Yup. Locks are matted chords of dead, shed hair. Actually, all hair is dead. Oh, but there's more. Did you know there there are finitely 100,000 hairs that grow on your head at infancy. Those hair strands are terminal and will only regenerate a certain number of lifecyles. Those hair strands will cycle through telogen, catagen and anagen phases of growth, rest and recovery.The anagen phase is the hair growth phase and can last 2-6 years.
The catagen phase is the resting phase between anagen and telogen. After 2 to 6 years of growing, that hair is tired, and perhaps at its most vulnerable state .The next phase is the telogen phase. During this phase, the hair follicle, the only living part of the hair strand, that houses the papilla becomes visible. The hair begins to sheds during the telogen phase, falling into the matrix of the lock and the cycle begins again. Approximately 100 hairs are shed a day, and locking works by 'catching' those locks that release during the telogen phase. As a result locks are an intricate matrix of shed hair, various lengths. The art of locking works by retaining this shed hair, that would normally be released if the hair were loose. So, it's all a matter of perspective, dead or alive, the choice is yours! Keep it Knotty!
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