Heat + Hair growth

[frangipani]

Browsing the vogue website, i came across this tidbit:

"Good news if you’re trying to lengthen your locks this season: hair grows faster when the mercury hits high. “Hair and nails grow faster in summer due to humidity as heat stimulates growth,” waxing expert Gilly Harriott tells us. Not so good for the hair on your legs."

Is there any truth to this, or is it a load of baloney ? It sounds a bit suspect ...

[elina333]

From what I know hair really does grow faster in the summer... Something to do with the heat and the increased blood circulation I think..?

[BelleBot]

Yes, generally hair does grow slightly faster in Summer for most people. Probably a mix of increased levels of vitamin D, humidity, sunshine and warmth. However blasting your hair with a hair dryer/living in a greenhouse/using sunbeds to try and mimic the same effect won't help.
Winter is generally resting time for hair so it won't grow as fast, your body is concentrating on reserving energy in colder months so it won't be expended on hair growth etc from what I understand.

[Deb!]

Browsing the vogue website, i came across this tidbit:

"Good news if you’re trying to lengthen your locks this season: hair grows faster when the mercury hits high. “Hair and nails grow faster in summer due to humidity as heat stimulates growth,” waxing expert Gilly Harriott tells us. Not so good for the hair on your legs."

Is there any truth to this, or is it a load of baloney ? It sounds a bit suspect ...


It's true, hair does grow faster in warmer climates, a fact that's been known for years! Google information, there's loads of it to be found.

I live in New England, graduating high school with a girl who moved to Florida for a year.

Her hair was around mid-back length when she moved there but when I saw her, two years after graduation, her hair was literally to the floor. :bigeyes:

Now, keep in mind she is around 5 feet tall and genetics most likely played a part but that much growth in that short span of time was mind-blowing!

When questioned about it, she stated it grew like a weed while she lived in Florida!

The killer was it was not damaged in any way and was extremely thick, with a blunt hemline.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

hm, actually, i noticed more growth in winter than in summer :shrug: guess that depends more on hormones rather than season (or heat)

[frangipani]

Hooray, more reason to chase summertime around the world :cheese:
Weird, i would have thought hair would grow faster in a cold climate, since its function is to keep you warm. The mysteries of the human body!

[Gothic Lolita]

I also notice more growth in summer, but nothing like 1'' more... just a bit. I believe it's due to the warmth and higher vitamin D levels. I doubt humidity has something to do with it. Here in Germany humidity is also high in winter, but the hair doesn't grow faster. I'd relate faster growing simply to more sunlight.

[JenniferNoel]

A lot of people I know and articles I've read have stated that hair grows faster in warmer climates, most likely due to people being more active in the summer, more exercise, more blood flow, the temperature itself, etc. More vitamin D from the sun as well.
There are a lot of factors that could easily confirm the claims.
I never noticed much of a difference personally, but then again only recently have I started keeping track of my monthly/yearly/seasonal growth.
*lurks*

[jojo]

It is said that hair growth speeds up in summer months, for me though winter is my growth spell. However the avarage growth is 6" a year, whenever you get this is normal for you.

Though i hope the sun helps my hair as I am off to the far east tomorrow for a fortnight so who knows!

[spidermom]

The one year that I kept measurements all year, my hair grew fastest from July -- January, then slowed down from January -- June. July through September are the hottest months around here, but October through January definitely are not.

[Konstifik]

Yes, hair grows faster in the summer. At least mine does. It stalls almost completely during the winter (which is 7 months here :( ), but in the summer months, it grows with rapid speed (unfortunately, only about 2 months >.< ).

[Fractalsofhair]

My hair grows at the same rate year round. About 1 inch per month. It does seem softer in the summer, and it grows different colors(lighter in the winter, darker in the summer.), and the front seems to grow faster in the summer by far. But the back grows way faster in the winter.

Oddly enough, this winter, I'm having more shedding, and my hair is getting replaced by coarse jet black wavy hairs. We'll see how this turns out.

[GuinevereMay]

I guess that makes sense. Since I've moved to Hawaii, my hair has grown a lot faster than it did before.

[Bunnicula]

Now I really can't wait for summer to get here! Hopefully it's sooner than later since it's almost always hot here, but I live in the desert so there's not much in the way of humidity. I've been trying to spray it with aloe and water mist though. This is the first time I've paid attention to its growth rate so I'm not sure when it grows the fastest.

[bumblebums]

Hooray, more reason to chase summertime around the world :cheese:
Weird, i would have thought hair would grow faster in a cold climate, since its function is to keep you warm. The mysteries of the human body!

I think our head hair's function is more to attract the opposite sex than to keep us warm. If it was for warmth, we'd have an undercoat...

My hair definitely grows faster in warm months. I think my body decides it has better things to worry about in the winter than hair.

Useless bit of trivia: zoo lions in colder climates grow longer and thicker manes than lions in warmer climates (http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1644/05-MAMM-A-226R2.1?cookieSet=1&journalCode=mamm). (The opposite of us humans.)

[JamieLeigh]

I was under the impression it had to do with the vitamins you get from the sun's light. As in, your hair grows more quickly due to the sun being closer to the Earth during the summer. In the winter, we're deprived of them somewhat, so our hair grows more slowly. :confused:

[JamieLeigh]

Hooray, more reason to chase summertime around the world :cheese:
Weird, i would have thought hair would grow faster in a cold climate, since its function is to keep you warm. The mysteries of the human body!

Since we're not "outdoor" animals, our bodies are programmed to follow our "indoor" patterns. For the most part, humans spend more time indoors in the colder months. So, technically our living places are warmer in winter time than in summer - so our hair doesn't have to grow out thicker or longer, like an animal's winter coat, because our bodies don't need it to protect us. The human body is a very fascinating thing, lol.

And I totally agree on chasing summer around the world. What I wouldn't give to be able to do that!!! :D

[maxzeen]

Well I used to live in New Jersey ( I grew up there) and I recently moved to Florida. I've lived here for about three years and can definately tell a difference in my hair growth. It does seem like my hair grow a bit faster in Florida then in New Jersey. In Florida, it is usually hot all year round.

[Messyhair]

My hair does grow faster in summer, but I still average 6" per year. Too bad it wouldn't grow like crazy and get up to 12" or something.

[Bunnicula]

You guys, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow... we're going to have to wait another six weeks before our hair starts growing faster :steam

[WaitingSoLong]

I know this: Horses hooves grow very little in the winter. We trim our horses only once during the winter, but every 4 weeks in the spring,summer and fall. Hooves, nails and hair are pretty much the same when it comes to growth. As for me, I have never noticed a difference between winter and summer in my hair growth, but then again, I have not taken frequent enough measurements to tell.

I wear my hair up more in the summer because of sweat and working outdoors. Maybe I am depriving it of the sun that makes it grow faster? I also wear hats frequently or "do-rags" to keep the straggles of my face. So, come to think of it, I am not sure how much my hair sees the sun, but enough to bleach it out. So whatever. My hair grows about 8" a year naturally. Not sure now that I have changed my diet a bit to help it grow faster.

[bumblebums]

I know this: Horses hooves grow very little in the winter. We trim our horses only once during the winter, but every 4 weeks in the spring,summer and fall. Hooves, nails and hair are pretty much the same when it comes to growth.

Very interesting! I have this pet theory about horse hair--I think it's like human hair in that it does not have a functional purpose. It's not there to keep us warm but instead to advertise mating fitness and overall health. Then it would make sense if it grows slower during wintertime. Winter is hard on the body, makes resources less available, so the body tries to conserve resources by not expending as much on ornaments.

[FrannyG]

This has always fascinated me, here at LHC. Many members talk about their summer growth spurt, but year after year, my hair tends to grow at the same rate all year around.

[bumblebums]

Maybe it has to do with how much time you spend outside, and how much your body is exposed to the heat/cold?

[Gvnagitlvgei]

Browsing the vogue website, i came across this tidbit:

"Good news if you’re trying to lengthen your locks this season: hair grows faster when the mercury hits high. “Hair and nails grow faster in summer due to humidity as heat stimulates growth,” waxing expert Gilly Harriott tells us. Not so good for the hair on your legs."

Is there any truth to this, or is it a load of baloney ? It sounds a bit suspect ...

LOL This reminds me of a thread elsewhere which shall go unnamed...and it got lots of negative traffic lol. But I believe it. I used to live in the Caribbean and my hair grew anywhere from 2-3 inches PER MONTH. For me, it's a truth.

[my2cats1]

Wow, 2 or 3 inches per month?! Caribbean, here I come! :cheese:

All this makes me wonder if indoor heating, humidifiers, exercise, and light-therapy lamps could offset the natural slowing of the growth rate in winter.

[Kris Dove]

Mine definitely seems to grow faster in summer.

It also seems to get more damaged in winter... perhaps going from the cold outside to dry heating inside dries hair out like it does skin? My hands get chapped and my skin seems drier in winter too. I can also go without the blowfryer in summer if it's hot enough, which must help too.

[Gvnagitlvgei]

My2Cats1

Nah. It's something about the climate, the equator, the moisture....so many factors....nails were nice too...no ridges and no handnails at all. I should move back lol.

[GuinevereMay]

I live near the equator. My hair has grown very fast in the last two and a half years that I've lived here.

[WaitingSoLong]

--I think it's like human hair in that it does not have a functional purpose. .

Why don't you think it has a functional purpose?

Horses hair keeps flies off in summer, helps to retain heat (necks) in winter. Their tails are indispensable for swatting flies. Their manes also help keep them from cooling off too quickly after sweating exercise.

My head is much warmer in winter with hair than when my hair was extremely short. But other than that, it does not seem to function much. My husband gets along just fine without any :p

[bumblebums]

Why don't you think it has a functional purpose?

Horses hair keeps flies off in summer, helps to retain heat (necks) in winter. Their tails are indispensable for swatting flies. Their manes also help keep them from cooling off too quickly after sweating exercise.

My head is much warmer in winter with hair than when my hair was extremely short. But other than that, it does not seem to function much. My husband gets along just fine without any :p

That's precisely why. Sure, horse hair (esp. the tail) is somewhat useful, but how much difference can it really make for an animal that size? The fact that horsehair is often colored differently from the rest of the horse's body also suggests that it is not helpful for camouflage and is more likely to attract a predator...

For us humans, there is a tradeoff: hair might make the head warmer in the winter, but it also prevents efficient cooling in the summer. For the vast majority of our species, who live in warmer climates, this is more of a problem than staying warm. And the fact that we can get by perfectly well without hair suggests that it isn't essential to our survival. If it were essential, male pattern baldness (which usually develops during prime breeding age) would not have stuck around in our species for so long.