The Science of Skin and Hair
“The
skin is the outer covering of the body. It is a complex organ, made up of
different layers and containing many parts; oil and sweat glands, hair muscles,
blood and lymph vessels, nerves and sensory organs” (Palladino & Green, 2006) . The four main functions
of the skin, is to provide protection, for secretion, for sensation and to control
temperature (figure 1.0). Our skin acts as a wall to repel excess water and to contain body
fluids and contains melanin pigments that help in preventing the skin from
being exposed to the hazardous rays of the sun. The sebum (oil) and the sweat
both contain acidic properties that work as a natural antibiotic to protect the
skin from bacterial growth. Right underneath the top layer (epidermis) of the
skin are the nerves that send signals to the brain when something cold, hot or
painful might harm the body. In cold conditions, the nerves would send out
signals to the brain which immediately gets the hair muscles (arrector pili) to
erect (goose bumps) which traps the warm air that is left on the skin keeping it warm. In hot
weathers on the other hand, sweat glands would excrete fluid that would
evaporate off the skin which in turn cools the body. (Palladino & Green, 2006)
figure 1.0
Our
hair can be found on almost every part of our body except for the eyelids,
palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Each of our hair consists of 3 layers
(figure 2.0); medulla, cortex, cuticle. The medulla is the innermost part of
the hair that serves no purpose when a hair is treated or styled and only
exists in medium to coarser hair textures. The cortex is the middle and the
biggest layer of the hair that is made up of very long rope-like fibrous substance
that determine the elasticity and strength of one’s hair. This layer of the hair
is also responsible for the distribution of our natural hair colour. The
cuticle is the outermost layer that controls the amount of chemical that enters
and damages the hair along that protects the hair from too much heat and
dehydration. These cells overlap each other like roof tiles and the number of
layers determines the hair texture; hair with lesser layers of cuticle are much
finer compared to coarser hair types with several more layers of cuticle.
Hair in good condition (figure 3.0) has features of
being shiny, smooth, elastic means that the cuticles are tightly closed that
they restrict excessive moisture from getting through. Hair in poor condition (figure 4.0),
with spilt ends, over-stretched, dry, porous lengths means they are missing a
number of cuticle layers. A simple way to determine the condition of your hair cuticles
is to observe the length of time it takes to blow-dry your hair. If the hair is
in good condition, it will dry off quickly whereas hair in a poor condition would
take a much longer time because porous hair absorbs moisture and more heat
would be required thus damaging the hair further. If the hair is in an extremely
poor state, the only wise option is to either grow it out or cut it off and
anticipate the new batch of hair to grow because as we speak, our hair is
constantly growing at a rate of 12.5mm (nearly ½ inch) each month. (Palladino & Green, 2006)
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| figure 2.0 |
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| (figure 3.0) |
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| (figure 4.0) |
Hair Loss: The Science of Hair. (2010, March 1). Retrieved from www.webmd.com: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/science-hair
Palladino, L., &
Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. London:
Melody Dawes.
Roy. (2009, June 4). The
Right Hairstyle for Your Face Shape. Retrieved from www.thehairstyler.com:
http://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hairstyles/the-right-hairstyle-for-your-face-shape
Pictures :
Very Detailed very interesting. I cant wait for the post of how to look after and maintain growth of CURLY HAIR..
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