Hair Necessities

Hair Basics Hair Follicle

Surrounding Dermis

Let’s get down to the basics and

learn about the complicated, yet truly
fascinating, anatomy of textured African
Hair. Croda is here to help you with the
hair necessities, so that you can focus Hair Diversity
on creating great hair!

Hair Length
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Hair Follicle Hair Shaft

The hair shaft is the fully formed hair that protrudes up
through the epidermis and stratum corneum layers.

The curly nature of African

hair is attributed to the
curve/elliptical shape of
the hair follicle.
Root Sheath
Comprised of inner and outer sheaths, the
root sheath is rounded in form and cells are
soft in character. The cells move outwards
into the hair shaft and harden.

Matrix & Papilla

The matrix surrounds the papil a, which is made of
connective tissue and a capil ary loop. This is where
the production of new hair fibres begins.

Why a hair necessity?

Here are the main consumer factors the
hair follicle wil influence...

Colour Strength Shape Growth

cycle
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Surrounding Dermis Epidermis

Next to bone marrow, hair
is the fastest growing tissue
in the human body.
Composed of proliferating basal keratinocytes, the
epidermis is the outer most layer of skin and acts as the
body’s barrier against the environment.
Dermis
Comprising of mostly collagen and elastin and
surrounded by an extrafibril ar matrix, the dermis
cushions the body from stress and strain.

Hypo-dermis
Hair follicle roots begin within the hypodermis, which is
mainly used for fat storage, providing insulation for the body.
Collagen and elastin fibres attach this layer to the dermis.

Why a hair necessity?

Here are the main consumer factors the
surrounding dermis of the hair wil influence...

Support Nutrition Itchy/flaky Hair fall

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Hair Diversity The cross sectional area of a single African hair fibre
can vary along route to tip.
The information below highlights the average attributes of different African
hair types. The fact that hair of different ethnicities has different attributes is
a coinicidence; for example, the cortical cell distribution in curly hair can be
the same regardless of regional origin.

Asian Caucasian African

Straight hair Curly hair mostly paracortical Very curly hair 50/50 ortho
paracortical cells with some orthocortical and paracorticle cells (oval or
(circular circumference) cells (oval circumference) dented oval circumference)
Oily Dry to oily Dry

Average fibre Average fibre Average fibre

diameter range (µm) diameter range (µm) diameter range (µm)
36 – 125 (92 avg.) 29 – 96 (70 avg.) 46 – 120 (90 avg.)
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Hair Length Cuticle

Formed from keratinized cells the cuticle acts as a protective
barrier for the softer inner structure and regulates moisture
content of the hair fibre. There are different amount of cuticle
layers across the ethnicities. Asian hair is usually 6-10 scales
thick, Caucasian less and even less in African hair.
Cuticle Lipids DID YOU KNOW?
Comprised of fatty acids, ceramides,
triglycerides and cholesterol, the cuticle lipids One of African women’s
coat the hair fibre to keep hair hydrated and greatest desires is to
in optimum condition. have long healthy hair.

Cortex
Comprised of long fibrous chains of hard keratin,
Overlapping Cuticular Cells the cortex makes up the bulk of the hair fibre.

Why a hair necessity?

Here are the main consumer factors the
hair length wil influence...

91%
of hair is protein African Hair Caucasian Hair Asian Hair
Shine Colour Strength Style
Average 0.29mm/d Average 0.36mm/d Average 0.42mm/d

African hair has the slowest growth rate.