When discussing hair, it's crucial to acknowledge its two primary components:
- Biotic part (“alive”): This involves the root and the hair bulb which is beneath the skin of the scalp, specifically below the epidermis and the dermis. The hair bulb, the living part of hair, feeds on the nutrients provided by the food we eat through blood circulation.
- Abiotic part (“dead”): On the other hand, the abiotic part, often referred to as "dead," is made up of the hair fiber, a protective strand. This is a lifeless structure, which we help to enhance with the use of cosmetic products such as shampoo, conditioner, and masks. To make this clearer: plucking a hair from the follicle can cause discomfort as it involves the living part. However, simply cutting the hair does not result in any sensation of pain.
In essence, the hair, being a lifeless fiber, lacks the inherent ability to regenerate itself. When a part of its structure is lost there's no mechanism to generate a new one. The area of the hair containing cellular activity is found inside the hair bulb, but once the hair is born this activity stops and the hair no longer receives information from our organism, it transforms into keratin and essentially reaches the end of its life cycle.
It is important to be aware that the damage caused to our hair is cumulative. This doesn't imply refraining from treatments; what it actually means is that we should take all the preventive measures and know beforehand how to care for it during each treatment. The best course of action is to treat it with cosmetics to improve its appearance and help its inner structure boost.