How Does Hair Grow?

Hair begins life at the bottom of the follicle as a cluster of cells called the Papilla. While forming a hair, the cells of the papilla multiply to form the hair bulb. As the hair bulb increases in size, these cells stretch themselves to become the hair shaft, which is what we see. This is the primary stage of hair growth which lasts for about 3 - 7 years.

The next stage is the transition stage. During this stage which lasts for several weeks, the activity in the bulb slows down and the follicles start shrinking towards the surface.

The final stage is the resting stage where the hair growth stops. This lasts for about 3 - 4 months after which new hair grows beneath the old follicle, pushing the old one out until it is shed. Hence the life cycle of every strand of hair is determined by the cycle of the follicle. This process is spread all over the scalp as there are approximately 90,000 to 1,50,000 follicles on our scalp and a daily loss of 50-100 hair is quite normal.

What Is The Speed Of Normal Hair Growth?

The human scalp has some 1, 00,000 – 1, 50,000 hair follicles.

Each follicle grows a hair continuously for between 2 and 7 years, potentially producing a terminal hair in excess of 1 metre in length.

Each scalp follicle on average grows 20-30 hairs in a lifetime.

About 95% of the follicles on the scalp are in an active growth phase. The density of the follicles decreases with age, from about 500-700 per cm (2) at birth to 250-350 cm (2) as an adult once the scalp area increases.

Although a single hair can grow for years, it’s not living in the sense that it can repair itself.

What is pH Balance?

A number of international shampoo brands carry a caption which says 'pH balanced shampoo'. But what is pH balance and how does it actually affect your hair? Here’s what it’s all about.

pH is a scale from 0 to 14, which measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic, while those with a pH more than 7 are alkaline. Solutions with a pH of 7 are considered neutral.

The natural pH of your hair is around 5.5. At this pH, the hair is the strongest since there is a unique balance between the positive and negative charges, resulting in a maximum number of salt bonds being formed. If a solution which is either acidic or alkaline is applied to your hair, it will become weaker. Because the unique balance of charges is destroyed, reducing the number of salt bonds formed. Any chemical with a pH of more than 10, or less than 0 will severely damage your hair.

But Sunsilk Shampoo plus Conditioner has been specially formulated taking into consideration the natural pH balance of your hair. Most other hair care and hair wash products - like toilet soaps, lime juice solution or vinegar - are either significantly acidic or alkaline and can lead to the weakening of your hair.

How Does Hair React To Light?

Looking at a hair through a video-microscope, we can see that it is actually translucent. Its various surfaces do not react to light in the same way, nor do they reflect it in precisely the same way. A small proportion (5 to 6%) of available light is reflected by the hair like a mirror. The rest penetrates the hair shaft, where it is absorbed to a greater or lesser extent by melanin.