This is the phase when your hair is actively growing with an average of half an inch per
month. The longer your hair stays in this phase, the longer it will grow.

What’s happening? Your follicles are working hard, producing new hair cells and pushing them out of the scalp. Around 85-90% of your hair is in this phase at any given time and this phase usually lasts around 3-5 years depending on age, gender and ethnicity.

The second stage of your hair cycle is the shortest phase, think of this as a reset period. Your hair stops growing, but it’s still attached to the follicle as it prepares to shed.

What’s happening? The follicle shrinks, cutting off the blood supply to the hair strand as it prepares for the next growth cycle. This phase affects around 5% of your hair at any given time and lasts approximately 2-3 weeks.

The third stage of the natural hair growth cycle is a resting period where strands remain in the follicles but are not actively growing.

What’s happening? The follicle rests before it begins to shed, around 10-15% of your hair is in this phase at any given time and it usually lasts around 3 months. Sudden changes like stress, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies and rapid weight loss can cause hair strands to enter the telogen phase prematurely which can lead to increased hair loss. This condition is known as telogen effluvium.

During the last phase, hair begins to shed as new strands begin to grow in the follicle, this causes on average 50-100 hair strands to shed a day during this phase.

What’s happening? Hair strands begin to shed as new follicle growth begins. This phase typically lasts around 2-5 months with on average 9% of hair being in this phase at any given time.

DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is a type of hormone derived from testosterone, it’s produced when the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone into DHT.

It’s naturally present in both men and women, but in different amounts and plays an important role in the
body, especially during development.

In males, DHT is crucial for male characteristics during fetal growth and triggers changes during puberty like facial and body hair growth and voice deepening. In females, it exists in much lower levels and helps regulate hormone balance and support sexual health.

However, DHT is also one of the key hormones involved in hair loss, particularly in a condition called androgenetic alopecia, also known as male-pattern or female pattern hair loss.

When too much testosterone is converted into DHT, it can begin to affect the hair follicles on the scalp, especially in people who are more sensitive to it. DHT binds to androgen receptors in the follicles and can trigger a process called follicular miniaturisation. This is where the follicles gradually shrink, particularly in areas like the temples, crown, and mid-scalp, which causes hair to grow back thinner, shorter, and weaker with each cycle. Over time, the follicles can become so small that they no longer produce visible hair. DHT also shortens the anagen (growth) phase, causing hair to fall out sooner, and increases the telogen (resting) phase, so more hairs remain in the shedding stage, leading to noticeable thinning. However, not everyone responds to DHT the same way and your genetics play a major role in how sensitive your hair follicles are to its effects.

Because of this, we have prioritised including trademarked ingredients within our scalp treatments that have shown to imitate testosterone so that less DHT is converted, as well as slow down the production of enzyme 5-alpha-reductase to also reduce the conversion of DHT. This helps to reduce thinning, hair loss etc. Together, this helps minimise hair thinning, reduce shedding, and support healthier, fuller-looking hair.

Your ECM is known as an extracellular matrix which acts as a supportive network that provides structure and stability to tissues, including the hair follicle. It’s made up of a complex mix of molecules that each play an important role.

Structural proteins like collagen, elastin, and fibronectin give strength and flexibility to the surrounding tissue. Proteoglycans act like multitaskers that help cells stick together, sending important signals, and carrying growth factors where they’re needed. Laminin plays a key role by helping cells attach securely to the ECM, keeping everything in place and functioning properly.

The ECM also surrounds and supports the cells in tissue, acting like a kind of scaffolding or structural framework that holds everything together. Beyond support, it plays a crucial role in maintaining vascularisation by helping to form and stabilise the blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicle. Without this steady supply, hair growth can slow down or weaken, making a healthy ECM essential for strong, thriving hair.

While everyone has an ECM, its composition and function can vary based on individual factors like age, genetics, and overall health. its quality and function decline with age or due to stress, inflammation, or hormonal factors (like DHT).

Changes in the ECM can contribute to hair loss. For example, the ECM may become damaged or altered due to aging, stress, nutritional deficiencies etc. which can affect hair growth and lead to thinning or loss of hair. At Hairburst, we use trademarked ingredients across our scalp