Is Your Hair Alive or Dead?

All the hairs you see on your body, including your scalp, have one thing in common; they are actually dead. Under the microscope, each of your individual hair looks like a tube. This structure is called filament. Most of your hair is made up of a very strong protein called keratin. Keratin is the main component of your skin and nails, as well as your hair.

Inside the hair follicle is a hair bulb. This bulb is where living hair is formed as it provides nutrients to the cells inside your blood vessels. The hair cells then grow out of the hair follicle and become visible. Then, a set of new cells is created in place of the old cells. This process makes your hair look like wire. As the hair follicle continually pushes out old cells and creates new ones, your hair stays rooted to your scalp and skin. This is why any home care or over-the-counter treatment for hair growth focuses on your scalp and hair follicles, not the part of your hair you can see. This is the answer to the question "Why don't we get hurt when our hair is cut"; There are no living cells to transmit pain to your brain.

Each hair follicle has a lifespan. Follicles go through stages of growth, transition and resting/hair loss. On any given day, it's normal for your scalp to naturally shed 50 to 100 hairs from your follicles. This happens when the follicles enter the regeneration and resting phase and temporarily stop pushing the hairs out.

How to Care for Hair Correctly?

Even though your hair is technically made from non-living cells, you can still care for your strands to help your hair look its best.

Healthy and well-groomed hair often looks shiny and supple. Here are a few tips for healthy and well-groomed hair:

• Keep your hair clean: This doesn't always mean washing your hair every day, but it does mean how often your hair should be washed and finding the best products for your hair type.
• Don't wash your hair with hot water: Hot showers can actually endanger the hair shaft and dehydrate your hair. Avoid very hot and very cold water during washing to protect your hair fiber.
• Avoid heat styling as much as possible: Heat styling causes your hair shaft to dry out from the inside, increasing the chance of breakage. Limit heat styling to once or twice a week and give your hair plenty of rest in between.
• Get a regular haircut: Get a haircut every 10 to 12 weeks to get rid of split ends.
• Eat well: Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in protein, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.

As you can see, your hair is a very living thing, even though it is not made up of living cells. Taking care of your hair properly can make a big difference in helping your strands last longer and look healthier.