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Moment of Um

If hair is dead, how does it grow?

Moment of Um

American Public Media

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.41.5K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2024

⏱️ 4 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Do you know why it doesn’t hurt to get a haircut? Because the hair on your head is actually dead. But if it’s dead, how does it grow? Dermatologist Roxana Daneshjou explained it to us.


Send your hairiest questions for Moment of Um to BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll comb for the answers.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From the brains behind brains on.

0:02.5

This is the moment of um.

0:06.5

Answering those questions that make you go.

0:09.6

Ah, uh, um, um, um.

0:11.8

Um, um, um. The moment of um comes to you from APM studios. I'm Manneko Wilhelm. I think the very best part about getting a haircut is when they wash your hair in the big sink.

0:35.2

You get to lean back, rest your neck on that special little cutout, and someone massages your

0:39.9

scalp with warm soapy water.

0:41.9

Ah, I feel more relaxed just thinking about it.

0:46.0

Then they dry it a little bit with a towel,

0:48.0

and it's time to start cutting.

0:50.0

If you've ever wondered why it doesn't hurt to get your hair cut, it's because the hair on your head is actually dead.

0:57.0

But one of our listeners had another question.

1:00.0

My name is Glory from Shanghai, China.

1:02.0

My question is, if hair is dead, how does it grow?

1:05.0

That's a really great question.

1:07.0

While your hair itself is actually dead,

1:11.0

the follicle from which it grows from in your scalp is alive.

1:16.1

I'm Dr. Roxana Donestue. I am a dermatologist which is a doctor that takes care of your skin, your hair, and your nails.

1:27.0

A hair follicle is the part of the hair that's living.

1:32.0

It's like the seed from which the hair grows. It's a collection

1:36.7

of cells and these cells and proteins work together to sort of create the hair which gets pushed out.

1:46.4

By the time the hair grows out of the skin at that point it's just a collection of proteins if not really alive anymore which is why it doesn't hurt when you cut your hair.

...

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