Know your Body – Hair

HAIR

When you think of your hair, you probably think of the hair on your head. But there’s hair on almost every part of your body.

Hair grows over most of your body. The thickest is on your head, where you have between 100,000 and 150,000 hairs, But you lose some every day. About 50 to 100 hairs fall out each day while you’re washing your hair, brushing or combing it, or just sitting still. But don’t worry, new hairs are constantly replacing those that have fallen out.

Your hair and nails are made of the same thing. It’s called keratin, and most of it is dead.

Your hair and nails are only alive at the roots. That’s why it doesn’t hurt to cut your hair or trim your nails.

What kind of hair do you have — black and curly, blond and straight, or some other combination? Hair color comes from melanin (say: Mel-uh-nun), the substance that gives hair and skin its pigment. The lighter someone’s hair, the less melanin there is. A person with brown or black hair has much more melanin than someone with blond or red hair. Older people lose the melanin pigment in their hair as they age, making their hair look gray or white.

Often, a person’s skin color goes with the color of his or her hair. For example, many blondes have light skin, whereas many people with darker skin have dark brown or black hair. Usually, a kid’s hair color is determined by one or both parents’ hair colors.

With hair, the main thing is keeping it clean. Some people wash their hair every day, but others do it just once or twice a week. It depends on your hair and what kind of things you’ve been doing, like exercising or swimming. Here’s an easy way to have great-looking hair: Eat a healthy diet. It’s not as weird as it sounds. A nutritious diet helps your body from the inside out!