What is Body hair, composed of?

Body hair is the tiny fibers that grow out of your skin, just like little straws coming from a sponge.

What Body Hair Is Made Of

Imagine you have a tiny straw, this is like one strand of body hair. Now, that straw is made of something called keratin, which is like the tough stuff in your fingernails and toenails.

Every time your hair grows, it starts deep inside your skin, in little pockets called hair follicles. These are like tiny factories where new hairs are made. The factory uses a special recipe, protein and keratin, to build each strand of hair from the bottom up, just like building blocks.

As the hair gets longer, it pushes through the top of your skin, making it look like it's growing out. So even though you can't see it happening, your body is working hard under the surface to make all your body hair, on your arms, legs, chest, and even your face!

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Examples

  1. A child asks, 'Why does my hair feel rough?', the answer lies in how body hair is structured.
  2. A person notices their arm hair feels different from their head hair and wonders why.
  3. Someone shaves their legs and thinks about what the hair was made of before it came off.

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