Hair Health - Essential Components For Healthy Hair

Does your hair always remain in perfect, healthy and balanced state? Standing in front the mirror if u discover it is shiny, smooth and nonporous without any crack at the tip you can apparently say you have healthy hair. Now the question arise how we can keep them healthy for good? Thorough investigation revealed that four components are essential to maintain the perfect state of hair. These are protein, acid balance (pH), sebum and moisture. Any imbalance of these four vital components gives you the pour hair condition. Shiny and smooth hair surface results from perfect protein levels, Ph of the scalp, sebum and right amount of moisture.

Let me delve a little bit more:-

Protein: - 97% of hair component is protein, called Keratin. It is the same protein that forms nail, hooves, horns and teeth. It is formed by Keratinocytes, a living cell that makes up a large part of hair. There are several factors that can cause to lose Keratin. If that happens hair becomes week and brittle.

Moisture content: - Moisture component of hair relies on climate and the normal range lies between 3 -14%. Lowest range could be normal in desert area when highest range is found in tropical regions. A vital controlling factor of hair moisture is, therefore, the humidity of the air. When moisture content is correct hair stays elastic and easily manageable. When moisture content is below the normal level hair’s fibrous structure is gradually destroyed results brittle, tangled and easily breakable state.

Sebum: - Sebum is an oily substance that secrets by a gland in our skin called “sebaceous gland”. This gland is found in the skin of all mammals. The main perpous of this gland is to make hair and skin water resistant and protection against drying. Excess secretion of sebum can make hair oily. Therefore, sebum is an important substance for keeping hair in perfect condition.

 Secreted sebum on scalp migrates up the hair by capillary action and protects hair against harsh climatic conditions. It seals the hair moisture and lubricates the hair externally.

 Acid balance (pH) (Acid mantle):- Forth component for perfect hair condition is the acid mantle of scalp and on each hair. Mixing up of sebum and sweat results push the pH slightly towards acidic range that produces a perfect environment for healthy hair.

This is a very lucid and superfluous discussion about factors controlling healthy hair. This little information is sufficient to understated later articles on how and why we use different methods, chemicals substances, exercises to keep our hair healthy.

Life Cycle Of A Hair

Every individual hair grows from a bulb shaped structure which resides deep inside the hair follicle. Hair follicle continuously generates hair from birth to (sometimes) throughout the life. Each hair has life span after that it falls out spontaneously and follicle rest for a while and then again starts to generate a new hair. This is called hair cycle. Each hair cycle has three distinctive phases.

Life cycle of a hair

The Hair Growth Cycle

 There are three distinct stages in a life cycle of a hair. These are..

Anagen - The growing phase

Catagen – The intermediate phase (transitional phase)

Telogen – The shedding phase (Resting Phase)

 Anagen Phase – Growth phase

 This is the phase actually when the hair growth occurs. About 85% of total hair could be found in this phase and this phase may last from 2 years to 6 years; in an average of 1000 days.

In Anagen phase hair grows rapidly and the length of this phase is the determining factor of hair length, longer the Anagen phase the longer will be the hair.

Catagen Phase - The intermediate phase (transitional phase)

 End of the Anagen starts the Catagen phase which last about one to two weeks. In this phase hair growth stops and hair follicle starts to shrink and a part of it starts dying.

 Telogen Phase – The shedding phase (Resting Phase)

 It is a resting phase when no growth of hair is observed but it stays attached to follicle and dermal papilla takes rest. This phase lasts about 5-6 weeks and almost 10-15% of total hairs are always found in this phase. At the end of this phase the hair follicle enters again to Anagen (growth) phase and new hair begins to form.

If in the mean time old hair has not been shed the newly growing hair pushes the old one from hair follicle and natural hair loss is observed.