What Is Hair Made Of?

The nagging question that we ask ourselves. However simple hair strands may look, it is much more complicated and layered. In this blog, we’ll be discussing this question, and by the end, you should be able to answer it perfectly!

Let’s Start With The Basics…

Below and above the epidermis, hair is basically made up of both living and nonliving components. The hair shaft is a thin, flexible cylinder of non-living, keratinized epithelial cells that lies just above the epidermis. However, it’s a live hair follicle that enlarges at the base to become the hair bulb, below.

The Hair Shaft…We May Have Heard It, But What Exactly Is It?

A cortex, surrounding cuticle cells, and a central medulla, which is seen in thicker hair, make up the hair shaft. The cortical layer, which makes up the majority of this hair fibre, is responsible for establishing the physical and mechanical
features of the hair, such as strength, texture, and colour. It’s mostly made up of macrofibrils, which are microfibril rods woven together in a matrix.

What Exactly Are Hair Follicles?

The fundamental structure from which hair may develop is the follicle. The follicle is separated into outer and inner root sheaths.

The outer root sheath has long been thought to be a source of multipotent stem cells that may develop into a variety of cell types, including melanocytes and keratinocytes. These stem cells are hypothesised to be found in a bulge between the insertion of the arrector pili muscle and the ductal entrance of the sebaceous gland.

The Henle layer, and the cuticle layer make up the inner root sheath., which also aids in the attachment of the developing hair shaft to the follicle. The hair shaft is covered by the cuticle, which is made up of flat overlapping cells that run from the root to the epidermis. The cuticle is extremely important in terms of cosmetics since it is responsible for giving the hair its untangled look and form.

Hair Bulbs= Not The Same As Garlic Bulbs…

The active hair-producing portion of the follicle is called the hair bulb. It extends into the skin’s dermal layer and surrounds the dermal papilla, an essential structure made up of rich stroma, nerve fibres, and a capillary loop that feeds
nutrients and is derived from mesenchyme. The Auber line separates the two sections of the hair bulb. Cells are still undergoing differentiation below this line. The germination core or matrix of the follicle is made up of immature cells below the Auber line, where all cells are mitotically active and advance upward, proliferating, protruding vertically, and merging into the hair shaft.

So…You Made It! Now you know!

Now you know what hair is made of, you’ll want to know how it works. Watch this space for more on this interesting topic. The Wild Science Lab LEAF + SEED collection strives to create products designed to penetrate the cuticles rather than coating the strands only. Cruelty free and vegan remedies which pledge to restore your crowning glory!