What kind of hair does the human body have?

The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. Most common interest in hair is focused on hair growth, hair types, and hair care, but hair is also an important biomaterial primarily composed of protein, notably alpha-keratin .

What makes up the protein in human hair?

Human hair is made up mostly of keratin, a super strong protein also found in animal feathers, hoofs, claws and human fingernails. Hair also contains melanin, a pigment that gives hair its color, and trace amounts of vitamins, zinc and other metals.

What are the three main parts of hair?

Hair has three main parts. The cortex is the main body of a hair strand. It holds the cells that give hair its color. The medulla is a central core of cells that appear nearly invisible in humans.

What makes up the shaft of human hair?

The hair shaft is made of three distinct layers namely the cuticle, cortex, and medulla. We will briefly discuss these different layers from the innermost to the outer layer. This is a honeycomb-like core of the hair structure. It is at the centre of the fibre and is mostly disorganized.

What is the structure of human hair?

The physical structure of a human hair can be seen through a microscope. It consists of three layers of dead skin cells: the cuticle, a smooth, outer covering fashioned from cells that overlap like fish scales; the cortex, a thick, middle layer made of spindle—shaped cells filled with keratin…

What are the parts of hair?

Hair can be divided into three different parts length-wise: (1) the bulb, a swelling at the base, (2) the root, which is the hair lying beneath the skin surface inside a protective follicle; and (3) the shaft, which is considered the part of the hair above the skin surface though it appears first in the epidermis.

What is hair made from?

Understanding What Hair Is Made Of. Hair is mostly made up of a hard protein called keratin. Keratin is also found in fingernails, toenails, and skin. Hair keratin is formed by amino acid molecules linked by a cysteine disulfide bridge.