Root of the hair
Section of skin, showing the epidermis and dermis; a hair in its follicle; the Arrector pili muscle; sebaceous glands.
Latin	radix pili
Gray's	subject #234 1067

The root of the hair ends in an enlargement, the hair bulb, which is whiter in color and softer in texture than the shaft, and is lodged in a follicular involution of the epidermis called the hair follicle.

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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

v • d • e Integumentary system (TA A16, GA 10.1062) Skin Epidermis Stratum corneum · Stratum lucidum · Stratum granulosum · Stratum spinosum · Stratum germinativum (basale) Basement membrane zone Basal keratinocyte · Lamina lucida · Lamina densa Dermis Papillary · Reticular Subcutaneous tissue Panniculus adiposus · Panniculus carnosus · Stratum membranosum · Loose connective tissue · Superficial fascia Adnexa Glands Sweat glands: Apocrine · Eccrine Sebaceous Hair Outer root sheath Inner root sheath Shaft Cuticle · Cortex · Medulla · Bulb with matrix cells · Hair papilla Muscle Arrector pili Nail Matrix · Lunula · Nail plate · Eponychium · Paronychium · Hyponychium Other Skin flora integument, SF, LCT navs: anat/physio, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc skin appendage navs: anat, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc

Hair Comes From Where? Whether hair is growing out of your head, arm, or ankle, it all rises out of the skin in the same way. It starts at the hair root, a place beneath the skin where cells band together to form keratin (the protein that hair is made of). The root is inside a follicle (say: fol-ih-kul), which is like a small tube in the skin.

As the hair begins to grow, it pushes up from the root and out of the follicle, through the skin where it can be seen. Tiny blood vessels at the base of every follicle feed the hair root to keep it growing. But once the hair is at the skin's surface, the cells within the strand of hair aren't alive anymore. The hair you see on every part of your body contains dead cells. That's why it doesn't cause pain when someone cuts your hair with scissors!

Nearly every hair follicle is attached to a sebaceous (say: sih-bay-shus) gland, which is sometimes called an oil gland. These sebaceous glands produce oil, which makes the hair shiny and a bit waterproof. Sometimes, like during puberty, these glands can pump out too much oil and a person's hair may look greasy. Time for a shampoo!