Why Does Hair Grow Faster in Some Areas Than Others? Understanding Uneven Hair Growth

Have you ever finished wash day, stretched out your hair and wondered why the back is so much longer than the front? You are in very good company. It is one of the questions I am asked most in my classes, and if you have wondered it too, please know that nothing is wrong with you or your hair.

Why does hair grow unevenly?

Hair grows unevenly because every follicle on your head follows its own growth cycle, and each area of your scalp faces different amounts of friction, tension and dryness. For Afro-textured hair, breakage and shrinkage usually explain more of the difference than growth speed does.

The hair growth cycle, explained simply

Each hair grows from a tiny pocket in your skin called a follicle. Every follicle moves through three stages.
1. Growing (anagen). The hair gets longer. This stage can last for years.
2. Changing (catagen). Growth slows and stops over a few weeks.
3. Resting (telogen). The hair rests for around three months, then sheds so a new one can grow in its place.

Your follicles are never all in the same stage at once. So even on the healthiest head, your strands will always be different lengths.

Why is some hair longer than other hair?

A few everyday things can make one area look longer or fuller than another.

• How much hair grows there. When researchers counted hairs on the scalps of African volunteers, they found the most hairs at the crown. That is often why it looks fullest.
• How many hairs are resting. A study of people from 24 ethnic groups found slightly more resting hairs near the temples.
• Your mix of textures. Many of us have tighter coils in one area and looser curls in another. Tighter coils shrink more, so they can look shorter even when they are not.
• Daily wear and tear. Your nape rubs against collars, scarves and pillows. Your edges get pulled by ponytails, wigs and braids.

Afro-textured hair follows the same cycle as every other hair type, with a few differences worth knowing.

One study found our hair grows about 8 mm a month on average, compared with about 12 mm for European hair. It also found more of our hairs resting at any one time.

But here is the part I love. In that study, growth speed was the same all over the scalp. So if your nape is shorter than your crown, your follicles are most likely doing their job. The difference comes from what happens to your hair after it grows.

Every coil in our strands is a place where the hair can snap. Lab tests show that the curlier the hair, the less force it takes to break it. The natural oil from our scalp also struggles to travel down a coiled strand, so our ends get dry and fragile.

That is why I always say that growing hair and keeping hair are two different things. For most of us, the goal is not faster growth. It is gentler care, so we keep what we grow.

1. Stretch a strand before you judge. Shrinkage hides more length than you think.
2. Detangle gently with an oil. Smooth a little of my Khalila Oil through your hair first.
3. Its lightweight blend of broccoli seed and green coffee bean oils gives your strands slip, so knots come apart with less breakage. Then work in small sections and start at the ends.
4. Keep your ends well conditioned. Your ends are the oldest part of your hair, so give them a great leave in conditioner like my Òdodo Leave In Conditioner. Then drop a little Khalila Oil on the ends to keep them well lubricated.
5. Go easy on your edges and nape. Loosen tight styles and sleep on satin or silk.
6. Take a photo every three months. Hair grows slowly, so photos show progress your eyes miss day to day.