look like a smooth, bald patch of skin or like a scar. A trichologist may be able to get a better view of your follicles by using a microscope or other trichological tools.
If you damage your hair follicles after an injury, they can repair themselves and your hair will grow back.
Vitamin D affects the health of many parts of the body, including the skin and hair. Vitamin D plays a role in the creation of new hair follicles. Hair follicles are the tiny pores from which new hairs grow. New follicles may help hair maintain thickness and prevent existing hair from falling out prematurely.
This simple test measures the severity of hair loss. During a pull test, a dermatologist grasps small sections of hair, about 40 strands, from different parts of the scalp and gently tugs. If six or more strands fall out, you have what's known as active hair loss.
Breakage is one of the most common causes behind your hair not growing.
Causes of Damaged Hair
Here are some of the most common: Overwashing: Washing your hair too often can strip it of its natural oils, leading to dryness and damage. Over-processing: Using a lot of heat styling or chemical treatments, such as bleaching, can also damage your hair.
As we've noted, damaged hair repair isn't possible because the protein bonds and cuticles have been permanently altered. Instead, the focus should be on maintaining hair to prevent further damage. If your hair is severely damaged, the most extreme solution is to cut it off and start fresh.
Stylists say the easiest way to do this is by examining the ends. “Breakage often appears frayed or split at the end, while new growth tends to have a smooth, tapered tip,” says Ona Diaz-Santin, the owner of 5 Salon & Spa in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With some conditions, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.