Human hair is incredible. It's strong, it's beautiful, and it even has multiple benefits for the body. But did you know that all of the hair you can see is actually dead? In fact, it dies the moment the hair shaft breaks the surface of your scalp (or anywhere else, for that matter). The hair that we see above the surface has no blood vessels or nerves that would classify it as “alive.” Check out these other fun facts that are enough to make your hair curl, and will make you think twice about treating it badly in the future.
1. Hair is Hydrophobic
Here's a hair fact we bet you didn't know: your hair doesn't like water! Each strand of hair on your head is covered in a hydrophobic lipid epicuticle, a waxy external layer of the cuticle that repels water. This layer helps reflect light away from the head and gives hair its texture and sheen. However, it also adds to the daily struggle of retaining the right level of moisture. Although hair type is a contributing factor, the main cause of hair repelling water is product build-up. Using the wrong hair treatment can cause lasting damage. That’s why Lu shampoos, conditioners, and styling creams are formulated with plant-based oils that work with your hair, not against it.
2. You can Test Hair Health With a Single Drop of Water
How much water your hair can absorb and withstand without damage is known as porosity. The less porous your hair is, the closer the cuticles are together. Medium porosity hair is easily moisturized and retains its moisture level well. When hair is damaged with harmful products, it becomes dryer, fragile, opaque, rougher, and too porous. Usually, curly hair is more porous than straight hair, but there’s a simple test you can do to find out how healthy your hair is. Take a few strands of hair and wet them with a couple of droplets of water. If your hair is porous (that is, more damaged), it will absorb the water quickly; if you have healthy hair, the water will sit on top of your hair strands.
3. Hair Is Mostly Made up of Keratin
Keratin is a protein that the body produces to make hair, skin, and nails. It makes up 95% of hair, which is why adding more to your hair care routine is a great idea. But here’s another little known hair fact: most keratin brands do not contain enough keratin to help rebuild hair. Impossible Keratin from Lu goes one step further than other keratin products by actually increasing the hair's tensile strength. Our patented formulation with 65% plant-derived keratin really makes a difference to your hair’s elasticity and moisture retention, and helps to form a thermal barrier that leads to less breakage, split ends, and more. But don’t take our word for it: read the 5-star Amazon reviews of our
Rescue,
Freedom, and
Control shampoos, conditioners, and styling creams to learn how Lu has helped revitalize hair for real customers!
4. We Lose 50 to 100 Hairs a Day
Just as dogs and cats shed, men and women shed up to 100 strands of hair on a daily basis. That's a lot of hair, but the good news is that this is nothing to be concerned about, and isn’t the same as hair loss. Losing this many hairs a day is part of the body’s natural renewal cycle. Hair growth occurs in three stages. The anagen phase, or growth phase, is when your hair begins to grow from the root. The catagen phase is when hair growth slows down and follicles shrink. And finally, the telogen phase occurs when old hair falls out and new hair begins to grow from the same hair follicle. Fortunately, 90% of your hair is actually growing at all times to keep the cycle going. And Lu products are formulated to actually prolong the anagen phase, giving you healthy hair for longer.
5. Nature is Making Your Hair Frizzy
Nature is always looking for equilibrium, which is why it reacts to everyday things like humidity. Low humidity leads to water exiting the hair, whereas high humidity builds absorption. Adding water like this breaks the hydrogen bonds in the hair, changes its shape, and locks the style into place. So, how do you beat the heat?
Impossible Keratin by Lu improves moisture retention that reduces frizz caused by humidity.
6. People Have Two Types of Hair
Actually, you could say that we have three types of hair. Babies are born with hair known as
lanugo. This thin and pigmented hair is usually replaced within the first few weeks with terminal hair on the scalp that is grown from the root, and
vellus hair everywhere else. Terminal hair is the thicker, coarser hair we find on our heads. Vellus hair is the short, fine hair that covers the human body, and is often referred to as peach fuzz, and is found on the arms, legs and even the eyelids!
7. Your Shampoo Is Stealing Your Sebum!
Sebum is a natural oil generated by oil glands in the hair follicle. This important product actively lubricates hair follicles to prevent moisture loss from the scalp. But if you use hair products with sulfates, you could be losing sebum. Most people have heard of sulfates, a salt that helps generate lather (which looks and feels like the product is doing its job). When you rinse out shampoo that contains sulfates, you can also rinse out sebum. This can cause hair damage, fragility, and even increase its frizz. Using sulfate-free hair care products is an easy way to improve your hair health. At Lu, we make all our shampoos, conditioners, and styling creams free of sulfates and other harmful chemicals including parabens, phthalates, and colorants.
8. Plants Can Save Hair
Rubbing your hair in the grass is not going to do it any favors and may earn some questionable glances from the neighbors, but there are certain plant products that are known to help restore hair to its former glory. Lu uses plants from around the world that have been proven to protect and nourish hair. The
Control Collection uses murumuru butter from Brazil, which helps lock in moisture and soften your mane. The
Rescue Collection features shatavari, a sacred medicinal plant from India which has an emollient and restorative effect. And the
Freedom Collection is made with moringa seed oil, which visibly strengthens and rejuvenates hair. Lu was designed so that you can choose Freedom, Control, or Rescue on any given day, based on their mood, style, and hair health needs.
9. We Are Born With All the Hair Follicles We'll Ever Have
The average person is born with about 100,000 hair follicles on their head. And what we have at birth is all we will ever have. As we age, some of these follicles stop producing hair, which leads to hair loss, thinning hair, and baldness. But no amount of supplements, serums, stress reduction, sleep, or exercise can produce new hair follicles. So, how do hair care products promote hair growth? They do so by stimulating the hair follicles you already have.
Want to know more about your hair, and how to take better care of it? Check out Lu’s essential
hair insights!
