Understanding the Curly Hair Growth Cycle

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By · Updated July 18, 2017

No curl is created equal.

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That is why it is so challenging to find your exact texture, pattern, product, etc. match when talking to your curlfriends about hair! Even though all of us know this, we still talk to each other about our favorite leave-in conditioners and curl creams and moisturizing shampoos and brand new miracle hair oils because we are missing one key piece of knowledge amongst our curl spheres: Understanding our curly hair growth cycle.

Truth be told, all hair types, including the straightest and textureless, generally operate on the same exact hair growth cycle. This is because, well, we are only human. This is a great thing to know! Why? Because once you understand that all of us are in this “Are these curls going to grow long(er”> or not” phase of our hair journeys, you will be halfway across the finish line of your end goal of healthy, gorgeous curls.

Understanding the hair growth cycle is the key to developing patience with your curls and texture.

To fully embrace how your hair will respond to nature, products, and styling tools, you must first understand the root of the matter where growth is concerned. The breakdown of hair growth cycle is in phase, each other working independently of each other, to give you the healthiest hair your body can produce. Here are the 3 phases you need to know about:

Anagen – Growth Phase

This is the phase we all love because it is when the hair is receiving nutrients from the blood supply. The good news for us curlies is that more than three quarters of our hair is actually in this phase simultaneously. Yes, that means that the other remaining quarter or so is in a non-growth phase (catagen and/or telogen – read more below”>. And get this: this phase can take between 2 to 6 years to complete. That is why your hair may have grown significantly in comparison to your bestie who seems to have difficulty achieving length, but is gaining a more defined pattern or increased density in the same amount of time. During this growth cycle, the hair follicle can grow to the upwards of 10 centimeters, or roughly 4 inches! Sounds promising, right? Well, it is!

Now, we will move on to the lesser known phases that impact how you need to care for your curls throughout the entire hair growth cycle.

Catagen – Transitional Phase

When you think of transitioning, you may think of a naturally curly woman growing out her chemically straightened strands to reveal teeny, weeny curls. In this case, the catagen or transitional phase indicates that your hair follicles are shrinking and this is a good thing. Why? Well, this 2-week long phase gives way to new growth once it reaches the telogen phase (read more below”>! As stated by curly hair expert Allison Cooper, “The lower part of the follicle becomes destroyed and the dermal papilla, what nourishes the hair follicle, will break away.” This science talk simply means that the hair strand will fall away to give way to new, healthy hair. Keep in mind that this is a normal non-growth phase and your hair needs to cycle through this brief period.

Telogen – Resting Phase

Need a break from all that curl manipulation, styling, and prepping? Well, so does your hair. When your hair strands reach the telogen phase in the hair growth cycle, they are literally at rest. Get this: this is a 5 1/2 to 6 weeks long phase when your hair does not grow (and that is perfectly normal; do not freak out“>. A small percentage of your curls are resting during this time. This means that you still need to continue gentle scalp massages to keep those follicles healthy even though your hair is resting.

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NOTE: Your hair strands are NOT going through these hair growth phases simultaneously. According to Susan J. Huang, MD, “The reason that you don’t temporarily go bald is that, at any given moment, some hairs are in the anagen phase, some hairs are in the catagen phase, and some hairs are in the telogen phase.” Each phase serves to help your hair grow in a healthy manner! Sounds a bit chaotic, but that is why your hair does not ‘fall out’ or shed all at once like Dr. Huang stated. If it is, you need to get in touch with a reliable trichologist or your physician because there may be an underlying problem you need to address with a medical professional.

Overall, the curly hair growth cycle is just as intricate as you could imagine.

Fortunately for all of us, knowing these phases will lead us to make better maintenance and styling decisions in the future such as:

Regular trimming of curls, split ends, and broken strands by cosmetological professionals
Weekly scalp massages with stimulating oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil
Nutritional and dietary upkeep for healthy hair growth
Decreased curl manipulation via over-styling, product build-up, and unnecessary touching of the hair strands
Recognizing the differences between hair fall and baldness, shedding, breakage, and other issues

Want more healthy hair information and tips? Get your research on with these CURLS 101 articles:

Does Hair Cuticle Behavior Impact Product Efficacy

Hair Loss and the Curly Woman

Moisture vs Hydration: What is the Difference?

As ever, stay curly!

Psssst…. you know I can’t leave you without a BONUS video! Take a moment to learn even more about the hair growth cycle from my trusted source of hair care information via YouTube with @ScienceofBlackHair! She explains the growth cycle process very easily and also talks about the Exogen Phase of the hair growth cycle.

I highly recommend bookmarking this article and her video for those moments when you need to determine what is happening during your hair’s growth cycle:

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Mousse 101: Who Should Use It, and Who Shouldn’t

What do you think of when you hear the word "mousse?"

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Mousse 101: Who Should Use It, and Who Shouldn’t

By Cristina Cleveland · Updated December 19, 2024

Let’s play a game. What do you think of when you hear the word “mousse?” If you’re anything like me, it may bring up associations with crunchy curls, the 80s, and drying alcohols, but you should know that things have changed. Hairstyles, techniques, brands, and product formulas have all evolved since the days of teased, crispy curls. But because we still get flashbacks when we pick up a bottle of mousse, we spoke with a few curly hair experts about when to use mousse, who should be using mousse today – and who shouldn’t.

Why use a mousse?

Brooke Michie, curl stylist and owner of Lyric Salon in Austin, Texas, first made me reconsider mousse when she used it in Grace’s wavy hair transformation. She loves using mousse on her curly haired clients because it’s “easy to apply, economical per use, has buildable coverage and hold, and can be layered with so many other types of products.”

What hairstyles is mousse best for?

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Maya Smith, International Master of Natural Curls and founder of The Doux®, a haircare line she created specifically for naturally curly hair, says mousse can be used for “any style that requires definition and light hold. It can be used not only to set wash & go’s, but for twist outs and rod sets as well.”

As I’ve been starting to experiment with mousse more, I’ve wondered if I can use it on my dry hair as a refresher on second-day hair. According to Maya, “Mousse is best applied to wet hair for Wash & Go styling, but it can also be used to set a dry twist-out and to redefine the curl pattern. I wouldn’t recommend using it to replenish moisture on next-day hair.”

What causes that crunch?

Maya says, “It’s common for mousse to be combined with gel or cream because most mousse on the market contain alcohol to make the hair dry faster. They are also polymer-rich, which creates a sticky coating on the hair, much like a hairspray. This can leave hair feeling dry and stiff. We formulated our Mousse Def as an all-in-one solution for this problem. It creates the shine and definition of a mousse, yet leaves hair soft and touchable with no flaking.”

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What are some ingredients to watch out for?

Maya recommends watching out for ingredients such as sodium laurel sulfate (SLS, Isopropyl, and Prolyene, which “have been found to cause breakage and dry out your hair). The best way to achieve healthy hair is to have that balance between protein and moisture.”

Who should use mousse?

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Brooke says it depends on the mousse, “lightweight, airy mousse or foam is great for wavy hair. Denser mousse is great for 2s and 3s and as a thin layer of added hold for more definition over a moisture foundation for well-hydrated 4s even!” For Maya, it depends on the hairstyle: “I recommend mousse for hair up to Type 4B, depending on the desired results.”

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But before you rule mousse out for your Type 4C coils, Gerilyn Hayes, NaturallyCurly Senior Copywriter, loves using mousse on her 4C wash and go (like Camille Rose Spiked Honey Mousse). “I use about 5-6 pumps of mousse in my hair after shampooing and conditioning. I do this because I want to make sure that I’m starting with a clean scalp and curls that are free from any other previous products. And because my curls are very coarse and need lots of hydration, I make sure that my curls are soaked with water (which is why the shower is great for applying mousse to my hair).

To avoid product and water getting into my eyes, I flip my head over and scrunch my curls’ ends to my scalp. Although I do not have a lot of length, I still use this ends-to-root scrunching method to get the optimal curl definition. Sometimes I rake the mousse through my curls and then wrap them in a scarf, giving them more shine. Although rake versus scrunching may look similar to any onlooker, the textural differences are apparent to me!”

Who shouldn’t use mousse?

“Curls with moisture as the number one priority,” says Brooke, “or those who don’t need a product with general hold, but seek more of a product/product combo to hydrate than seal.” So if your curls are thirsty and your top priority is moisture, then you may want to opt for something like the LOC Method, which layers a leave-in for moisture, an oil to seal in the moisture, and then a cream for hold.

When to use mousse

Brooke prefers “the lightest weight mousse (she loves Bread Beauty Supply Hair Foam) in wavy hair for primary, general hold,” and this is how she recommends applying it:

On freshly rinsed detangled hair in the shower, glaze a small amount over the surface area of the hair.
Then flip and glaze another small amount over the underneath surface area.
Then, apply the majority of it via scrunching and distribute it in your palms, making sure not to flatten the airiness of the foam.
Before scrunching the ends of the hair up toward the scalp with a flat palm into a clenched fist motion, rotating your head to reach curls on either side.

If you’re using a denser foam and need more moisture, Brooke recommends applying it:

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Once a leave-in or moisture foundation is either combed through or scrunched in sopping wet hair.
Then add a little denser mousse by finger combing detangled sections, or for longer curls, scrunching as above.

“This will create a cast of hold,” says Brooke, but before you worry about the crunch, remember you need to break that cast by scrunching out the crunch. “Release the cast once hair is fully dry by touching curls gently, or scrunching once more to release the wet-looking hold that was necessary during the drying process to maximize definition.”

Interested in trying a mousse? Check out the Best of The Best Styling Products 2024 options for your curls, waves, and coils.