Diva's Hair-Story: What About My Hair?

My Nubian Queens,

Thanks for dropping by on my page again. For those of you that have subscribed and have been on the Diva Hair-Story Blackberry Group remember that part of the motivation for this blog was so we can learn on a larger scale and platform what ways to address our peculiar hair "situations".

Before we get to the fun part of styling, hair care secrets and tips, allow me to take you back to school for a minute where we give definitions and pictorial descriptions of the human hair and its structure let's find out what the big deal really is about hair...what the hair structure is and what purpose the different parts of the structure are meant to achieve.

If you're wondering why we're doing this...

It's in an attempt to ensure we're all on the same page on our "hair lingo" as that is what I'll be using mostly in subsequent posts on this blog.

Hair in itself can be defined as any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of mammals and other animals. It covers most parts of the human body with intense concentration on the head, armpits and nether regions. The only parts of the human anatomy where hair cannot be found are the palms and soles of our feet.

In this blog, we shall deal solely with the hair on the human head.

Hair serves as a form of beautification and provides warmth and protection in some cases.

Structure

Hair Shaft: The part of the hair projecting beyond the skin.

Hair Follicle: The hair follicle is a structure of the skin from which hair grows.

Hair Bulb: The hair bulb is that portion of the follicle which actively produces the hair.

The Dermal Papilla is a group of cells that form the structure directly below the hair follicle. The cells of the dermal papilla supply glucose to the follicle, which is needed for energy and the production of amino acids. This nourishment allows the body to grow new hair.

The Hair Matrix produces the actual hair shaft as well as the inner and outer root sheaths.