Cut it, dye it, straighten or curl it, people love their hair. Whether you style your hair everyday, or have no hair to deal with, you likely think about your hair (or lack of) daily. A form of self-expression and a marker of health, it’s understandable why people care about hair. Here’s some odd facts about human hair you likely didn’t know.
Hair is stronger than you think
Did you know that a single strand of human hair can withstand up to 100 grams, or the weight of a small apple? Impressive, as the average hair strand measures about 0.1 mm thick. Hair owes its strength to keratin, a type of protein. In fact, keratin is what makes up our fingernails, as well as hooves, claws, and feathers in animals.
Each strand has several layers
A hair strand looks like one single piece to the human eye. But microscopes tell a different story. Hair strands contain these layers:
- Medulla: very soft and fragile, think of the medulla as the marrow of your hair. If you have blonde and/ or fine hair, it’s possible your hair strands do not contain the medulla.
- Cortex: made of keratin proteins, which give the hair strand strength and elasticity. The cortex also contains melanin (pigment), which gives color to your hair.
- Cuticle: the outermost layer of your hair, the layer you can see. When viewed under a microscope, the cuticle contains flat, overlapping cells, like roof shingles. These “shingles” help protect the inner layers from damage.
Who knew hair could be so layered!
You lose about 100 hair strands a day
It’s normal to shed 100 or so strands a day. But wait, you ask, didn’t we say hair strands are quite strong? So how come I experience daily hair shedding?
This is because hair shedding is different from hair breakage. Breakage occurs when the actual hair shaft snaps, due to overstyling (think overly processed hair).
Hair shedding occurs when the strand actually detaches from the follicle. Shedding occurs naturally, though it can also occur due to illness, medications, hormone changes, etc.
Natural hair shedding occurs as each hair strand on your head goes through 4 different stages:
- Anagen phase: when your hair actually grows.
- Catagen phase: this transition stage means the strand stops growing, and the follicle shrinks.
- Telogen phase: the follicle now “rests.”
- Exogen phase: the hair strand sheds off the scalp.
If you have no hair loss issues (your scalp density looks the same), the strands you shed daily are very likely from the exogen, or shedding, phase. It’s important to know there’s no avoiding the exogen phase, no matter how much you pamper your hair.
Every person is born with a fixed amount of hair follicles
Hair follicles are the roots of your hair. The human body has about 5 million hair follicles, with roughly 100,000 follicles on the head. This amount can differ based on hair color and genetics.
When follicles experience damage (such as burns, scars, or even too tight hairstyling), hair loss can occur. To revive dormant follicles, consider hair loss clinic Birmingham. Using exosome therapy, this non invasive treatment can be used to treat several types of hair loss, due to:
- Aging
- Genetics
- Hormones
- Medications
- Post-partum
Wondering what exosomes are? These microscopic “delivery trucks” deliver growth factors, such as proteins and lipids, to your cells. When applied to your scalp, exosomes help reactivate dormant follicles, increasing hair growth in thinning areas. Painless and with no downtime required, exosome therapy uses your body’s own healing process to regrow hair.
This article was written by Leah Campbell for Third Loft Marketing.
