Unerupted hair, light micrograph. The hair is growing from its follicle (rounded, lower left). Hair is formed from the protein keratin. It is a dead tissue that is pushed up by growth from the bulb at the base of the follicle, which lies in the dermis layer of the skin. The white blobs at centre right are part of a sebaceous gland. A sebaceous gland has a coiled tubular structure, and appears like this as it has been sectioned through several loops. Sebaceous glands secrete an oily fluid called sebum onto the hair, which waterproofs and protects it.