We uncover interesting facts about the speeds at which parts of your body develop and function. This week, hair.
The speed at which your locks grow depends on your genetic make-up and the shape of your follicles. If you’re of European origin, your hair grows about 1 cm a month – or 0.035 cm a day.
That’s about a sixth of the rate that grass grows during the winter months.
By contrast, those of African descent have more spiral-shaped follicles, which tend to grow hair more slowly – 0.027 cm per day or 0.8 cm a month. The growth of body hair varies widely from person to person, and can be anything between 0.48 cm per month (0.016 cm per day) to 1.5 cm (0.05 cm a day) per month. But unlike scalp hair, eyebrows and eyelashes automatically stop growing at 2 cm, fall out and are replaced.
In men, their beards grow at about the same speed as head hair – though for unknown reasons the rate of beard growth speeds up after the age of 40.
Have a look at our favourite celebrity hairstyles
