Pyridoxine & Hair Growth

Hair grows from hollow pits, or follicles, in the middle layer of your skin. These follicles are spread over your entire body with the exception of the bottoms of your feet. The scalp carries one of the highest concentrations of hair in most individuals, having about 300,000 hairs on average. Each strand of hair grows about ½ inch per month, and you lose about 150 hairs per day.

The Anatomy of Hair

Your hair has three main functions: it protects your skin from injury and heat loss, it provides a sensory function and it plays a role in sexual attractiveness. The hair strand contains three or four separate units. The surface of the strand is called the cuticle and acts as a protective sheath. The next layer is the cortex that contains protein fibers. The third level is seen in thick hair and is a porous layer, and the fourth layer is the membrane that glues the protein layers with the nonprotein components.

Growth Cycles of Hair

Each strand of hair goes through three distinct stages. The first stage is called the anagen stage and lasts from two to six years, during which time the hair grows about 3 feet, although it has been known to grow as long as 5 feet. Your hair grows fastest at the crown of your scalp and slower along your temples. The second stage, or catagen stage, lasts a few weeks where growth slows and stops. The telogen stage is the final stage. This is a resting period of about two weeks, after which the follicle, with the hair, dies and falls out.

Pyridoxine

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B-6, is part of the B-complex family of vitamins. These vitamins are essential for keeping your eyes, skin and hair healthy. Pyridoxine also boosts the immune system to keep infections at bay and plays a vital role in the metabolism of red blood cells. Pyridoxine's role in protein synthesis also keeps the hair's keratin intact.

The Niacin Connection

Your body also needs pyridoxine to convert the amino acid tryptophan into niacin. Niacin contributes to the nourishment of the follicles where the hair strand grows. Poorly nourished follicles will not produce healthy hair. The follicle grows in a bulblike sack in the scalp. It is here that hair cells and the pigment that gives you your hair color are produced. As the follicle develops in the bulb, the cells differentiate and grow into a strand of hair.