If you’ve found your armpit hair is growing faster than usual in the past few weeks, there’s actually a reason for that.
No, you’re not turning into an animal, it seems the summer heat can actually impact the speed of hair regrowth.
Hair removal expert and CEO of Rubis Tweezers, Fides Baldesberger, confirms our hair does in fact grow faster in the summer. But it very much depends on the weather.
“If your summer usually involves rain, clouds, and the occasional gust of wind, and you have no tropical escapes planned, the ‘summer’ season alone will do nothing for your hair growth,” Baldesberger says.
However, she adds that “if your summer involves warm air and sunshine, hair regrowth can become faster during the summer”.
There’s not been a lot of research in this area. However the National Institute of Health did carry out a “Seasonal Changes in Human Hair Growth” study in 1991 – and the findings were interesting.
The small study of men in Sheffield found the rate of their beard growth was lowest in January and February and increased steadily from March to July, to reach a peak about 60% above the winter level.
Why does this happen?
It’s not clear-cut. However there’s a theory that the constant high temperatures mean that our bodies don’t need to work as hard to keep everything warm. “Therefore your blood’s circulation can focus on flowing to the skin and hair follicles,“ Baldesberger says.
She continues: “This enhanced blood-flow makes sure that your hair follicles get all the essential nutrients and oxygen it needs for keratin production. Keratin, the protein essential for hair growth, is increased and in turn, your hair can grow faster.”
As well as this, our hair might grow faster in the summer because of vitamin D, as it plays a significant role in stimulating new and old hair follicles.
“When there isn’t enough vitamin D in your system, new hair growth can be stunted, but when we get more vitamin D in the summer months it contributes to our hair growing faster,” Baldesberger says.
Looks like we’ll have to book another appointment with our wax lady.