How long does hair live on scalp?
Sophia Edwards
Updated on March 31, 2026
The only "living" part of a hair is found in the follicle as it grows. The hair strand above the skin has no biochemical activity and so is considered "dead". On average, the lifespan of a human hair is 2 to 7 years. The hair on our scalp goes through 3 phases, the anagen phase, catagen phase, and telogen phase.