What exactly is our hair composed of?
Why does dandruff appear?
And how long can our hair reach?
In our encyclopedia, you will learn about everything that happens to our hair, and get acquainted with some definitions and concepts that everyone needs to know.
Structure of Hair
Each hair is 80% keratin (protein), 10% –15% water, the remaining 5% –10% are pigments, minerals and lipids (fats). The surface forms the so–called cuticle or the upper scaly layer. Inside the upper layer is located a cortex (cortex), which is about 80% of the hair. Chemical transformations (staining, discoloration, chemical perm) occur precisely in this part.
Colour of Hair
Hair color is determined by the amount of coloring matter (pigment) in the hair follicle. Pigments are formed from pigment cells (melanocytes), through the thinnest channels they penetrate into keratinous or horny cells, forming a color. In general, the less pigment is contained in the hairs, the lighter the color will be.
Grey Hair
With proper care, natural gray hair can also look attractive
Gray hair is not really gray at all. It is a mixture of white hairs that have not yet lost their pigmentation, which seems gray. White appears when the pigment cells stop producing melanin. The beginning of this process depends on individual and genetic characteristics.
Hair Loss
The rule is the loss of 30 to 100 hairs a day. Loss of more can have different causes. In 95% of cases, hair loss is hereditary, both in men and in women. Excess formation of male hormones (androgens) leads to poor blood supply to the hair follicles, which hold the hairs on the head.
Hair Follicle
The hair follicle is the root of the hair, it is located under the skin of the head under the slope. This is the site of hair shaft formation. In the upper part of the follicles are sebaceous glands responsible for the production of sebum.
Number of hair
The amount of hair directly depends on their color. In blondes it is about 150,000 hairs, brunettes have about 110,000, in brunettes 100,000, and in red hair, 80,000 hairs.
Quality of hair
Hair thickness is laid down genetically. By European standards, a hair with a diameter of 0.04 to 0.06 mm is considered thin. The norm is considered to be – 0.06–0.08 mm in diameter, and with thick ones – from 0.08 to 0.1 mm. The hair of Asians in comparison with the hair of Europeans is thicker: the average thickness of hairs in Asia is from 0.08 to 0.12 mm. In addition, the hair of Europeans in the cross section is more oval in shape, while the Asian hair is more round, and therefore more elastic.
