• Question: how many cells are in a single strand of hair?

    Asked by evemackley to Lyn, Katy, Paul, PB on 27 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Peter Balfe

      Peter Balfe answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Great question! I have absolutely NO idea, probably millions. But in the actual hair you can see, not one of them is alive. Hair is dead, and all those adverts about bringing your lacklustre hair to life are either lying or too scary for words…

    • Photo: Ee Lyn Lim

      Ee Lyn Lim answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      That would on depend how long that strand of hair is! 😉 A strand of hair is made of dead cuticle cells arranged like scales around a core of protein. (To feel how the cells are arranged, just run your fingers down a strand of hair, and then up it in the other direction – can you feel that the cells are all facing the same way?) So coarser hair would also have more cells than fine hair, because it takes more cells to go around it! As your hair grows, new cuticle cells are added at the root (in your scalp) so the only live cells in a strand of hair are really in the hair follicles!

      As a side note – hair products like shampoo or conditioner that claim to change how your hair looks are actually using chemicals to soften or harden the cuticle layer (although there are no guarantees about how well they work…). And colouring your hair can damage it because hair dyes often have to strip away the cuticle layer to get to the protein underneath, which is where the colour sticks!

    • Photo: Paul Waines

      Paul Waines answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Hi evemackley (again)

      Hair grows from groups of cells called ‘follicles’ in the skin. This is the only bit that’s actually living.

      The actually hair itself is not alive and is made up of 3 layers:

      – the cuticle (on the outside- the waterproof bit)
      – the cortex (under the cuticle- contains the pigment or colouring)
      – the medulla (an open bit in the middle)

      So the only cells are at the bottom, in the skin, and working hard to make the hair!

      Any more hairy questions?!

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