Hair composition

Hair will have a great impact on the overall makeup. A good hairstyle will enhance a person's overall temperament, but what are the components of hair? I believe many people don’t know this, but they only know that frequent perming and dyeing of hair can damage the hair. In fact, the main component of hair is keratin. Elements such as lead contained in hair dye will remain in the hair and cause damage to the hair. This article focuses on the detailed content, let’s take a look together.

Hair refers to the hair that grows on the head. Hair is not an organ and therefore does not contain nerves or blood vessels, but it does contain cells[1]. In addition to making people more beautiful, hair is mainly used to protect the head. Soft and fluffy hair is elastic, can withstand lighter collisions, and can also help the evaporation of sweat on the head. The average person has about 100,000 hairs. Among all the hairs, head hair is the longest, especially on women with long hair. Some can grow to 90-100cm, or even 150cm, but generally do not exceed 200cm.

Hair color is generally determined by genes, with common colors being black, blond, brown and red. As humans age, their hair often turns silver. Due to different races and regions, hair can be black, golden, reddish brown, reddish brown, light yellow, gray, and even green and red. You can also dye your hair into a variety of colors by dyeing it. Scientific research has proven that hair color is related to the different metal elements contained in the hair. Black hair contains equal amounts of copper, iron and melanin, and when the nickel content increases, it turns gray. Blonde hair contains titanium, reddish-brown hair contains molybdenum, reddish-brown hair contains cobalt in addition to copper and iron, and green hair contains too much copper. In some African countries, some children have red hair, which is caused by severe protein deficiency.

Hair structure:

① Epidermis (CUTICLE): The outermost layer of the hair, arranged like fish scales from the root to the end of the hair. It expands when it comes into contact with warm water or alkaline substances. It protects hair from mechanical damage from foreign substances and accounts for about 5-15% of hair.

②Cortex: Inside the epidermis, it is composed of protein cells and pigment cells and is the main body of the hair. It is composed of salt strings, sulfur strings, and fibrous cortical cells. Thus giving hair elasticity and toughness. The physical and chemical effects of hair are attributed to this layer. The hair layer also contains pigment particles, which determine the primary color of the hair.

③Medulla: Located in the center of the hair, it accounts for 0-5% of the hair and plays a supporting role in the hair. Not all hair has a medulla. It has little effect on the nature of the hair.

The basic components of hair

The basic component of hair is keratin, which is composed of amino acids. They provide the nutrients needed for hair growth. Various fibrils are intertwined and cross-linked through spiral and spring structures to form the strength and flexibility of keratin, thus giving hair unique toughness and toughness. Hair is composed of complex keratinized fibers. The hair cuticle (CUTICLE) (also known as the epidermis, stratum corneum) is the outermost structure of the hair. Its main component is a protein called "keratin", which is composed of scaly or tile-shaped keratin cells. It can resist external stimulation, protect sebum and inhibit the evaporation of water. Generally speaking, hair damage refers to damage to the cuticle. The hair cuticle has strong expansion ability, can effectively absorb chemical components, and close the pores when encountering alkali. The epidermis has cohesion and continues the keratin fibers of the cortex, which can resist some physical and chemical effects from the outside world. If the cuticle becomes thinner, the hair will lose cohesion and resistance, and the hair will become fragile. When sunlight enters the cells through the translucent cell membrane of the epidermis, if the hair is damaged or split, irregular reflection will occur when the sunlight enters, giving the hair a rough feeling.