How Long Will Hair Grow In 6 Months?

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The rate of hair growth can vary depending on many different things. Your age can be one of the biggest determining factors on how fast your hair could potentially grow in 6 months or a year. However, there are also many other different reasons why some people’s hair will grow faster than others.

In this article, I will explore all of the factors which can alter the speed of hair growth and how you can possibly speed up hair growth to achieve really long hair in just six months.

The main factors which determine how fast your hair will grow are the following:

• Stress levels,
• Nutrient intake
• Illness,
• Hormones
• Sleep
• Smoking
• Drugs
• Medications
• Supplements

Growth rates are also different depending on gender, hair color, and ethnicity. Hair also tends to be thicker in blondes, with approximately 120,000 to 150,000 hairs, while brunettes may have between 100,000 to 200,000 hairs.

The reasons behind this could be evolutionary to protect against UV rays for blonde people who have less melanin.

To work out how much hair you can grow in 6 months, you need to first know what the average rate of growth is for human hair per month.

A person’s hair growth each month will be approximately half an inch.

So how much will hair grow in 6 months?

It’s believed that the average person will grow approximately 3 inches of hair in 6 months.

This assumes that you are healthy and you’re not going to cut it during the whole time. And depending on your genes, your hair could grow much faster.

Mine grows about one inch per month! But this is not what the average person can expect.

Growing long hair takes a lot of patience and a bit of effort to maintain. Half an inch a month of hair growth doesn’t sound like a lot, but with each hair being a different length, some growing a bit faster than others, it really does add up over time.

Split ends

Cutting hair is obviously not a good way to grow your hair fast unless you have lots of split ends and the hair breaks off easily,  and you make little or no progress at all.

In that case,  cut off a couple of inches or however much is needed. This will help maintain your length over the long run and keep your hair looking healthy and vibrant.

Remember: cutting hair does not stimulate growth. Believe it or not, this myth still persists. So only do it when you really need to.

If you need to remove split ends, you can try using the search and destroy method, rather than trimming, where you’d be cutting off both healthy and damaged hair at the same time.

Seasonal changes in hair growth

As already mentioned, hair growth can vary from person, but there may also be a difference in the rate of hair growth at different times of the year.

Hair growth in the summer

During the summer, temperatures rise, flowers bloom, and hair grows faster. That’s right… have you ever noticed that your hair starts to grow thicker and faster in the months leading up to summer?

Studies have proven that for several months prior to summer, the rate of hair growth increases significantly.

The number of follicles that are active (in anagen phase) is most in the month of March until the fall (September).

There could be many different reasons why hair grows faster in the summer:

• Increased levels of vitamin D
• Increase in testosterone an estrogen levels (vitamin D helps boost these hormones)
• Increase in body temperature (enzymatic reactions happen faster at a higher temperature)

The only negative effect that the summer can have on hair growth is UV damage. So make sure you’re protecting your beautiful hair with hats or protectants.

Hair growth in the winter

When September comes, the weather starts to change, the temperature falls, and unfortunately so does some of our hair.

Have you ever noticed that you experience seasonal hair shedding?

It happens to most people, and usually, it starts around August and can last until October. There’s not a lot you can do about this other than keep yourself healthy, take vitamins and minerals to support strong hair, and just let your body do its thing.

Hair growth might be slower from September to March, and hair might seem a little thinner. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about.

Using supplements to make hair grow faster

Many people use supplements to support healthy hair growth. One of the most popular supplements for those trying to grow long hair is a vitamin called Biotin.

Depending on your diet and lifestyle, using supplements might be helpful in supporting thicker and healthier hair growth.

One supplement I recommend to people growing out their hair is a supplement called “Hair Anew”. See my review of vegan hair supplements for more information.

It has a good dose of biotin, as well as many other vitamins and minerals to support hair growth. They also contain a few extracts from plants which may have some benefit in improving hair growth and hair quality.

My hair grows very fast, and I think this is a result of a really healthy diet, genetics and also using supplements to support hair growth and block DHT from attacking my hair follicles.   

The more hairs that stay in the growth phase, the longer your hair will grow

The growth cycle of hair occurs in three different stages: anagen, catagen, and telogen. If you think about it, this is a good thing because it means that we don’t end up losing all of our hair in one go if they had been synchronized in their growth cycle. Imagine losing all of your hair when the seasonal shed happens!

Most hair on our scalp is in the growth phase, they account for about 90% of the hair on the scalp. Many of them are at different stages in their cycle and length, so some will be short, and some hairs will be longer, nearing their terminal length or maximum hair growth potential.

When you age, the cycle of hair growth changes. The anagen phase becomes shorter, so your hair tends to not grow for as long. And no matter what you do, you might only be able to achieve a certain length. Some women cut their hair shorter later in life for this reason. It just becomes more difficult to grow thick and healthy long hair.

The length of the anagen phase varies from person to person. It can be as short as just 2 years, but as long as 10 years or more. Genetics is a strong factor here, and we’re still a few years away yet before we can change this. Many people though are not reaching their genetic potential, and that is something that can be changed by doing the right things.

I’ve spoken to many girls who wanted to grow their hair out long but complained that no matter what they do, their hair stops at a certain point.  So If you’re doing everything right and still not making any progress, then you might have to accept your hair as it is or considers buying hair extensions.

But before doing that, you should make sure that you follow all the basic steps first and avoid doing things that will slow down hair growth.

Hair Growth and Priorities

Growing hair is something that isn’t a top priority for your body. Hair might help attract the opposite sex and can reflect overall health. In fact, one of the reasons men find long hair attractive in females is because it gives a bit of history into her nutrition and whether or not she is healthy. Hair is basically a record of your recent health.

If there is something else going on, like if you’re sick or not getting enough nutrients, then your body will adapt and allocate those resources to where it’s needed. Simply put: if you feed your body well and you give it everything it needs, then it will also reflect in your skin and your hair.

Check out Lucy’s video. She gives a crash course on growing long hair and how fast it can grow depending on various factors.

In conclusion

Your hair has the potential to grow around 6 inches in one year if you’re lucky. Some people can grow it a bit faster than that, but they are the exception rather than the rule. So all you can really do is be patient and give your body the best nutrition to try and support it.

Some people (including myself) think that certain supplements helped increase hair growth when taken for a long period of time. I have written several posts on different supplements and the benefits of using biotin for hair growth, so make sure that you check that out!

If you choose to use supplements to help grow your hair longer, it could take at least 2-3 months to see a beneficial effect. This is simply because of the growth cycle of hair. Resting phase tends to last a few months, and changes in nutrition can cause weak hair to fall out and be replaced by thicker hair growth.

Below is a funny little video about all the things you can do with long hair. 🙂