Anyone on a hair growth journey knows how nerve-wracking growing your hair out can be, because it seemingly "takes forever".
You may be tempted to check your hair every day or two to see if it has somehow grown five inches from the last time you checked. Unfortunately, when you checked frequently, you may not even notice hair growth occurring.
However, some people swear they can even feel the new growth. Is this true? Can you feel your hair grow? In this article, we'll answer this question and much more.
Can You Feel Your Hair Grow?
You cannot feel hair growth. The idea that your body somehow gives off sensory signals indicating hair growth is a misconception. It is impossible to feel hair growth.
Hair grows during the anagen phase, which is the growth phase of each strand's life cycle. New cells form inside the hair follicle, under your skin, and push the strand up and out. That happens so slowly, less than half a millimeter a day, that it is impossible for you to feel growing hair strands.
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Your hair is already growing. The problem is keeping it.
On average, hair grows a third to half an inch a month, and curlier hair tends to grow more slowly. If your length looks stuck, that’s your hair breaking off as fast as it grows in. Here are the seven causes of breakage and the weekly routine that stops them.
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Sometimes, people take scalp itchiness and tingling to mean that their hair is growing.
Unfortunately, those scalp sensations have nothing to do with hair growth. The itching and tingling may indicate that your hair needs a wash or that you're suffering from an underlying scalp issue such as dandruff or scalp inflammation from hair care products.
If the itching doesn't go away after you wash, or it comes with flakes, a rash, or patches of hair loss, see a dermatologist to find out what's causing it.
Can You Feel Hair Growing on Your Face or Body?
No. Hair on your face and body grows the same way, from follicles under your skin, so you can't feel it there either. What you might feel after shaving is stubble. A razor cuts each hair straight across, and that blunt tip can feel prickly as it grows back.
Shaving can also cause razor bumps, which form when shaved hairs curve back into your skin. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests shaving in the direction your hair grows, or growing your hair out, to prevent them. Razor bumps are a reaction to shaving, not a sign of faster growth.
We've put together the table below to help you figure out what you're feeling.
What are you feeling instead?
These sensations are real. They just aren’t your hair growing.
| What you feel | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Itching a few days after wash day | Oil, sweat, or product buildup on your scalp | Wash your scalp and hair, then see if the itch eases. |
| Itching with white or yellow flakes | Dandruff | Use a dandruff shampoo. Keep oils on your hair strands and ends, not your scalp. |
| Burning or itching after a new product | A possible reaction to the product | Rinse it out and stop using it. If the burning continues or a rash appears, see a dermatologist. |
| Soreness or tingling under braids or a tight style | Tension pulling on your roots | Loosen your braids or style. If it hurts, it’s too tight. |
| A prickly feeling after shaving | Stubble with blunt, freshly cut tips | Nothing. That’s normal. |
| Itchy or painful bumps after shaving | Razor bumps | Shave in the direction your hair grows, or give your skin a break from shaving. |
| Ongoing itching, patches of hair loss, or a widening part | A scalp or hair-loss issue that needs a closer look | See a dermatologist to find out what’s causing it. |
None of these mean your hair is growing faster or slower. Growth happens too slowly to feel.
3 Real Signs of Hair Growth
If you believed the myth that you can feel hair growth, you might be disappointed.
But you don't have to be!
You may not be able to feel your hair growing, but there are other signs of hair growth to look out for. Here are three actual signs of hair growth:
1. Baby Hair Strands
Have you experienced hair loss in a certain area of your head? If you see baby hairs in that spot (or peach fuzz), that may be a sign that your hair is growing back. Watch to see whether the short hairs get longer and thicker. If your hair keeps thinning in patches or your part keeps getting wider, see a dermatologist to find out why.
Newly sprouted baby hairs (or hair regrowth) may be visible before thicker, longer hairs grow in their place. Note: This new "baby hair" can be delicate, so it's important to treat it with care.
2. Loosening Protective Styles
Ever wonder why your protective style loosens over time? It's hair growth! Consider a style like box braids - when you get them done, all of your existing hair is braided in with the braiding hair.
But as your hair grows, the new growth creates space between your scalp and the beginning of the braiding hair, giving way to that looseness we mentioned before.
So, if your braids or cornrows started to become loose after a few weeks, that's often an indication that your hair is growing.
Note: Loosening protective styles is not only an indication of hair growth. This loosening could also mean that your extension hair is slipping out. Click here to read more about how to use protective hairstyles to keep more of your length.
3. Increased Length
The most reliable way to tell if your hair is growing is by tracking its length over time. Your hair will usually grow about a third to half an inch a month. In one study, the average was about a third of an inch a month among African participants and closer to half an inch among Caucasian participants. Growth rates varied widely within the African group, so your own rate may be faster or slower.
To determine if your hair has grown, measure a few sections of hair every month or a few times a year and note whether there's been any change. Measure the same few sections each time to get accurate measurements.
If your length hasn't changed in months, that doesn't mean your hair stopped growing. In a study of 1,042 schoolchildren, researchers found that combed natural hair reached a steady length within about a year after a haircut. They said this suggests that breakage at the ends eventually caught up with new growth. That's why most of the tips below are about keeping your length.
6 Ways to Support Hair Growth and Keep Your Length
To support healthy hair growth and keep more of your length, you'll need to make targeted changes to your hair routine and habits in general. Here are six tried and tested ways to do just that.
1. Consume Foods with Hair-Healthy Nutrients
You may not have been aware, but your diet affects your hair. The food you eat breaks down into essential nutrients, some of which will reach the hair and scalp.
The hair needs nutrients like protein, biotin, and other vitamins to grow, and the best way to get them is from your diet.
It is vital to consume foods like fish, meat, eggs, leafy greens, and fruits because most contain proteins, fatty acids, iron, biotin, and vitamins D, E, and A. All of these help facilitate a healthy hair growth cycle.
Taking extra biotin hasn't been shown to improve hair growth in healthy people. In a review of the reported cases where biotin helped, every person had an underlying condition.
2. Do Regular Scalp Massages
Scalp massages may help your hair, too.
In one small study, nine men massaged one side of the scalp with a device for four minutes a day. After 24 weeks, hair on that side was a little thicker than when they started, but not significantly thicker than on the side they left alone. So treat massage as something relaxing to try, not a promise.
As a bonus, scalp massages are also super relaxing and easy.
Just use the tips of your fingers or a scalp massager to massage your entire scalp in a circular motion. The men in that study did it for about four minutes a day.
3. Moisturize Your Hair with Oil
Another great way to care for your hair is to incorporate hair oils into your regimen. Oils coat your hair strands, which can help protect them from breakage.
Oils like castor oil, amla oil, coconut oil, pumpkin seed oil, argan oil, rosemary oil, and lavender oil can add shine. But the evidence that they promote hair growth is limited. A review found no strong evidence that castor oil helps hair grow. The main rosemary oil study involved men with pattern hair loss, so it doesn't show that rosemary oil will make healthy hair grow faster.
You can reap the benefits by choosing an oil and applying it to your damp hair at least twice a week. If you're prone to dandruff, keep the oil on your hair strands and ends instead of your scalp.
4. Seal in the Moisture
Textured hair is naturally prone to dryness. This is unfortunate since extremely dry hair is the enemy of length retention, often leading to breakage and split ends.
Therefore, it is critical to ensure the hair is adequately moisturized.
That way, it'll have a fighting chance to beat dryness and grow healthily despite the odds. To keep your curls hydrated, you need some good moisturizing products in your hair stash.
An effective method of moisturizing textured hair involves using a spray leave-in conditioner, a moisturizing oil, and a sealing cream or hair butter.
Many curly, coily, and kinky-haired folks use all three products in a moisture-layering routine known as the LOC method.
It's a process where you first apply a liquid like water or leave-in conditioner to the hair and then follow up with an oil and then a cream to seal in all the hydration.
5. Protective Styling
Hair thrives when it's left alone. Under constant strain and manipulation, your hair will dry out and eventually break. This is why protective styling is so popular for keeping length.
When you put your hair in a protective style like braids, twists, or Bantu knots, your strands are tucked in and protected from the outside elements and manipulation.
This protection reduces the possibility of damage and allows you to retain more length. If you're not a fan of protective styles, low manipulation styles also help to maintain length. These styles include wash-n-gos, twist-outs, and buns.
Just keep any protective style loose. The American Academy of Dermatology says that if a style feels painful, it's too tight, and it recommends wearing braids for no longer than 6 to 8 weeks.
Here are a few of our favorite protective hairstyles:
- Bantu Knots How to Guide
- Janet Jackson Poetic Justice Braids
- How to Do Twist Braids
- How to Do Spring Twist
6. Incorporating Silk/Satin Bonnets into Your Nighttime Routine
By covering your hair with a silk or satin bonnet before going to bed, you can avoid excess breakage caused by your hair rubbing against your cotton sheets and pillowcases.
In the long term, this will lead to reduced breakage and increased length retention, so more of your new growth stays on your head. If you're not into bonnets, you can try a silk or satin scarf or pillowcase.
Related Articles
- If Your Hair Grows Fast What Does It Mean
- Does Uneven Hair Catch Up?
- How to Grow Your Natural Hair
- Why Does My Hair Grow Slowly?
As you can see, there are so many things you can do to encourage hair growth and protect your strands from hair loss. The main thing to remember is that while hair growth is gradual, it will happen if your hair is well cared for.
Still, you won't be able to feel the process happening. So, if you find yourself overanalyzing and attributing any sensation you feel on your scalp to hair growth, resist the urge to do so.
Instead, you can put your energy toward fine-tuning your hair care routine using the information we've presented in this article. Good luck!
