Composition of Hair
The chemical composition of hair, generally varying with the colour and texture of the hair.
The hair has…
Oxygen i 20.85%
Carbon : 50.56
Hydrogen : 6.38%
Nitrogen : 17.14%
Sulfur : 5.00%
The hair is made up of a proteins known as keratin. This substance formed from the basic components in the cortical cells. Soft keratin makes the shallow layers of the skin and scalp, where by hard keratin is located only in hair and nails. The hard keratin in the hair can alter the shape in the action of water, heat and also stretching. However, regardless of the shape , the chemical composition of soft and hard keratin is the same, where as physical composition varies. Full growth of the hair is has two parts: the root and the shaft. The rate of growth of hair differs for every person. The average monthly growth of hair differs between ¼% to ½ % inch and also the growth is highest between the age of twenty and thirty. The hair growth is faster in summer compared to winter.
The life span of hair is cyclical i.e. following a number of years of growth, the hair will become inactive and dies, then falls. The life span of a hair could be anything from many months to many years based upon the health of the scalp.
The problems begins whenever new hair does not grow in the hair follicle because of hormonal activity in your body and insufficient blood supply preventing healthful growth. The skin oil glands located about half way up the hair follicle secrete sebum, the natural hair lubricant which makes hair vibrant and shiny. The hair shaft is covered with sebum that flows freely about the shaft. Once the sebaceous glands turn out to be over-active, a oily hair condition happens. The color of hair depends upon hereditary factors. There are four types of hair which are Normal, Greasy, Dry and Greasy-dry.
Every woman supposed to know her hair type.
The structure of the hair is made up of cells arranaged upon three layers
1. Cuticle: The exterior horny layers are made up of transparent, overlapping, shielding scale like cells, towards hair ends. The
cuticle guards the internal framework of the hair. Chemical relaxers, hair color and fixed wave solution get into the hair cortex raising the scales over the cuticle.
2. Cortex: The center or inner layer, which provides strength, durability and flexibility for the hair. The layer comprises pigments giving the hair its color. Cortex is composed of a fibrous material produced by spear like cells.
3. Medulla: The innermost layer is known as the marrow of the hair base and consists of round cells. At times, the medulla does not be found in very fine hair.
Hair is spread everywhere in the body, other than on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, lips and eyelids. There are three types of hair on our bodies
1. Lengthy hair: which guard the scalp from the sun rays and injuries, giving add on to the head and make a nice shape for the face. Smooth, long hair grows in underarms of both genders and also on the face of men.
2. Short hair: can be found on the eye brows and the eyelashes which bring elegance and color to the face. They guard the eyes from dirt particles and move perspiration from the eyes.
3. Lanugo: are fine, gentle, downy hair on the cheeks, forehead and other areas of the body. They assist in the evaporation of sweat.
Texture and elasticity are important factors to assess the quality of the hair.
- Hair texture relates to the level of thickness or fineness of the hair, which differs due to the dimension of the hair ,sense of the hair, regardless it is harsh, soft or wiry.
- Hair porosity relates to the ability of hair to absorb moisture. Generally hair with very good or reasonable porosity presents has no difficulty when getting hair services such as permanent waving, hair tinting or lightening. Weak porosity exists whenever the cuticle layer is lying near to the hair shaft and absorbs much less quantity of moisture. Severe porosity is noticed in hair in weak condition due to tinting, lightening or damage from flawed treatments.
- Hair elasticity relates to the ability of hair to stretch out and come back to its original without breaking. Hair flexibility can be divided in three groups i.e. good elasticity, normal elasticity and poor elasticity. Normal dry hair is in the position of being stretched about 30 percent of its length. Wet hair could be stretched forty to fifty percent of its length. Porous hair stretches much more than hair with poor porosity.
No related posts.