General Facts about Hair
Scientists claim that human beings will increasingly loose their hair,
resulting in a totally naked being. Many hundred years have however to
pass by until this awful prophecy will become true. Until then we have
enough time to study and understand the life of hair.
Hair is
actually dead material when it leaves it's root - otherwise it would hurt
very much when your hairdresser works with his scissor. Most people know
about this fact, but did you know about other facts: On a normal scalp
there are about 100-150 thousand hair fibers. A blonde head of hair has
usually much more fibers than red or dark haired heads. Hair consists
mainly of keratin, which is also responsible for the elasticity of
fingernails. A single hair has a thickness of 0.02-0.04mm, so that 20-50
hair fibers next to each other make one millimeter. Hair is strong as a
wire of iron. It rips after applying a force equivalent to 60kg, after it
stretched itself for about 70%. The root of a hair fiber sticks in a bag
in the skin. The fiber is pushed out of this bag about 0.35mm per day,
making an average growth rate of 1cm, or half of an inch, per month. The
growth rate is however very much related to the individual person, his
age, his diet etc. Healthy hair has an average lifetime of 2-6 years.
After a rest period of three months the single hair falls out, and a new
fiber starts to grow out of the bag. The lifetime depends on circumstances
and person, too. The lifetime of hair is responsible for the maximum of
hair length you can have. Waist length hair takes about 6 years to grow
out from a short hair cut, periodic trims included. If your hair has a
lifecyle of 2 years, you will never achieve a nice waist length mane.
The short and sweet
of hair chemistry and how it effects your hair.... article by Mike Trobee
® 1996
I get questions everyday via email and in salons. " I have dry
hair, I have limp hair, I have....what do I do?" The answer lies in
knowing about your hair chemistry. Heat (blow dryers, irons, rollers,
etc.) rob the hair of moisture and essential fatty acids. Chemicals do the
same (perms, color, relaxers...)
Mechcanical damage is important also - (brushing wet hair, combing,
teasing, etc) can have negative effects on the cuticle layer of the hair.
These are just some most avaiilable in the market.. althought i suggest
you better consult experts in the the salon near you!
So now how do we correct the problems? First, let's start by solving
concerns BEFORE they start. Everyone ought to have:
¡× A detangling comb
¡× A thermal protector (ie.Paul Mitchell® "Seal and Shine")
¡× A good salon brand shampoo
¡× A good salon brand acidifier (a conditioner with a pH 3.0) [Paul
Mitchell® "The Detangler"]
¡× A good leave in conditioner with UV protectors [Paul Mitchell® "The
Cream"]
¡× A blow dryer with a "cool" setting
¡× A good styling tool - gel, spray gel, foam
¡× A good working hair spray [Paul Mitchell® "Fast Drying Sculpting
Spray"]
¡× A good finishing spray [Paul Mitchell® "Freeze and Shine"]
Most professional designers have these and that is why your hair feels so
good when you leave the salon.
1) The detangling com is designed to be used on damp hair. Start at the
ends and work up.
2) A thermal protector STOPS heat damage before it starts. Then there is
no need to buy a "heavy duty reconstructor"
3) Most salon brand shampoos have a pH 4.5-5.5 and use gentle cleansers.
Also generally they are more concentrated.
4) An acidifying conditioner compacts the cuticle. It detangles, adds
body, adds natural shine, increases the alpha bonds in the hair - it is a
must
5) The sun and tanning beds will cause chaos with the hair. Make sure your
conditioner has plenty of sunscreen.
6) A "cool" setting on a dryer actually helps "set" the hair. It cause
little damage.
7) A good foam. gel, spray gel... will add body and help your style.
8) A good "working spray" will aid you when blow drying, setting,
sculpting, or using irons. It is a hair spray that can be applied to damp
(if you wish) or dry hair.
9) Get a good 'finishing spray" - unlike a "working spray" a finishing
spray will keep the hair or sections of the hair in place all day.
10) A last tip...do not do perms or color at home. Yes, you will spend
less upfront but a cosmetologist will probably have to correct the damage.
In the long run it will cost more.
Different people
have different colors of hair:
Black, blond, and brown. What makes the color of hair different?
The answer lies in melanophore. The hair roots contain pigment cells
called melanin, which creates a black pigment. Melanophore is a
chromatophore that sends pigment to new hair. The greater the amount of
pigment sent to the hair, the darker the hair becomes. On the contrary, as
the amount of pigment sent is reduced, the hair color turns brown and then
blond. Some people believe that differences in hair color are caused by
the differences in the intensity of ultraviolet rays contained in the
sunlight, to which the hair is exposed.
Baby hair begins to grow around the third month after conception
within the womb of the mother. {Trichocysts} are first formed. They
develop into hair follicles as the fetus grows, then become downy hairs
several centimeters long when the baby is born. The total number of hairs
is determined before the baby is born. After that, the number of hairs
never increases. It just decreases. The number of hairs greatly varies for
each person, from sixty thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand, and
makes up one of natural characteristics of each person when they are born.
We should take good care of our hair.
Human beings have about one million and four hundred thousand hairs
on their body, with about four hundred and fifty thousand of them to be
found above the neck. These hairs include about one hundred thousand hairs
on the head and about thirty thousand hairs taken up by mustaches, beards,
or whiskers. The figure below illustrates average lengths of the hair
(when it is left to grow naturally) and growth rates per day. The hairs on
the head grow by about one centimeter per month and reach a length of
around 70 centimeters if they are not cut. Hair grows at a faster rate in
the spring and summer than in autumn and winter.
Average length and growth
rate per day :
Hairs on the head 70cm / 0.35mm
Eyebrows ‚Qcm / 0.15mm
Mustaches (beards or whiskers) 28cm / 0.4mm
Armpit hairs ‚Scm / 0.3mm
Pubic hairs ‚Ucm / 0.2mm
In response
to your request for information regarding the growth and nutrition of
hair, particularly scalp hair of humans, I have done extensive research on
the matter and wish to give you the following report:
I. Growth and Development of Hair
According to Myers and Hamilton (1) a follicle of the human scalp produces
approximately .35 millimeters of hair shaft per day. Regardless of its
size, only a small mass of cells at the base of the follicle, the matrix,
produces this germinative tissue, and for the synthesis of complex
proteins farther up in the follicle, to produce this much hair is of a
magnitude greater than is found in most tissues (2). Within each follicle,
mitotic activity of the cells of the matrix and synthesis of protein go on
unceasingly as long as the hair is growing; growth, however, is
periodically abruptly arrested and generation of a hair ceases. At this
time there is a destruction of the major portion of the hair root and what
cells remain enter a period of absolute quiescence. After a variable
interval of time, the dormant follicle bursts into activity. A period of
organogenesis follows during which an entirely new hair root is
regenerated and the production of a hair is resumed. The cycles of growth
of each follicle consist of the building up and tearing down of the
structure. After a period of rest the follicle is built anew from raw
materials and each hair follicle goes through the identical processes. It
is important to point out at this point that many of the metabolic
requirements of the cells of the hair follicle must be met at this time or
adequate and optimal hair growth will not occur. This means that certain
vitamins and minerals must be present in adequate proportions or there
will be faulty or nonexistent hair growth.
Abundant ribonucleic acid (RNA) is characteristic of those cells of
the hair follicle that carry out appreciable protein synthesis.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is found only in the nucleus of the hair
follicle cell. Like that of RNA, the content of DNA increases in cells
during division. An increase in DNA content appears to be indirectly
related to an increase in protein synthesis (3).
For this reason, those nutritional factors such as folic acid and B12
which are vital for synthesis of some of the building blocks of nucleic
acid must be included in and formula for hair growth. These will be
covered later in this report.
Flesch (7)
has reviewed the effect of diet on hair growth and states that impaired
growth or loss of hair is a common and early nonspecific response to many
nutritional deficiencies in animals. Van Koetsveld (8) has reviewed work
on the influence of feeding on the coats of animals.
In actively growing cells of the hair follicle, the glycogen content has
been shown to be greatly increased (4&5). Very little of the glycogen is
present in resting follicles and Montagna (6) assumes that the glycogen in
the outer root sheath of the follicle is the source of the energy for
protein synthesis during hair growth. For this reason, enzymes related to
glu
Types of Haircolor:
Temporary - color lasts from one shampoo to the next and is deposited on
the outside of the hair shaft.
Semi-Temporary - color lasts up to 4-6 shampoos.
Semi-Permanent - color is for masking white or light hair and lasts 2 to
6weeks.
Permanent - color formulas change the natural hair color. They require
maintenance to new hair growth after 4 to 6 weeks.
(For the purposes of this guide we will be discussing
Permanent colors and methods of processing only.)
How it Works
Before any permanent color can be deposited into the hair shaft, the
cuticle, or outer layer, must be opened. The insoluble formula then reacts
with the cortex, or middle layer, to deposit or remove the color.
The color
is available in a variety of forms; creams, gels or tubes, or shampoos.
These will not permanently change the hair color until they are part of an
oxidation chemical reaction.
The Oxidizing Agent or Developer is hydrogen peroxide in one of various
forms and strengths. lt is the catalyst or cause of the chemical reaction
which allows the formula to permanently alter the hair's color.
The strength of the developer - is determined by the desired results and
the manufacturer's directions.
10 Volume - Color deposit with only slight lightening.
20 Volume - Maximum color deposit as for gray or white hair with
lightening
30 Volume - . Strong lightening action with less color deposit.
Bleaching Boosters - can be added to increase lifting action. Consult
manufacturer's instructions
. Too much developer and the color may not have good highlights, cover
poorly, not lift to the correct level and fade more quickly.
This is the key to haircolor
The "color wheel"
If you know the color wheel color becomes easy...
It may sound a bit odd but your hair is a mixture of 3 colors; red,
yellow, and blue. These are the primary colors. Secondary colors are
orange, green, and violet. If you look at the "wheel" a color opposite
(directly across) will "negate" that color. This means if your hair is a
orange color - green will make it a brown color. If you hair has a yellow
tone, violet will cancel it out.
One of the most important elements of hair coloring is determining the
hairs' "underlying pigment." When you chose a color in a swatch book, your
hair may not come out that color because of the underlying pigment in your
hair.
Underlying color + Artifcial color = Final result
I will explain more about that later.
First things first...
Tone: refers to whether a color is warm or cool. The warm
colors (highlighting) are red, orange and yellow. The cool (ash) colors are
blue, green, and violet.
Level: indicates the degree of lightness or darkness of a color. Every color
can be made either lighter or darker, thus changing the level, by the
addition of white or black. Hair colors, both natural and color-treated ,
are classified by level from 1 to 10. 1 indicates black, and 10 indicates
the lightest blonde.
Saturation: refers to the degree of concentration or amount of pigment in
the color.
Hair Pigment
A pigment called melanin is responsible for hair color. There are 2 types
of melanin found in the hair. Eumelanin, is the most common type, it gives
the hair shades from brown to black. Phaeomelanin, gives the hair
yellowish-blond tones and ginger and red colors. Total absence of pigment
produces white (grey) hair.
Levels of Hair Color
1=Black
2=Very Dark Brown
3=Dark Brown
4=Brown
5=Medium Brown
6=Light Brown
7=Dark Blonde
8=Light Blonde
9=Very Light Blonde
10=Light Platium Blonde
THE CORTEX
About 80% of the hair consists of elongated cells (corticle cells)
of a fibroid structure (macro-fibrils, micro fibrils). The cortex
determines the THICKNESS, ELASTICITY and STRENGTH of the hair. It is also
responsible for housing all of the hairs' natural COLOR PIGMENTS.
COLOR PIGMENTS
found in the cortical layer are in the form of minute melanin granules.
These granulized color pigments are stored in tiny sacks called ALVEOLUS
(ALVEOLI). In healthy hair, light reflected from the cuticle surface
produces a soft sheen This sheen is referred to as "the transparency of a
hair color." At the same time, the pigments gleam through the cuticle.
This is what makes up the unmistakable shades of color in the hair. The
cortex can be damages by:
1. TOO STRONG DEVELOPER (OXIDIZERS)
2. BRUSHING AND DRYING
3. PERMS AND NON-SUITABLE SHAMPOOS
This means that the hair color does not last as long and that the
hair becomes brittle, dry, dull and not easy to comb.
FINE HAIR
Fine hair can be
damaged easily as compared to thicker or coarser hair. Penetration of
chemicals and products occurs faster on fine hair due to the fact that
fine hair has less cuticle layers, and sometimes the layers themselves are
thinner. The Hair colorist needs to keep this in mind when working with
fine textured hair.
COARSE HAIR
Coarse hair is larger in diameter. Coarse hair will have more
cuticle layers, and sometimes the layers themselves can be thicker. This
type of hair is sometimes more resistant to hair color and de-colorization
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