Why Do Hair and Nails Keep Growing?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hey there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why do hair and nails keep growing?

The Big Idea

Your hair and nails never stop growing, so we need haircuts and nail trims. Tiny factories at the root keep adding new cells. Factories at the root! Nails and hair are made of the same tough stuff, so they have a lot in common.

The Root Factory Works

Step one: the root factory works. Deep in your skin, tiny factories called follicles and nail beds work day and night. They are always making new cells.

New Cells Push Up

Step two: new cells push old ones out. As new cells form at the root, they push the older cells up and out of your skin. It is like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.

Longer, Then a Trim

Step three: hair and nails get longer, and then you trim them. The older cells harden into hair and nails. The part you can see is not alive, so a trim does not hurt. When they get too long, a safe trim with a grown-up keeps things just right.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at the root! The follicle is a tiny pocket that grows each hair. The nail bed is where nails begin to grow. And new cells keep pushing everything up.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Hair on your head grows about 1 centimeter a month. Fingernails grow faster than toenails. Nails are made of a tough protein called keratin, and so is hair. You lose some hairs every day, and new ones grow in.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Mark a nail with a tiny safe dot. Ask a grown-up to help you put a small dot of washable marker on a nail. Look at it each day for a week. Watch the dot travel up as the nail grows. How far did it move?

Outro

Your hair and nails keep growing, thanks to tiny factories. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!