What is hair made of

The Hair Mystery

Many people are perplexed by the phenomenon of human hair. Firstly, they do not know how nor why does it grow. Secondly, they have troubles imagining hair growing out of our skin, not knowing the way of its formation. All in all, hair growth and hair itself is quite a mystery for many people. Well, we will try to unravel this mystery by shedding light upon some facts related to this phenomenon.

Our hair consists of proteins and dead skin cells, and it grows out of hair follicles located in the deepest layer of our skin, called dermis. There are several processes involved in this action, all dependent on one another.

The upper part of these hair follicles is where hair bulb is located. Both the bulb and the follicle form the root of our hair. In the bottom layer of our hair follicle, nutritive substances are collected and distributed to the hair bulb. Then, it creates new hair cells, which, as they are accumulated, progress up, through the hair root. Then, a specific protein is added to the hair cells. This process is called keratinization. By the end of this process, the hair is no longer alive, but becomes a mass of dead tissue. As more and more hair cells go through this process, they trigger hair growth.

The Protein Involved in Hair Growth

Every hair of ours consists of two elements. First is the above mentioned keratin, which forms more than 90% of our hair. The other part consists of water and our body’s natural oils. Each hair is made out of three layers. The outer one, providing protection, the inner one containing the proteins, and the core located in the center of the hair cortex.

Additional Facts about Hair

There are more questions about hair that many people do not know the answer for. For example, quite often people wonder how hair is measured and if there is a specific measure for hair and its diameter. Each individual’s hair is different and therefore unique. Its qualities depend on hereditary factors, environment, nutrition, and many other things. Thus, it is impossible to have a single measurement capable of being sufficed for all hair in the world. Rather, there is an average hair diameter, which is measured in millionth parts of a meter. Nevertheless, since it may vary significantly, it is usually not taken into consideration. Finally, in case you were wondering what gives our hair color, it’s the pigment located in the follicle. Depending on the type of the pigment, we can have blond, brown, red or black hair, as well as all the different shades.