Human Hair – Some Quick Facts
What’s hair all about?
How does hair grow?
Why do men go bald?
Hair Care Tips
Hair Loss – True or False?
Human Hair – Some Quick Facts:
- We each have about 100,000 hairs on the scalp
- You need to lose about 50% of your hair before hair loss becomes noticeable
- It is normal to lose 50-100 hairs from the head each day
- Scalp hair grows at a rate of about 1 cm (just under 1/2 inch) a month
- Each hair on the head grows for about 4-7 years before being shed
- Approximately 40 million men and 30 million women in North America
experience hair loss
- In the United States, there has not been an elected bald President since the
television age began
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What’s hair all about?
Hair has two separate parts: the follicle and the hair shaft. The follicle lies below the scalp
and produces the hair shaft (strand) that you see growing out of your skin’s epidermis layer.
The follicle is alive. The hair shaft is not – it’s made of fragile, dead cells that have no
regenerative properties.
The follicle is a sac of skin tissue buried deep in the scalp. It has a bulb at the bottom. The
sebaceous gland is attached to the follicle. It gives hair its shine by producing a natural
lubricant called sebum. The follicle is where the personal characteristics of hair are decided:
curly or straight, dry or oily, and thickness.
Hair has three basic layers: the medulla, the cortex, and the cuticle. The medulla is the
innermost core of the hair where the body and strength is determined. The cortex is the
middle (and largest) layer. It provides strength to the hair shaft, and determines the color,
texture and elasticity. The cuticle protects hair from the environment by forming a tightly
packed layer of protective scales that overlap.
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How does hair grow?
Hair grows from the hair follicle at an average rate of one-half inch per month. Each hair
grows for four to seven years, after which it enters a “resting phase,” and then falls out. A
new hair begins growing in its place between three weeks and three months later. At any one
time, 85 percent of hair is growing and 15 percent is resting. The life of a hair consists of
three phases:
- ANAGEN PHASE. when the hair is actually growing;
- CATAGEN PHASE. short transition stage (2-3 weeks) when hair
stops growing;
and,
- TELOGEN PHASE. when the hair is resting. At the end of the
telogen stage,
the hair shaft falls out and a new strand starts to grow in its place.
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Why do men go bald?
Male-pattern baldness (also known as Androgenetic Alopecia) is
the most common form of hair loss for men, representing up to
90% of all male cases. There are some 40 million male adults
in North America today experiencing hair loss. Mild to
moderate hair loss affects about 50% of all men by the time
they are 50. Male pattern hair loss results in either a
receding hair line or thinning at the crown of the head. It
occurs due to a chemical known as dihydrotestosterone (or
“DHT”) which builds up around the follicle and eventually
kills the follicle and the hair.
A follicle’s resistance to DHT is genetic – which is why some
people go bald and others do not. If you have relatives with
thin hair or who are bald, you may well develop the same
problem, although the gene can also skip generations and can
be inherited from either the mother’s or the father’s side of
the family.
Aging makes baldness more likely. Sixty five% of men have noticeable hair loss by age
60. Most elderly people have thin, fine hair even if they are not noticeably bald. Other
factors and conditions that cause hair loss, include braiding (currently popular with
African American men) and Alopecia Areata (spotty hair loss).
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Hair Care Tips: Four steps to healthier hair
- Step 1: Shampoo your hair frequently
It is good to shampoo your hair – we recommend at least three times a week. This helps
to remove dirt and buildup on the hair that can deteriorate the condition of your scalp.
When shampooing, it is very important that you pay attention to cleansing your hair, your
scalp and your hair line. Many people (wrongly) will drop a handful of shampoo on their
head and then rinse it off. Shampoo must be worked through all of your hair, as well as
the scalp and hairline. Did you notice that when you shampoo your hair the amount of
lather often varies? Usually, the more lather you have, the less buildup you have on your
hair. It’s also important to fully rinse out the shampoo to eliminate any residual
detergents – they can damage the hair shaft and scalp.
- Step 2: Use a conditioner and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Frequently shampooing can dry out your hair and, therefore, must be followed by the use
of a moisturizing conditioner. It is very important to work the conditioner through all of
your hair and leave it in for three to five minutes. Again, many people misapply and
misuse conditioner by not working it through to the ends of the hair and not leaving it on
long enough. Correct use of conditioners containing light proteins, such as hydrolyzed
human hair keratin proteins, can help strengthen your hair. A good conditioner with these
proteins can easily penetrate the hair shaft to replenish nutrients. These proteins can also
repair split ends. Split ends develop after the protective cuticle has been stripped away
from the end of hair fibers as a result of harsh chemicals or even vigorous brushing.
- Step 3: Protect your hair from the elements. Use a leave-in conditioner that contains
sun block (UV protector).
Excessive exposure to the sun can damage your hair by inducing oxidation of the sulfur
molecules within the hair shaft, leaving the hair weak, brittle, dry and faded. People who
bleach or lighten their natural hair color may also notice slight color changes in their hair
when it is exposed to sun. Blond hair may turn yellow, fade or become dull due to UV
exposure. Even natural brunette hair tends to develop reddish hues from sun exposure due
to oxidation of melanin pigments.
- Step 4: Maintain a healthy diet
Hair requires the same overall nutrition that the body does: plenty of fresh fruits and
vegetables, grains and protein including lean meat and fish. Dietitians recommend foods
high in biotin, including brown rice, bulgar, brewer’s yeast, soybeans, green peas, lentils,
oats, sunflower, seeds and nutritious nuts. Nutritionists advise healthy hair seekers to eat
well-balanced diets that incorporate healthy proteins along with foods high in vitamins B,
C, E, A and K. Hair instantly responds to the addition of protein-rich foods such as meats,
eggs, cheese, seeds and nuts. Fish packs a double punch of protein combined with healthbuilding
essential fatty acids and natural oils. We recommend you discuss your diet with
a medical professional.
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Hair Loss: True or False?
Brushing the hair 100 times a day will stimulate the circulation
and prevent hair loss
» False
Vigorous brushing is more likely to injure the hairs and make the
problem worse.
Some hairstyles, like braiding can cause hair loss
» True
Styles that pull or put tension on
the hairs - such as tight ponytails or corn-rows - can cause hair loss.
Hats encourage hair loss because the hair can't breathe
» False
Hair does not need to breathe. Only
the root of the hair is alive, and this gets its oxygen from the blood in the
scalp.
Frequent shampooing makes hair fall out
» False
The 50-100 hairs we
lose each day often become tangled with the rest of the hair but are washed
out when we shampoo. So we see what seems like a lot of hair in the shower
after shampooing, but in reality these hairs have been shed earlier.
Blow-drying can worsen hair loss
» True
The reason is that extreme heat damages the proteins in the hairs
making them fragile and liable to break off. Brushing the hair during
blow-drying causes more damage. If you use a hair dryer, it should be set on
the coolest setting.
Hair coloring, perm solutions and hairsprays worsen hair loss
» False
Hair dyes, perms and hairsprays do
not affect thinning hair. Perms and hairsprays can help to disguise the
problem. Remember, it is the follicle, which is located beneath the skin, that
produces the hair. Chemical treatments can damage the hair strands but can't
affect the follicle.
Baldness can be linked to heart attacks
»
Inconclusive
In 1999, doctors at Harvard Medical School found
that men who had lost hair at the crown of the head had a 32% increased chance
of coronary heart disease. Hair loss at the front of the head hardly increased
the risk at all. Regardless of how accurate this study could be, to promote a
healthy lifestyle, you should stop smoking, eat healthy, have your blood
pressure checked and do some exercise.
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