You spend time washing it, conditioning it, and styling it. You might even talk to it on a bad hair day. But have you ever stopped to wonder if the hair you see is actually alive? It’s a fascinating question that gets to the very root of what hair is.
The simple answer is no, the hair strand you can see and touch is not alive. It’s made up of a protein called keratin, the same material that makes up your fingernails. This part of the hair, the shaft, has no living cells, nerves, or blood supply. That’s why getting a haircut is completely painless.
Where the Life in Your Hair Really Is
While the hair shaft itself is dead, the process of hair growth is very much alive and happening beneath the surface of your scalp. Each hair grows from a tiny organ called a hair follicle. This living part of the hair is nestled deep in your skin and is full of blood vessels and actively dividing cells.
Think of the follicle as a tiny factory. It takes nutrients from your blood and uses them to produce new hair cells. These new cells are pushed upward, where they die and harden into the keratinous hair strand we see. So, the living part is the root, and the hair we style is the finished, non-living product.
Caring for Hair That’s No Longer Living
Since the hair on your head is not alive, it can’t repair itself. If you damage it with heat, chemicals, or the sun, that damage is permanent until the hair grows out. This is why preventative care is so important for healthy-looking hair.
Your focus should be on protecting the hair shaft and supporting the living follicle underneath. Gentle handling, using heat protectant sprays, and choosing nourishing conditioners can help maintain the integrity of your hair. Meanwhile, a balanced diet rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals provides the essential building blocks your follicles need to produce strong, healthy new hair.
Why Split Ends Happen and What You Can Do
Because your hair is dead, it has no ability to heal a split end. Once the protective outer layer of the hair shaft, the cuticle, is damaged and peels back, the inner cortex is exposed and begins to fray. This damage will only travel up the hair shaft over time.
The only real solution for split ends is to trim them off. Regular trims remove the oldest, most weathered parts of your hair, preventing splits from moving higher and making your overall hair look and feel healthier.
So, while the hair we see and style isn’t alive, it’s the direct result of a very active living process happening just out of sight. By understanding this, we can make better choices to care for both the visible hair and the hidden, living roots that create it.