OUR hair starts to grow within a bulb (root) under the skin, once the hair leaves the root it is actually dead but still has a natural protein called keratin running through it to give its strength.
The protein called keratin is found in our nails and skin, this protein gives our nails their elasticity. Nails and hair also contain sulphur giving off that horrible smell when hair is accidentally singed.
A single hair has a thickness of 0.02 – 0.04mm, so that 20 – 50 hair strands next to each other make one millimetre.
Healthy hair can withstand being stretched to about 70% of its length. It is very strong and only rips after applying strength of up to 60kg. Try testing your hairs elasticity by taking one strand of dry hair and wrapping each end of the hair around each forefinger and stretching, see how much elasticity your hair has.
Everyone loses at least 40 to 100 strands per day whether it be in our bed, the shower, the comb or our clothing. So although we feel at times that our hair is falling out in actual fact it’s a natural process allowing new hair to grow.
The average scalp has 100,000 strands, or just fewer than 1000 per square inch. Losing hair that is long seems more dramatic than losing short hair
The average life time of a hair is up to 7 years of growth before it falls out
The trait for baldness can be passed down through paternal or maternal genes. It has been said that some ladies develop temporary balding at the temple areas after giving birth to a baby boy.
Hormone imbalance, crash dieting and stress can trigger temporary hair loss.
