How Fast Does Hair Grow?

Live Science

The most oft-quoted average rate of human hair growth is 6 inches (15 centimeters) per year. However, the majority of studies measuring the rate of hair growth didn't take into account the race of study participants.

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00:00How fast does hair grow?

00:03If you get a bad haircut, it's reassuring to know that your hair will probably grow back soon.

00:08But how soon? How fast does hair grow?

00:11The off-coded statistic is that human hair grows 6 inches a year.

00:15However, when you take a person's racial background into account, you might see some differences.

00:21According to a 2005 study on more than 500 people, Asian hair grows the fastest, about 6 inches a year.

00:28Second is Caucasian hair, which grows a little more than 5 inches a year.

00:33Next, African hair grows about 4 inches a year.

00:36Also, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman.

00:40Hair growth rate is fairly similar for both males and females.

00:44There's also this nugget.

00:45Some experts think that hair grows more quickly in the summer because of dietary changes.

00:51That is, people are eating more fruits and vegetables.

00:54During the summer, people can also experience hormone changes and get increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

01:02But any seasonal increase in hair growth would be so marginal, it would be hard to notice.

01:08How fast does hair grow? Just another one of life's little mysteries.

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