Grow Your Hair Naturally with Longhairlovers Luxe Natural Hair Growth Remedies Scientifically Backed - Cert. Organic Ingredients Live Help | View Cart Made without Sulfates, Parabens, Petrochemicals, Silicones, Artificial Colors or Fragrances Products  |  Growth Formula  |  Our Ingredients  |  Expert Advice  |  Testimonials  |  Hair Care Articles   Understanding What Hair Is And How It Grows By Jennifer Bahney Longhairovers.com   You've probably heard that hair is a "dead" substance that cannot be revived or repaired, no matter what you do. Hair is made from a hard, fibrous protein called Keratin. Keratin is the same substance that makes up fingernails, which is why neither nails nor hair bleed or hurt when you cut them. Hair has three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla.   The cuticle has overlapping scales that make the hair look shiny when they lie flat, and damaged when the scales are roughed up. The cortex contains your hair's coloring pigment and gives the hair elasticity and strength. And the medulla gives hair its thickness. The hair follicle is a cavity in the scalp surrounded by cells called papillae. Papillae are gorged with blood from capillaries, which stimulate them to make hair cells. These hair cells harden or keratinize, die, and become the hair shaft. The dead hair is then pushed out through the living follicle. Men and women are born with a set amount of hair follicles, between 90,000 and 180,000. The follicle determines whether your hair will be curly or straight, and how thick it will be. It also determines how oily or dry your hair is, because it's attached to sebaceous gland sacs that produce sebum, the hair's oil. The number of hairs on your head is related to your hair's color. Blondes usually have an average of 120,000 hairs, brunettes have 100,000 and redheads have the fewest at 80,000. Hair grows about a half an inch each month, or an average of six inches each year. It doesn't grow evenly either; each follicle has its own growth cycle. On average, though, hair grows to about 18 to 24 inches long, which isn't very good news if you hair needs to grow to 30+ inches to reach your waist. That's because hair growth is cyclic. Hair's active growing time is called the "anagen" phase, which can last up to three years. Then comes a transitional stage called the "catagen" phase, where the new hair moves toward the scalp's surface. Hair then enters a resting period called the "telogen" phase. The average lifespan of each hair is about two to eight years. After that, the hair falls out and is replaced by a new one. Some people can't grow extremely long hair because their hair replaces itself faster than people who can grow their hair to their knees. For instance, waist length hair takes about six years to grow out. That's bad news if your hair has a growth cycle of only two years. But don't despair. If your goal is to have long hair, you'll find methods on this site to maximize your own personal growth potential.

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