How hair grows

To get strong and healthy hair we always talk about taking care of the roots but, do you know why the hair root is so important? Do you really know how hair grows?

Hair that is born from the scalp it is a structure rich in proteins in which the cells formed in the root are distributed with a layered architecture that are held together thanks to chemical bonds. For the hair to look healthy, this structure must be perfectly formed from birth, since if the cells full of proteins are disordered, the hair will grow dull and fragile.

What is really hair?

Hair is made up of alpha-keratin, a specific protein that is organized into very long filaments that are linked to each other to give it strength. It would be something like a rope; many threads together placed in several layers to give resistance.

The bonds between keratin fibers are known as disulfide bridges and are rich in sulfur.The proteins that make up hair are formed with amino acids, among which the most important are cysteine and methionine since they contain the necessary sulfur to form these resistant bridges. Another amino acid, lysine, is also necessary, as it will allow the formation of even more bonds between the fibers, in this case known as salt bonds.The active hair root cells they will be in charge of creating and shaping this complex structure that forms the hair that we see.

The hair follicle is responsible for forming hair

For the correct creation of hair it is necessary that its root, also known as the hair follicle, works perfectly. The hair follicle is made up of a group of very active cells in charge of packing the keratin and ensuring that the links are formed.

Like any growing cell in the body, it will have many needs to function well. A correct blood supply with nutrients and growth factors it's basic. In addition, the microenvironment that surrounds it (the signals that reach it and the characteristics of its environment on the scalp) must be ideal: there should be no inflammation, that hormonal signals do not inhibit this growth, avoid free radicals and oxidation...

It is not only important that the hair follicle is healthy but that its entire microenvironment is favorable for this growth.

Any alteration of the cells that form the root will lead to an altered hair shaft, which translates into dull-looking, fragile hair or even alopecia-type diseases. This is the reason why to have beautiful-looking hair we must not only take care of it from the outside when it is already grown, but from within to guarantee its health and beauty from the root.

"To have beautiful-looking hair we must not only take care of it from the outside but take care of it, and a lot, from the inside."

Hair growth cycle

When it comes to knowing how hair grows, it is important to know that we are born with a certain number of hair follicles, each of which will create many hairs throughout life. To do it, the hair follicle works through cycles alternating growth times (known as anagen phase) with times of rest and fall (telogen). In this way, after the loss of a hair in telogen phase, the anagen phase of a new hair will begin when the microenvironment is favorable. This is their way of ensuring that the hairs that form will be of the highest possible quality.

Hair growth phases

• In the growth phase (anagen) the follicle is working at its maximum.The great cell division generates the need for a important blood supply and a very high nutritional requirement. In this phase, the hair is very well anchored to the scalp and if we pull it out it hurts.

• All hairs pass to the rest and fall phase (telogen) after a certain time it is believed to be influenced by one's own genetics. Having a certain drop on a daily basis is totally normal. However, any situation that negatively alters the capillary microenvironment can cause more hairs to go through the fall phase.

In this phase, the hair follicle and all its cells stop working, resulting in a negative microenvironment would not damage the follicle forever. We could say that it is a phase in which it is protected.

When growth slows down, the hair becomes detached and after about a month it falls off the scalp painlessly. Despite losing hair, the root will remain protected and will be able to generate new hair when the microenvironment is more favorable.That is why there are so many causes of hair loss that can be regenerated, since what falls is the hair but the root remains safe on the scalp.

The way hair grows and goes through different phases of the growth cycle is really impressive and shows us the high complexity of the body. It is a situation coordinated by many internal and external factors in which the hair responds to the signals it receives as a whole connected to the body.

The objective to guarantee the proper functioning of the hair is to have all the stimulating factors controlled while avoiding the negative factors. All at the same time. This is how we guarantee the ideal microenvironment so that the hair follicle can work on the creation of healthy and strong hair from its roots.