Every hair follicle on your scalp cycles through three distinct phases independently of its neighbors. Understanding these phases explains why hair supplements take time to show results and why some shedding is completely normal.
The active growth phase lasts 2–7 years and determines your maximum hair length. During anagen, cells in the hair bulb divide rapidly, pushing the hair shaft upward at approximately 1cm per month. About 85–90% of your hair is in anagen at any time.
A brief 2–3 week transition where the hair follicle shrinks and detaches from the blood supply. Growth stops. Only about 1–2% of hair is in catagen at any given moment.
The hair rests for 2–4 months, then naturally sheds to make room for new anagen growth. Losing 50–100 hairs daily is normal. When more follicles enter telogen prematurely, noticeable thinning occurs.
The rapidly dividing cells of the anagen phase require consistent nutrient supply: biotin for keratin, B-complex vitamins for metabolic energy, zinc for cell division, iron for oxygen delivery. Gelagen’s 13-nutrient formula supports these processes from within.
A supplement that improves the quality of anagen hair today produces visible results only after that new hair has grown enough to see — typically 2–3 months. This biological reality applies to every hair supplement, not just ours.