Hair Growth Rates In Black People - The Undiluted Truth

Since I have been involved in hair care, I have been very interested in hair growth, particularly fast hair growth*(affiliate link) and judging by black women’s obsession with hair growth aids, so are many of you.

Of course I’m sure that the biggest reason we love hair growth aids is because we find it easier to believe that a product is actually responsible for hair growth rather than anything as boring as a regimen.

So we continue to be taken in by marketing ploys with actions terms like ‘super growth’ or ‘crazy growth’ to encourage us to purchase products pertaining to make our hair grow faster, thicker or longer.

When it comes to length retention, majority of black women’s problems are caused by inadequate hair care techniques that encourage breakage instead or encouraging length.

But why, even after we have adopted healthy hair techniques, do some of us continue to have slow growth and again have to turn to hair growth boosting products? Is it impatience or is there something to the slow growth argument?

Recently I had a discussion with a hair stylist of note about hair growth rate in general. She stated that healthy hair grows at a rate of ½ an inch per month and any less indicated hormonal problems in the individual. Naturally I vehemently disagreed with that statement and here I would like to show you why.

Lets Talk About Average Height

Yes, I would like to start off by talking about average height in humans, it may seem unrelated but stay with me… Average height has been a moving target since the beginning of recorded history.

In Auxology (the study’s height) you learn that height is a measure of the health of populations, where the average is measured in those who share a genetic background and environmental factors.

In essence, even though the quality of nutrition that you get will affect your height, other factors like genetics and environment also come into play in determining the height of an individual.

For example, the Nilotic people of Sudan are described as some of the tallest in the world which is an adaptation to their environment. However when these individuals go through warfare where malnutrition is rife, their offspring will suffer from stunted growth and be unable to grow as tall as their ancestors.

The pygmies of Central Africa on the other hand are unusually short with male height being below 4 feet 11 inches. While various theories have been proposed to explain their short stature, it appears that it is a combination of genetics and an adaptation to their environment that causes this phenomenon as there is not much evidence to suggest that malnutrition applies to them.

The point that I am trying to make is that even though height can be a measure of health across populations, it is probably best judged in people of a similar genetic background and environment in the absence of malnutrition.

As it relates to black hair growth

When it comes to hair growth in people of African descent, you may be surprised to learn that very little has actually been studied or published. The British Journal of Dermatology 2001; 145: 294±297. African hair growth parameters states in a study it conducted:

Hair growth parameters have been studied mostly in Caucasian hair, whereas few data on African hair have been reported in the literature.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the hair growth characteristic of individuals born in Africa. Here were the results:

Hair density varied from 90 to 290 hairs cm^-2, with higher counts on the vertex. No  significant   difference   between   men   and   women   was   recorded.   Telogen   percentage   showed   wide  variations, from 2 to 46%, with higher levels on the temporal area and in men. The rate of growth  fluctuated from 150 to 363 µ.m day^-1 with no difference related either to gender or to scalp region.  These data were compared with those previously obtained in Caucasian volunteers of comparable  age,   and   showed   significant   differences   between   the   two   ethnic   groups   in   all   three   parameters studied.   Hair   density   in   African   volunteers   was   lower   than   that   in   caucasians   (mean  ^ SD  190  ^ 40 and 227  ^ 55 hairs cm^-2, respectively). African hair grew at a much slower rate than  caucasian   hair   (mean  ^ SD   256  ^ 44   vs.   396  ^ 55 µ.m day^-1),   and  telogen   counts   were  frequently higher in African hair (mean  ^ SD 18  ^ 9% vs. 14  ^ 11%).

A quick explanation of this as it relates to hair growth only

If you are wondering, µ.m means micro millimetres. So in essence the original hair growth rate range of 150-363 micro millimeteres calculated over the 365 days in a year would equate to a range of 54,750-132,495 micro millimeters a year. In other words it is 2.1-5.2 inches of hair growth in a year. That would make the average growth of the group recorded to be at 3.65 inches of hair in a year.

They concluded that:

This study demonstrated significant differences between African and Caucasian hair  growth  parameters,  which   might   suggest  a   trend   towards  increased   hair  loss   in  Africans,   even  though it contrasts with a lower and slower incidence of the development of alopecia in Africans.

It’s also important to note that even though the individuals studied were born in Africa, they were actually living in Paris at the time of the study and were healthy and free of systemic or cutaneous disease. In this case malnutrition would have been unlikely to have been a major influence in the outcome.

Of course the rate of hair growth in 19 African individuals is unlikely to be considered the standard for all Africans or in fact, all people of African descent. More than anything, this study shows a glaring inadequacy in the range of data which is covered in the study of cosmetology today.

Hair growth rate notwithstanding, a lot of what is taught to cosmetologists is based largely on Caucasian hair which in and of itself could be a problem if the person studying it will be dealing mainly with black hair and as such many of the facts learned may have very little to do with our hair.

So what is a healthy hair growth rate?

Back to the hair growth question…There are some major factors that can affect how fast your hair grows as an individual, these include:

1. Health – This covers diet which depends on the environment in which you grow up and currently live in as well as lack of disease.

2. Age – Hair growth rates decrease as we age.

3. Genetics – This is the rate set by heredity and gene expression.

In the absence of disease or hormonal deficiencies, the 3 factors above play the largest role in how fast your hair grows.

The best conclusion that we can pull from the aforementioned study is that hair growth rate, like human height varies widely across cultures. It would be great to see more studies done to confirm the extent of the diversity.

The ½ inch per month growth that is commonly touted as the ‘healthy’ hair growth rate is nothing more than an average rate of growth based on studies across a number of countries and cultures BUT it may not be a true representation of what is ‘healthy’ or ‘natural’ for every individual.

When it comes to hair growth rate, many black people in Western countries may have mixed heritages in their ancestry and that combined with being nutritionally better off, I’m sure that if this study was conducted in people born and raised in the US, there would be a greater variety in hair growth rates as compared to the study we looked at.

Still there are those with naturally slower rates of hair growth who may feel discouraged because their hair doesn’t grow as fast as those around them and assume that there is something wrong with them.

The only factor that we have direct control over as it pertains to our hair growth rate is our health. If you are sure that you are free of disease, eating healthy is the next most important thing that will affect your hair. You literally are what you eat!

In Conclusion

The average height of all American women is 5 ft 4 ½ inches but it would patently wrong to say that if if you are taller or shorter than this, that you probably have health problems!

So the idea that ½ an inch of hair growth per month is a ‘healthy’ rate of growth is flawed because there is no standard measurement of health that encompasses all of humanity.

My hair has always grown at the rate of 4 inches a year and I am free of disease or hormonal deficiencies. In fact, the women in my family appear to share a similar hair growth rate so clearly 4 inches a year is normal and healthy for me, and yet I managed to achieve waist length hair in under 5 years anyway.

So if you are healthy but your hair grows slowly, take heart that there may be nothing wrong with you but you will have to adjust your hair regimen to accommodate your slow growth rate so that you will be able to reap the benefits and grow your hair long anyway.

Sources: British Journal of Dermatology 2001; 145: 294±297, Wikipedia: Pygmy peoples, Wikipedia: Human Height