Archive for category: Hair Talk

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The hair cuticle is your first line of defense, your last resort for moisture retention and your source of shine in your finished hairstyle.

Not only does the cuticle protect the cortex from undue harm, it also works overtime regulating the passage of moisture into and out of it. The cortex is at the mercy of the cuticle, with resilience or elasticity directly affected by any chinks in the armor. With such great responsibility, the cuticle has the power to make or break your hair flair.

Some say the best offence is a good defence, so let’s find out what we can do to keep our cuticle cute, cared for and under control.

But what is the hair cuticle?

The hair cuticle is the outermost protective layer of your hair strand. It is made up of a series of layered keratinized cells that work together to shield the cortex from damage. Since the cuticle has no melanin cells, or melanocytes, it does not contribute to the color of your hair.

Keratin protein cells, or keratinocytes, go through a life cycle of their own. They are produced in the hair follicle through a process of cell division and replication by the hair matrix. As the cells separate from the hair matrix, they die and are pushed up to fill the hair shaft. The dead cells harden and form various components of the hair shaft, some of which are designated to the cuticle. When referring to the cuticle, we specifically mean the shingle-like formation that builds the outer sheath.

Based on your hair type, you can expect to find a variation in the number of layers of cuticle. Not just from one head of hair to another, but also between strands on the same head of hair.  In fact, on some individual hair strands, that variation can occur from one side to the next.

An average straight hair strand has 6 to 10 cuticle layers, which are applied in a relatively uniform fashion. If you’re dealing with curls, however, you may have as few as 2 cuticle layers on the inner side of the curl and up to 10 on the outer side of the curl.

Depending on which way your curl rolls, straightening of that curl may cause the less protected side of the hair strand to be exposed to the elements. This could be one of the reasons why changing someone’s natural hair pattern opens it up to exposure to more damage.

The cuticle layers point in the direction of the tip of the hair strand, which makes total sense when you think about brushing your hair. And the reason why teasing your hair creates volume. You are essentially grooming against the grain, roughing up the cuticle and simulating the expansion of your hair strand’s natural thickness.

Opening and closing the cuticle

A nice tight, smooth cuticle provides the best reflective surface for the appearance of shine and healthy hair. We often sacrifice this layer in our attempts to change our hair into styles that are not innately natural for us.

Open to possibilities

When the call for change sets in, we have to lift the cuticle to gain access to the cortex where the genetic template to our hair type lives. Opening or lifting the cuticle requires alkaline substances to be directly applied to the hair.

The easiest and most common way to lift the cuticle is to wet your hair. Water naturally has the ability to penetrate the cuticle layer and enter the cortex to cause some swelling of the hair shaft. That swelling keeps the cuticle slightly open, or ajar and allows cleansing agents and shampoos to penetrate.

On dry hair, alkaline substances open the cuticle. Relaxers, perms and hair color have an alkaline base, which is why they are applied to dry hair. When the cuticle opens, it allows for a concentrated chemical solution to enter the cortex and make changes to the curl pattern or color.

Closed for successful styling  

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Healthy hair cuticle

The issue of closing the cuticle arises after every wash day. As stated earlier, water has opened the cuticle and, depending on your wash day routine, is now waiting to be closed up to resume its role of protection.

Conditioner is said to have the necessary pH to close an open cuticle and the best ones are designed to do just that. Your hair will actually feel softer when the cuticle is laying flat, or tightly closed.

Another way to close your cuticle is cold water. A cold water rinse after conditioning is reported by some to clamp shut those cuticle layers, while others say it has no effect but to make your shower unpleasant. Let me offer some anecdotal evidence that may persuade you to try your own experiment.

Living in a particularly cold climate, I often leave the house with wet hair. I’ve always let my hair air dry as an attempt to minimize frizz. On one notable occasion it was cold enough outside to cause my hair to freeze slightly, much like when you have a sculptural gel applied. Later in the day, while inside the warm comforts of my destination, I noticed a remarkable difference in the amount of shine and curl definition. Decidedly, a great hair day. Still looking for a way to replicate this without braving an icy cold shower, but I believe the cold works.

One other alternative way to close the cuticle that may rescue you from the cold rinse option is an apple cider vinegar rinse. Apple cider vinegar is acidic and helps to balance the pH of the hair. The perfect pH for hair is  5.5 – 6.5. Urbanbushbabies.com recommends a hair rinse recipe, consisting of 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar to 2 cups of water, to achieve a closed cuticle and increase overall shine.

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Do you have hair-raising cuticle damage?

Since the cuticle makes up the external layer of your hair strand, when it’s damaged you know it. Hair that feels rough to the touch, dry or brittle is more than likely suffering from a damaged cuticle. Existence of split ends provides definitive evidence of a damaged cuticle.

Damage to the cuticle happens, in part, through exposure to environmental factors, but is most likely due to personal styling practices, including chemical treatments. Damage tends to build up over time and can start out with minor chipping in the cuticle that later expands into greater weakness of the hair strand because of the gap created in the armor.

When you first see signs of split ends, the best thing to do is have your hair trimmed above the point where the split end starts. This will prevent the separation from traveling up the shaft and along the length of your hair.

Other signs of cuticle damage can be identified through hair breakage. When the cortex gets dried out, the dryness also permeates the cuticle. To look at it up close, you would see definite signs of cracking. Any point of cracking is like a fault line. This means where a crack appears, a break can, and probably will, follow. Excessive blow dryer use and hot styling tools tend to be the cause of these extreme drying conditions.

Minimize the hurt on your hair

There are a few things you can do to try to keep your cuticle in good shape. First and foremost, go easy on the applied friction. This is anything from the extreme of dry brushing to the simple act of going to bed without first covering and tying your hair down.

You may want to include some of the following practices in your hair care routine:

• Aside from covering and tying your hair before bed, use of a silk or satin pillowcase will reduce night-time friction.
• Change the way you brush or comb your hair. Try dividing your hair into smaller sections before attempting to brush out those tangles. Be gentle as you comb or brush out the knots, trying not to tear haphazardly at your mane.
• When dying or relaxing your hair, be careful to only apply the product to virgin hair or new growth. This means when you’re touching up, your product should only cover the base of your hair, close to the scalp. Any overlapping of product can create excessive damage to previously treated sections.
• Minimize excessive heat from styling appliances. Many of us use extra hot curling irons to improve the curl setting action. Experiment with your heat settings until you find the lowest one capable of giving you the outcome you’re looking for.

Porous cuticle problems

Black hair has a tendency to be porous. In curly hair, the convex side of the hair shaft has a thinner  cuticle than the concave side of the same shaft. That means you can have as few as two layers of cuticle protection on the outside of your curl and the inner side will have between six and 10 layers. Fewer layers means less protection from harm and abuse.

Some porosity issues have to do with the natural curl shape and how the cuticle characteristically lays as it follows the curve. If you think about what it’s like to try to pry open a box lid that has been nailed shut, a gap beneath the nail head makes it easier to pry open. As the cuticle “shingles” follow the bend of the curled shaft, they would naturally lift a little to navigate the turn. That structural gap can allow for penetration of wayward elements and either the escape of moisture or the penetration of chemicals or environmental toxins.

The best way to combat a lifted cuticle is to use some of the hair rinsing methods outlined above to close the cuticle as tightly as possible. If excessive damage is the culprit of your porosity issues, protein treatments are essential in repairing large holes and gaps in the hair strand.

Keep in mind that applying protein is not a long term fix because the actual hair strand is dead. It may fill the gaps temporarily but will wash out easily since there are no living protein cells to fuse with and rebuild the wall.

Although you can’t change the number of cuticle layers assigned to your hair type, a more permanent improvement of cuticle strength can arise out of proper diet and nutrition. Providing your body with the right nutrients gives the hair follicle more stable building blocks to work with as it processes and produces the hair fibre.

Make it a habit to inspect your cuticle regularly. Early intervention of self-inflicted damage can spare your hair from more trauma than is necessary. Remember to get your hair trimmed regularly and often.

Have you developed any tips and tricks when working with your cuticle? Share with us your successes and failures. We’re eager to hear from you!

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If you’ve ever wondered why your hair is fine or coarse, brown or black, you’ve actually been questioning the contents of your hair cortex. Although the human hair shaft is comprised of the cuticle, cortex and, depending on the size of the strand, the medulla, it’s the cortex that makes up the bulk of the hair strand. It is also responsible for the display of your hair’s genetic code, which includes color, hair type and texture.

It’s this part of the human hair shaft that is the target for chemical alteration in regards to natural color and curl pattern and the most in need of protection by the cuticle.

What’s in your hair’s genes?

The cortex is a complex system of cells. There is a mass of cells called the dermal papilla which acts as the boss to the entire hair growth system. It is instrumental in the development of the original hair follicle and dictates the size of the hair fibre that will eventually be produced. (For more information about the hair follicle and how it reproduces hair, see Human hair follicle: Your hair growth factory.)

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The larger or more broad the dermal papilla surface, the thicker the hair strand that will form within its respective hair follicle. Not every follicle on your head is exactly the same, however. This is why it’s possible to have varying textures or hair types on different parts of your head.

The hair matrix takes its direction from the dermal papilla. The cell division and replication that occurs within the hair matrix create the hair shaft and produce the necessary cellular material required to form the hair fibre.

Keratin and melanin cells both originate from this cellular process. These cells undergo a process of keratinization, which is fancy for die off and harden. The keratinized cells get pushed up into the follicle duct and advance the hair strand upward. In other words, they add to the base of your hair strand creating the growth you see above your scalp line.

Protein packs a punch.

Human hair is made up of a type of fibrous protein called keratin, which consists of a combination of 18 amino acids essential to hair health. It is an insoluble protein, which contains large amounts of cysteine. This particular amino acid is responsible for the rich sulfur content and plays an important role in the structure and cohesion of hair.

Within the cortex, the keratin is organised into protofibrils, composed of 4 chains of keratin. The protofibrils can be compared to a rope-like structure, where its strength is dependent on the bonds or bridges between the atoms of individual chains. These bonds are of variable strength.

Disulphide bonds are the strongest bonds, formed out of the attraction between amino acid cysteine and other sulfur containing molecules. The placement of these bonds form the shape and structure of your hair strand. Cysteine amino acids are capable of bonding with other cysteines further down the hair shaft and is the contributing factor to any curling of hair.

Curly hair has more of these bonds than straight hair. The follicle’s shape and resulting angle that it travels towards the surface of the skin allows for different parts of the hair shaft to come close enough together to allow a bond to form.

Acting on the sulphurated parts of the keratin amino acid chain, disulfide bridges can only be broken with the use of chemicals. Weaker bonds, such as hydrogen bonds, are ones that can be altered with the addition of water alone.

Found amongst these keratinized cells are pigment cells, or carriers of melanin.

Are you high on melanin?

The color of your hair depends on the shade and amount of pigment located in the cortex, with some influence coming from tiny air spaces found within the hair itself. Melanin represents only 1% of the total composition of your hair, so its influence is impressive despite its volume. There are two melanin types found to represent the spectrum of available hair colors; eumelanin and pheomelanin.

Eumelanin provides black and brown pigment and is particularly abundant among black populations. The absence of eumelanin dictates whether hair is blonde or not.

Pheomelanin provides pink and red colors and is the main pigment found among red-haired individuals. Aside from providing color, melanin’s functional purpose is for protection against UV-radiation. Pheomelanin is nowhere near as protective as eumelanin.

Are you starting to find white hairs? That means pigment is absent from the cortex. The contained air becomes reflective of light and is responsible for the whiteness. The difference between white and gray hair is generally associated with the overall mixture of white and colored hairs you have.

What shape do you subscribe to?

Mechanically speaking, the cortex is largely responsible for the elasticity and tensile strength of the hair fibre. It is made up of cortical cells, which when counted as one unit, comprise 75 to 80% of the strand’s overall volume.

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Until closer examination, the general thought was that every hair strand had a round shaped circumference. These cross-sections, representing various hair types, highlight the fact that hair strands are as unique as the head they come from. The composition of the cortex and the shape of the cortical cells included in it, define the outer shape of each hair strand.

It’s possible for an individual cortical cell to be one of two different classifications, where the combination of these differing cells dictate your hair type and resulting curl pattern.

Cortical cells define ethnic differences.

Not all cortical cells are shaped the same. Dr. Ali N. Syed does a great job explaining the complexities of the cortex. There are two main types of cells, ortho-cortical and paracortical. Para-cortical cells are shaped like spindles and are fairly consistent in shape, although overall size can vary from one to another.

If you have straight hair of Asian or European descent, your cortex will be primarily made up of these. Bone straight hair only has para-cortical cells, as they organize themselves in a uniformly stacked fashion. When hair starts to become wavy, or expresses some curl, you can expect to see the introduction of ortho-cortical cells in its structure.

Ortho-cortical cells do not have a uniform shape to them and one might even call them random in their makeup. Much like its para-cortical counterpart, they are also generated in various sizes.

Curlier hair types have a cortex filled with a majority share of these ortho-cortical cells, with a small amount of para-cortical cells, typically lining one side of the hair shaft. Considered an example of mixed race hair, you can expect larger, fuller curl patterns as a result of this composition.

The curliest hair types have equal shares of both otho- and para-cortical cells. It may be the struggle for cortex domination occurring between the two types that causes the exaggerated curl definition found in African descent hair.

An interesting hair type cross-section comparison between straight and curly hair shows the uniformity of straight hair clearly. The curly haired strand presents itself in a whorl pattern, much like you would see in a fingerprint. If you think about the vast number of fingerprints in the world, this could be some indication of the vast number of hair combinations that are actually possible.

https://www.slideshare.net/dralisyed/1-structureof-hair-euro-july-08 Left, curly hair – Right, represents straight hair.

Dry, broken and lacking elasticity.

The extent of the dryness of your hair can be attributed to something called cell membrane complex. There are two forms in the human hair strand. One type is found at the cuticle layer and another within the cortex used to bind the keratinized cells together.

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Cell membrane complex is a lipid material formed out of essential fatty acids, ceramides and cholesterol. It performs an important role in structure, tensile strength and elasticity. Let’s try to apply an analogy here to improve your understanding.

Think of the internal cell membrane like window putty. In older windows, when seating a pane of glass, they often used a putty because it was flexible and would allow for expansion and contraction of the glass during changes of temperature, without compromising its function. If that putty were to dry out, the glass would become loose and rattle if windy or possibly even fall out if moved.

Cell membrane complex operates in much the same way. It binds the cortex together, allows for flexibility in the hair shaft and provides a built-in pocket of moisture to keep the hair strand pliable and responsive to manipulation.

The cuticle has its own version of cell membrane complex with a slightly different composition. Responsible for protection and moisture retention, the cuticle is the first line of defense when washing your hair. A study was conducted measuring the effects shampoo had on the lipid layers of hair.

One shampoo application can be responsible for extracting approximately 50% of cuticle layer fats, with repeated shampooing increasing the reduction to between 70 and 90%. When the cuticle is doing its job, it is believed that the internal fats found in the cortex are not affected to the same extent.

When an extreme depletion occurs, the internal fats migrate from inside the cortex of the hair shaft to the outside cuticle layer in an attempt to remedy the depletion. You can imagine that if this cycle happens enough, the cortex will become dry and brittle and you will experience breakage.

Because the hair shaft is dead, the lipids don’t have the ability to restore themselves. Much like the window analogy, when the cell membrane complex is dried out it loses its functionality.

The sebum produced from the sebaceous gland would be ineffective in trying to coat the curly hair shaft since it would not have the benefit of gravity to help it slide along the shaft.

In most cases of extreme dryness, new growth is the best replacement.

There are reports that coconut oil has a natural penetrating ability when applied to human hair because of the chemistry of its fatty chains. Applying coconut oil may provide some temporary relief from dried out hair but the jury is still out on whether or not it would revitalize a cortex depleted of all its built-in moisture.

Water: Friend or foe?

We tend to have a love/hate relationship with moisture. On the one hand, we crave it to keep our hair looking healthy and free of frizz. On the other hand, when moisture asserts itself into your hair situation when you least expect it—think high humidity—you are less than impressed with what it does to your style.

So what’s a girl to do? Knowledge is the first line of defence. The proteins that make up the human hair have a natural affinity for water. When water is introduced, either directly or indirectly, as in the atmosphere, your hair strand seeks to soak it up.

Dr. Andrew Avarbock, who writes for the New York Times, claims that the better hydrated your hair is the less it will react to environmental moisture conditions. He explains that the swelling of the hair strand, evidenced by the appearance of frizz, is a direct result of dry, or porous hair soaking up water from the atmosphere. The introduction of water alters any existing bonds between your keratin proteins.

Many a battle has been lost with humidity, but if optimal cortical health plays a part in conquering this one, improved care is so worth it.

Give your cortex a head start

Knowing that your hair is made of protein, water and essential fatty acids, direct attention to your diet can provide positive results. Most people are not deficient in protein so we’ll focus on the increase of essential fatty acids and water.

One of the key essential fatty acids is Omega-3. You can find this abundantly in foods like salmon, mackerel, tuna, white fish, sardines, egg yolks, walnuts and hemp seeds. If these food sources don’t appeal to you, you can always try taking an omega-3 or fish oil supplement.

Increase your water intake. The more water you drink, the better your skin looks. Since hair is a direct descendant of your skin, keratinized protein, it makes sense that it will improve how your hair looks and functions as well.

Not sure you can see a difference? Watch your fingernails for clues. Also made of keratinized protein, your fingernails will display hydration deficiencies that are easy to recognize. If your fingernails begin to break more, look dry or lose their natural luster, you can be certain your hair will do the same, if it isn’t already.

As with most things, what you put into it is what you get out of it. Our bodies are no different. Try increasing your essential fatty acids and water intake and watch the natural shine and elasticity of your hair come back to life.

Have you made any observations about your hair’s cortex and how it responds to treatment? If you’ve got some hidden gems, please share with us below. It’s our goal to make everyone’s hair life better than ever.

Have you ever had one of those days? You find yourself standing in front of the mirror, staring at the marvel that is your hair, asking yourself, “Why?” Why does my hair grow like that? Why are my curls so random? How did I ever end up with this color? Do your questions have questions?

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Knowing our hair, the specifics of what we are actually dealing with and how it functions in the grand scheme of things, can make all the difference in the world when trying to achieve the latest look.

We regularly wage war with the tip and shaft of the hair strand, while the root and bulb do their thing below the surface. Starting from top to bottom, we’ll take a closer look at the anatomy of human hair and how its parts function together to create a healthy head of hair.

The hair shaft defines you

First and foremost, all hair, from root to tip, is made up of a water insoluble protein known as Keratin, which consists of many amino acids as its primary units.

Home of the split end, the tip of the hair is the part that we regularly trim off in order to keep the rest of the shaft healthy. It is possible for the split end to travel along the shaft and effectively sub-divide the natural thickness of your hair. When that happens, your hair will become weaker and more susceptible to breakage. Regularly trimming is recommended by hair professionals everywhere.

Within the shaft of your hair strand are the three main components, or building blocks, of human hair; the cuticle, cortex and medulla. It’s the internal chemistry and makeup of these which define the characteristics and manageability of your hair, in general.

You could say, the hair shaft holds the key to combating whatever hair insanity you regularly deal with. Excited to slay that dragon, we’re going to examine these building blocks now.

The building blocks of human hair

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There are three main components to the human hair shaft. Each of these are further subdivided and have their own complexities and challenges. Starting from the outside in, the shaft is comprised of:

• a cuticle
• cortex, and
• medulla.

What’s so cute about the cuticle?

The cuticle layer is clear and absent of any hair color or pigmentation. It is the reflective element light bounces off of to radiate shine. The tighter closed or more smooth the cuticle layer is the more shine your hair will display.

Every cuticle is formed out of a series of layers of dead cells. If you think about the shingles on the roof of a house, you can easily visualize how the cuticle layers might overlap on an individual hair strand.

It is important to note, not every hair cuticle is created equal. There can be variations in thickness from as little as 2 layers up to 10. Surprisingly, these variations can occur on a single strand of hair, as well as between different hair strands on the same head of hair.

The gatekeeper and first line of defense.

As a protective layer, the cuticle acts as a gatekeeper and strives to keep unwanted elements external to the hair shaft, while keeping beneficial elements, like moisture, inside.

Because of the multiple layers, there is a substance between each which binds them together so that they operate as one unit. The damage of that substance through chemical treatments, styling products and styling practices causes the layers to separate and reduce the overall protective quality.

As the first line of defense for your cortex and an important element in the finishing of your crowning glory, you can see why it’s important to keep the cuticle healthy and at its best.

Let’s see how the cortex works alongside the cuticle.

Sometimes the core. Always the cortex.

Because the medulla is not present in all hair types, the cortex can sometimes act as the core or centremost part of certain hair shafts. Whether the medulla exists or not, the basic structure of the cortex remains the same.

Much like the cuticle, there are multiple cells that work together to form the cortex. The cortex is the thickest part of the hair when considering the diameter of a single hair strand. It is made up of a series of protein-based rod-shaped cells that run parallel to the length of your hair. These cells are not always a uniform shape. TODO The cortex: Giving substance to the human hair shaft  – explores these differences and more in greater detail.

Defining your hair color.

Within the cortex, you’ll find the major source of your hair color. Your individual pigmentation or melanin content resides here and dictates the hue of your tresses.

It is the cortex, where keratin protein accumulates, that needs to be accessed in order to change hair color  with dyes and chemicals. The keratin cellular chemistry is what is changed to create new colors and styles.

When the medulla layer is actually present, there can be some melanin cells found there as well. Read on for more information on this “now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t” layer.

Maybe the medulla. Maybe not.

The medulla, found at the core of some hair strands, appears to be the greatest mystery to hair care specialists and scientists today. As you search the internet, you’ll discover the definitive conclusion that the medulla layer is not present in fine hair, whatever the color.

The underlying function of the medulla is still in question. Dr. Ali N. Syed, chemist and founder of Avlon Industries Inc. with over 30 years experience developing hair care products, states that the medulla is full of air pockets and suggests it may be responsible for any potential volume found in particular hair types.

It’s the criminal forensic scientists that get the credit for documenting different types of medulla. They have discovered a variety in the structure of the medulla across different hair types and have created four categories for medulla classification:

• continuous
• interrupted
• fragmented, and
• absent.

They also claim that Native American and Asian hair types have been found to have continuous medulla as well as coarse hair, since instances of double medulla has been found in men’s beard hair.

Medulla may not be so mysterious.

Black Hair Spot would like to be the first to draw some conclusions from the data they have gathered. First, take into account Asian hair and Native American hair tends to be bone straight and highly resistant to chemical restructuring, in the case of perms and waves. Then add to that the fact that beard hair, where double medulla had been identified, is typically classified as very coarse. We can deduce that the medulla layer plays a strong role in the pliability of the hair shaft and overall structure in hair typing.

A good metaphor for comparison might be a spinal column, since a medulla runs through the centre of your hair shaft, when present at all:

• continuous or unsegmented would be likened to rebar, inflexible and straight.
• interrupted and fragmented would show signs of variable flexibility dependent on the frequency and space between naturally occurring gaps.
• complete absence of medulla would experience flat, lifeless hair that is difficult to hold shape or style; you might say, spineless.

With this assumption in place, it appears that the most extreme classifications of the medulla layer, continuous and absent, prove to be the most difficult to alter chemically.

We’re excited to see where the scientists, who are pursuing this subject, land. Whether or not the medulla is critical to the shape and style of your hair, one thing is for certain. Your hair would be nothing without the following supporting actors.

Introducing the supporting actors in your hair health story

It’s no secret that your hair health is contingent upon what nutrients you supply internally and what you expose it to externally. Those hair headliners of yours may claim the credit, but they don’t do it all by themselves. They have the benefit of some strong supporting actors, which help you to command the attention you deserve for those beautiful tresses. In truth, your hair wouldn’t even exist without these below the surface supporters.

In particular, your tresses are supported by:

• the hair follicle,
• hair bulb, and
• sebaceous gland.

Time to take a closer look at how they help your hair to steal center stage.

The fortitude of the hair follicle.

The hair follicle is more in control than you might think. While we’re frantically trying to restyle the hair north of our scalp, the hair follicle is hard at work replicating that same genetic template we’re working overtime to defeat.

According to www.keratin.com, the entire inventory of our hair follicles, their distribution and spacing across our entire body is formed in the earliest days of our womb experience. That means whatever you’ve got is what you’ve got, for the duration. Keeping them all functioning is your best hope for maintaining hair density. See Human hair follicle: Your hair growth factory for more information about the follicle and reasons why it may fail to produce hair.

One might assume all follicles look the same and differentiation in hair type only shows itself once it emerges from the scalp or skin. Not so.

Think of follicles like tiny hair factories with preset molds inside. As the hair grows, it travels through this genetically designed mold  and comes out the other side with your established  curl pattern. So if your hair has tight tiny curls, the embedded path reflects that. Large curls? Same thing, different path.

The follicle’s main job is to produce and “house” the hair. It has its own system for growth, shedding and regeneration, so it’s always on the job replicating your trademark tresses. The hair fibre is rooted inside the follicle until it is shed for new growth.

Hair bulb: the anchor of your hair strand

The hair bulb is located at the very bottom of the hair follicle and is the anchor that roots the hair into the skin. It contains the living cells, which divide and replicate, and reproduce the hair strand.

According to webMD.com, blood vessels nourish the cells in the hair bulb and deliver the hormones responsible for common modifications of hair that occur at different stages of your natural life. Graying hair or change of texture and density are common as we age.

It is the hair bulb that has a mass of nerve endings. These are the source of the pain you feel when someone pulls your hair. They do not travel along the length of the hair shaft, which is why you don’t feel pain when your hair is cut. That part of your hair is actually dead.

Those nerve endings are also responsible for the goose bump feeling you get or even the ability to notice when someone has brushed up against your locks when you aren’t looking.

Sebaceous glands: our built-in oil refinery.

Responsible for keeping your skin and hair moist, the sebaceous gland is a sac that is located in the skin. It produces an oil called sebum, which empties into the duct of the follicle. This provides lubrication and moisture as the hair shaft grows up to maturity.

Not all sebaceous glands produce oil at the same rate. Another dictate of genetics, a person can expect anywhere from dry, moderate, oily and very oily effects from this gland’s output. See TODO The sebaceous gland: Oil shortage or overdrive for more information.

Also not uncommon are variations in the amount of secretion throughout the anatomy of any one person. If you’ve ever experienced dry scalp but have an oily T-zone on your face, you’ll understand completely.

Sometimes your hair follicle can be blocked with dead skin cells. When that occurs, the sebaceous gland doesn’t know to stop production so sebum fills up the duct and a plug forms. If you’ve ever had hair bumps, or acne, this is an example of your blocked follicles at work.

On the plus side, sebum is responsible for protecting the body from bacteria, while keeping moisture locked in.  When it finds its way to the scalp, or epidermis, it begins to perform this protective role. Vitamin A is reported to be beneficial with sebum production and may be important if you’re trying to have a more supportive relationship with your sebaceous glands.

There is much more to our hair than meets the eye. This broad overview is intended to start the journey, unwrapping the mysteries that both confuse and astound us, as we go.

This exploration is far from over. Check back with us as we continue to share more educational content in this series.

If you happened to learn something that you didn’t already know, please leave a comment sharing how we blew your mind today. Even if your mind wasn’t blown, if you were alerted to something new, we’d love to hear from you.