Hair

We human beings dispensed with the need for thick body hair long ago in our evolutionary history although some remains though often in the wrong place.

Our head hair provides protection from the potentially damaging effects of ultraviolet light on the skin of the scalp, and depending on where we live, it also provides some insulation against the cold although hair in general has less of a protective or insulating role for us today.

The fact that we still have head hair (or at least most of us do when young) may be due to its importance in sexual attraction.

Anatomy

The hair is divided into the hair root and the protruding hair shaft.
The root or bulb (bulbus) under the skin is thicker than the hair shaft, which together with the underlying dermal hair papillae are responsible for the nourishment, development and growth of hair. A dermal sheath of connective tissue surrounds the whole hair root and together these form a hair follicle.

The shaft of the hair; the part of the hair that can be seen above the scalp consists mainly of dead cells pushed out of the bulb that have turned into keratins and binding material, together with small amounts of water and the hair shaft also contains fats, pigment (melanin), small amounts of vitamins, and traces of zinc and other metals. Hair also contains water which, although it makes up only 10-13% of the hair, is extremely important for its physical and chemical properties.

Is your hair straight or curly? This determined by the shape of the hair shaft cross-section i.e. hair that is more round will be more straight, whereas hair that is more oval will be more curly.

Hair Care
As with your skin, your hair is dependant on the good health of your body and when your diet and lifestyle is good, it shows in your hair making it thicker and more lustrous. To care for your hair:

Generally washing head hair every 1 - 3 days is sufficient to keep it clean
Regular trimming to remove split ends
If you have frequent bad hair days, try applying oil to your hair, leave it in for a while and then shampoo as normal and this is usually enough to restore texture and shine.
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Causes of hair loss
Ceramides
DHT and hair loss
Eye lines & Eye bags
Exfoliation
Hair
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