Interesting Hair Facts

Published 5/12/19, 3:38 PM by Fleur Scalp Care

Interesting Hair Facts

Did you know that a strand of hair is actually stronger than a copper wire of the same diameter? Our hair is pretty interesting and amazing! Being the second fastest growing cells in our bodies, we have on average about 100,000 - 150,000 strands of hair on our head.

Let’s find out some interesting facts about our crowning glory that you might be surprised to know!

Hair Anatomy

The visible part of our hair that we see are actually made of dead keratinized cells. It is only the part of the hair within the follicle that is alive and growing. As it grows, it pushes and extends the rest of the hair. That's why taking care of your hair begins at the scalp!

The di-sulphide bonds in our hair is one of the strongest naturally occurring which can only be broken by extreme heat and chemicals. This is why heat is used in treatments to break the natural bonds and re-style the hair.

A healthy strand of hair can actually be stretched up to a third of its length and swell up to 20% of its diameter. However, without the optimal hydration, dry damaged hair becomes less elastic and snaps much easily.

Our hair grows on an average of half an inch per month or about 6 inches each year. This means that if your hair below your shoulders, your hair ends will be over 4 years old!

It is totally natural to shed about 100 - 150 strands a day. Each strand of hair has its own timeline or stages of growth; anagen, catagen and telogen. Anagen is the active growth phase and telogen is the resting phase when hair falls out naturally. It's a good thing each strand has its own timeline so this cycle doesn't happen all at once.

Diet & Our Hair

Our hair is made primarily of a special kind of proteins; keratin. Including adequate proteins in your diet especially breakfast and lunch can provide your hair the essential daily requirements for growth.

Some studies have shown that a deficiency in B-complex vitamins, namely B12, can speed up our hair's greying process. Find out more about why our hair greys here. Food such as eggs, cod and salmon are great sources for Vitamin B12.

Though being the second fastest growing cells in our bodies, hair is a non-essential tissue. This means that its high energy expenditure is not given a top priority. We can help supplement this by including complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars in our diet.