You’ve probably heard from a friend or someone on social media that hair really grows faster in the summer, but it that true? Is it an observable fact, or are you being manipulated by groundless urban myths? Let’s take a closer look.
There’s something about the warmer weather that just makes everything blossom. Several women boast that they observe faster hair growth during the summer. However, there has not been any scientific proof to back up this claim, not until now.
It turns out the summer season has a good effect on the growth of your hair because of the longer periods of sun and higher temperatures.
The warmer weather enhances the supply of nutrients required for keratin production. And the production of this protein, which is necessary for hair growth, is increased, and your hair grows faster.
Even with this, some individuals still don’t notice tangible hair growth. So, what are the most important factors influencing hair growth?
Why Does Hair Grow Faster in Summer: Key Factors
If you desire to have a healthy, full head of hair, it may feel frustrating when you’re told some factors you have zero control over are why your hair isn’t as strong and healthy as it once was.
Fortunately, it turns out the health of your hair isn’t totally out of your control. Some natural ingredients and botanicals can help support your hair growth.
However, let’s discuss several factors that can influence how fast your hair grows. These include:
Genetics
An individual’s genes will tell how fast their hair will grow. Research indicates that genetics can influence your hair in a big way, playing a role in everything from hair length and density to texture and color.
Luckily, genetics don’t have the final say regarding your hair health. Clinical tests have shown that there are natural and botanical ingredients that can help.
Sex And Hormones
These are other factors that influence hair growth. Male hair grows quicker than female hair.
In terms of hormones, estrogen and progesterone can play a part in the thickness of your hair. Changes in these hormones can alter the quality of your hair not just during pregnancy but also in postpartum and menopause.
Nonetheless, if your progesterone and estrogen levels are unstable, stable, or elevated, it will influence how well your hair grows and lead to changes in its quality.
Age
Changes in hair may become more obvious with age. For male individuals, changes in the hair are more pronounced in their 30s and 40s, when hair loss and greying often happen.
For women, changes in hair usually happen at a few certain moments all through their life. During pregnancy, hair may look full and healthy; however, postpartum, hair may thin and fall out because of hormonal changes.
As people get older, some follicles stop working altogether, resulting in some people getting thinner hair or going bald.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is vital to growing and maintaining healthy hair. Ensure your diet is filled with all the nutrients and vitamins required for healthy hair.
Eat food rich in proteins and carbohydrates like avocado, salmon, wheat, green leafy vegetables, etc., and consume a daily dose of supplements that contain vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, biotin, and folic acid.
With that said, let’s go back to the question: Does hair grow faster in the summer?
Does Hair Grow Faster In The Summer: Myth or Fact?
The sun and heat do enhance hair growth. Human hair indeed grows faster during the summer by about 10% compared to hair growth during the colder weather. Following a study conducted by the National Institute of health, seasonal changes cause changes in hair growth.
You may still be wondering, why does hair grow faster in the summer? Some say it’s a result of increased humidity in the air, but maybe it’s because of increased blood circulation.
When the weather is warm, the body doesn’t need to work as hard to keep the internal organs warm. As opposed to the winter season, people experience cold hands and feet because blood pools around the torso to keep the essential organs warm and function optimally.
Blood flow is relatively more efficient during the summer season, making blood circulate easily into other areas of the body. Increased blood flow equals more blood getting to the scalp, and increased nutrients to the scalp mean slightly faster hair growth.
Let’s take a deeper look.
Hair Growth In Winter vs. Summer: Which Is Faster?
We’ve reviewed earlier the several factors that influence how quickly our hair grows like genetics, age, sex, and the rest.
However, there are also environmental factors that cause our hair growth to decline, like seasonal changes.
For instance, our hair grows faster in summer and slower during winter.
One reason for this is that our blood circulates more easily during the summer season, transporting nutrients more freely throughout the body and allowing your body to produce more keratin - the protein the hair is made of.
Another factor is that we normally get more vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) in the summertime.
The sun helps our hair grow faster due to our bodies converting UVB rays from the sun into vitamin D, which assists the body in regulating keratin production. Deficiency in vitamin D causes a misfire of this regulation, leading to hair loss.
In addition, our hair grows faster during the summer because we are likely to leave our heads uncovered more compared to the winter season, which produces less friction and breakage.
When we kit up to stay warm in colder weather, we tend to add hats, hoods, and scarves, which is good because we lose most of the heat through our heads.
However, these coverings produce more friction on the hair than we usually have during summer, resulting in increased hair loss because of the cold weather.
What Can I Do To Speed Up My Hair Growth? Goldie Locks Has The Solution!
At Goldie Locks, we understand that slow hair growth can be very frustrating. More reason we designed our hair-care products to enhance your healthiest hair and added shampoos, conditioners, and supplements to help your hair come out as thick and radiant as possible. You don’t have to wait for summer; you can enjoy healthy, fuller hair all year round!
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