Hair Structure

To understand your hair and how it grows, you must learn it from the inside out. What is it made of? What is the growth cycle for your hair? These questions will be answered right here in this page.

Hair is made of 3 separate layers:

• Cuticle - The thin, protective, colorless shield, that protects the cortex and makes the hair waterproof. The cortex is made of several layers from 6 to as many as 11 layers. African American hair has more cuticle layers than any other race.

• Cortex - Cortex provides the strength, color, and texture of the hair. In this layer is wear the curly kinky hair texture originates from, as well as the amount of melanin to create your own unique hair color.

• Medulla - The innermost part of the hair. No one really knows what this layer's function is, but it is only present in large thick hairs.

African American hair is made up of 88% protein known as keratin. This is why protein treatments can help preserve the length if you aren't protein sensitive. Within the keratin our hair contains 4 different bonds including the Hydrogen Bond, Salt Bond, Cystine Bond, and Sugar bond. Each bond is important in understand your hair's growth, health, and how to maintain healthy hair.

Hydrogen Bond - This is what makes the hair elastic and allows you to temporarily change the shape of your hair with the aid of water (i.e. wet sets, twist outs on wet hair, etc.). These bonds are responsible for 35% of the hairs elasticity and 50% of it's strength. During a chemical process such as a relaxer the hydrogen bond is broken down and reformed making the hair more prone to breakage.

Salt Bond - To sum this bond up in lamen terms, this bond is also responsible for 35% of the hair's elasticity and 50% of it's strength.

Cystine Bond - Also known as the sulfur or disulfide bond of the hair. This bond is responsible for holding the actual hair fibers in place and the hair's toughness.

Sugar Bond - This bond gives the hair some toughness and strength (about 5%) and even provides some moisture.

Hair Growth

Your hair has 3 stages of growth, which is important to understand so you can not only make realistic hair growth goals, but so that you will understand the cycle to better care for your hair.

The 3 stages of hair growth:
1. Anagen - Growth Phase
2. Catagen - Transitional phase
3. Telogen - Resting Phase

Anagen Phase (Growth Phase) - Approximately 85% of your hair is in the growing phase. The Anagen or growth phase can vary from 2 to 6 years. Hair grows on average about 6 inches per year.

Catagen Phase (Transitional Phase) - At the end of the Anagen phase your hair enters into the Catagen phase which can last between 1-2 weeks. During the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of it's normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla(the base of the hair follicle that provides nourishment to the hair) breaks away to rest below the scalp.

Telogen Phase (Resting Phase) - The resting phase follows after the Catagen phase and normally lasts between 5-6 weeks. During this time your hair does not grow at all, but it stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below the scalp. Approximately 10-15 percent of all your hair is in this phase. At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen (Growth) phase and the dermal papilla joins with the base of the follicle again. A new hair begins to form and if the old hair has not already been shed, the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again. This is the complete cycle of hair growth.

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