{"id":2501,"date":"2022-10-21T13:36:37","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T13:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elannashville.com\/hair\/?p=2501"},"modified":"2022-10-20T13:41:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T13:41:45","slug":"hair-101-hair-basics-know-your-locks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elannashville.com\/hair\/hair-101-hair-basics-know-your-locks\/","title":{"rendered":"Hair 101: Hair Basics (Know Your Locks!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hair<\/p>\n

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Do you know what hair is? How it grows? What gives it color? Why it\u2019s straight or curly? Today we\u2019re going to cover a little Hair 101: Hair Basics\u2013Know Your Locks! Whether you\u2019re a hair expert or a complete novice, read on for everything you need to know about this essential part of our bodies!<\/span><\/p>\n

Humans have two types of hair called terminal hair and vellus hair. Terminal hair is the type of hair that is on your head, eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic region. Vellus hair is the soft, downy hair that is on the rest of your body.<\/span><\/p>\n

Basic Hair Structure<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Follicle<\/b><\/h3>\n

Each strand of hair grows out of a tiny hole in the skin called a follicle. The follicle is like a tiny pocket that is made up of cells. The cells at the bottom of the follicle are alive, but the cells at the top of the follicle and beyond are dead. This is why haircuts and chemicals don\u2019t cause us pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The follicle is also where the hair\u2019s color comes from. The follicle contains tiny tubes called melanocytes. These tubes produce a pigment called melanin, which gives hair its color.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also attached to the hair follicle is a sebaceous gland. This is a tiny gland that produces sebum, an oily substance that lubricates and waterproofs the hair shaft. Sebum also helps to keep the scalp healthy by preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi. Too much sebum can lead to oily hair, while too little can result in dry, brittle hair.<\/span><\/p>\n

The average person has about 100,000 hair follicles on their head!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Shaft and the Root<\/b><\/h3>\n

Hair has two main parts. The shaft is the part of the hair that you can see. It\u2019s made up of dead cells that are filled with a protein called keratin. The shaft is attached to the root, which is the part of the hair that\u2019s under the skin. The root is within the follicle, which goes deeper in the skin. The follicle is where the hair grows from.<\/span><\/p>\n

A muscle is also attached to the root, which is what makes it possible for us to move our hair. The muscle is called the arrector pili, and when it contracts, it makes the hair stand up. This is how we get goosebumps!<\/span><\/p>\n

Anatomy of a Hair Shaft<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you looked at the end of a cut strand of hair, a cross section, you would see that there are two or three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and, in some cases, the medulla.<\/span><\/p>\n