What is hair made of

April

Hair is primarily made of a special type of protein called “keratin.” Keratin is the same tough, water insoluble material that fingernails and animal horns and hooves are made of. Hair also contains natural oils (lipids) and water. These hair “ingredients” are arranged in 3 primary structures: the cuticle (which is the outermost, shingle-like layer); the cortex (the inside of the hair consisting of bundles of protein filaments; and the medula (a soft spongy-like core in the center of the cortex.)

We’ll talk more about hair in future posts but the Beauty Brains are still trying to figure out how much our readers really want to know. So tell us, do you want to know more?

8 Responses to “What is hair made of”

thebeautybrains.com » Can any product really repair split ends? Says:

[...] To see why, you have to understand a couple of things about basic hair biology. Hair is dead and once it’s damaged it can’t repair itself. A new strand of hair can grow out, but any part of the fiber that’s already damaged can’t heal itself. And when hair is damaged it looks like this: [...]
huda Says:

if hair is made of dead cells, how come there is healthy hair and damaged hair?
Jane Smith Says:

I would like to see a close up of what a hair looks like if you split it up the cuticle - while still on the head. Why does this cause damage to other hairs around it?
Left Brain Says:

Hair is not really made of dead cells but rather, dead protein.

Healthy hair is just marketing words that don’t really mean anything. They are often a substitute for descriptions like shiny, soft, or easy to manage hair. But the hair itself is not “healthy”.

Damaged hair refers to hair that has split ends, looks dull or breaks easily. It is damaged because it doesn’t look and feel good. But this isn’t because of how healthy it is. It is related to how often it is washed, combed, styled, and colored.

Hair is more like the fabric on a blouse. Marketing people would call a new blouse “healthy” and an old, worn-out blouse damaged.

Damaged hair can help damage the ones around it because the fibers get more tangled and will snag on the comb or brush. This is what really causes the damage.
Dan Says:

With regards to the chemistry of curling hair, when hair gets a “perm”, is it the cuticle or the cortex in which the disulfide bonds between keratin molecules are broken and remade.
Brucy Reedie Says:

how does hair come out thin and dry. Also why does it break and why is it thick, straight, or curly? Please answer as soon as possible (this is for extra credit)
lauren Says:

OMG!!!!! It is totally made of dead skin cells!
Grow more hair with a laser? | The Beauty Brains Says:

[...] right off the bat, the Hair Max staff have lost some credibility for not understanding basic hair biology. We don’t know of any scientific mechanism that would explain how the application of light [...]