Today more than ever
before people are concerned about the condition of their hair.
This is of course due to the fact that we do so much more
with our hair on a more frequent basis from washing and blow-drying
it to perming and coloring it. Now we are aware that hair
can and does become damaged. But what does that really mean.
What is "damaged" hair?
To begin with
the human hair is a very strong fiber - much stronger than
most of us realize. Its physical and chemical make-up makes
it possible for us to constantly wash, style, perm and color
it. To give you an example of how strong a fiber hair is,
you can compare hair with a copper wire of the same thickness.
The hair is stronger than the copper wire.
Hair is 97% protein
(keratin). It grows on the average 1centimetre a month. A
hair may live from 3 to 7 years before it falls out and is
replaced by a new one. We lose between 50 to 100 hair a day.
Each hair is replaced starting a new cycle of growth. A person
has about 100,000 hair on their head.
The outer coating
is called the "cuticle" which consists of several
layers of overlapping transparent scales. The cuticle serves
to protect the inside of the hair. It is hydrophobic which
means it is water-resistant. These scales lie totally flat
around the hair. Hair that is short and that has not been
colored (permanent color) or permed will have cuticles that
lie flat. Hair in this condition is considered "healthy"
hair.
Healthy
hair
This is a healthy hair shaft magnified
1000 times. The cuticle lies flat around the
hair shaft and is therefore considered "healthy"The
scales of the hair start protruding as a result of it being
continually washed, dried, permed or colored. You can see
this happening with hair that is difficult to comb through,
tangling after a shampoo. Hair stylists often refer to hair
in this condition as "porous". The surface of the
hair is not smooth anymore; it has become uneven and rough.
Porous
hair (damaged hair)
This is what "porous" hair
looks like under the microscope. Hair is considered "damaged"
when the cuticles start to lift up. However in this state
your hair is still healthy enough. There are different degrees
that the cuticle can protrude. When the cuticle has deteriorated
to the extent that it exposes part of the inside of the hair,
the hair loses some of its protein (amorphous protein). Hair
in this condition is truly damaged. In this state hair can
and will break off on some parts of the head, generally an
inch away from the scalp. (The reason for this is that the
hair is the healthiest the first inch). Remember it is not
falling out. It is breaking off. The cause is usually bleaching
and coloring your hair every four weeks to achieve platinum
blonde hair colors. Truly damaged hair will have lost its
elasticity and bounce and it won't bend, won't hold a style
because it has lost too much of its protein. It is the protein
which gives hair its elasticity and bounce.
This is a healthy hair shaft magnified
1000 times. The cuticle lies flat around the
hair shaft and is therefore considered "healthy"The
scales of the hair start protruding as a result of it being
continually washed, dried, permed or colored. You can see
this happening with hair that is difficult to comb through,
tangling after a shampoo. Hair stylists often refer to hair
in this condition as "porous". The surface of the
hair is not smooth anymore; it has become uneven and rough.
