What is hair made of?

Answer 1

A: The best way to answer this question is to reverse the two parts. First, your hair grows from follicles within the skin. The part of the hair inside the follicle (below the skin's surface) is known as the hair root, while the portion you see protruding from the head is the hair shaft. At the base of the hair root is the hair bulb where nutrients are received and new cells are formed.

Also within the hair follicle are the dermal papilla (a cone shaped protrustion at the base of the follicle which feeds blood - and therefore nutrients - to the hair bulb), the sebaceous gland (or oil gland) which lubricates and keeps the hair healthy and shiny, as well as the arrector pili, a tiny muscle anchored to the follicle. The arrector pili respond to stimulus (fear or cold) causing them to contract and make the hair stand up straight.

Taking nutrients from the dermal papilla, the hair bulb generates new hair cells. As these cells move up through the hair root, they mature through a process called keratinization, fill with fibrous protein and lose their nucleus. When the cell loses its nucleus it is no longer alive. By the time the hair emerges from the skin it is merely fiber made of keratinized proteins.

Answer 2

Hair is made up of a protein called keratin, which is produced in hair follicles in the skin. Keratin gives hair its structure, strength, and elasticity. Hair also contains water, lipids, and pigments that give it color.