PREVIEW: Dear men, this information is crucial to read for you as well, if you really care about your hair!
Usually people are more interested in how to make hair strong and shiny with shampoo or other care tools. But you should dig a little bit deeper. What actually makes our hair? Only after understanding the processes inside, you can make your life easier, as well as understand what hair cosmetics perfectly suit your type.
The hair has an inner rod called medulla. It’s made up of a porous substance that is very much like a sponge. Interesting fact: you can have no medula at all. Well, some suggest that medulla protects against overheating and hypothermia. Air bubbles inside it create a thermal layer that allows it to maintain the right temperature. So, it is probably better to have medulla.
The second hair layer is the cortex. It is like the essence of our hair, guys. This is the main inner filling of the hair. And it is the cortex that makes our hair elastic and strong, as well as gives the color.
Cortex in its structure resembles a kind of complex rope. Why? It consists of a large number of interwoven keratin fibers.
Do you know what makes our hair color? The amount of melanin cortex and, surprisingly, hair bubbles. The more they are, the more they dilute the color, and it becomes lighter in tone. Gray hair has no melanin at all, but there are these hair bubbles. Right, the hair bubbles give this silver shade.
Plus, hair bubbles make hair more porous allowing it to gain water and other substances that fall on the hair.
Finally, let’s talk about the upper layer of the hair or the cuticle. It consists of 9-10 layers of keratin flakes which stack one on one and kind of protect a fragile cortex. The more tightly fitted cuticle flakes, the harder it is to break the hair. That’s why it is the cuticle that makes hair more shiny and elastic.
Another thing about cuticles is moisturizing hair. Basically, these flakes are glued together with a mixture of lipids. They prevent the evaporation of water from the inner layers. The water in the cortex is either free when between the keratin fibers, or tied up by the fibers. If there is no water, the physical and chemical properties of keratin change, and the hair becomes more brittle and weak. You can easily feel that: hair becomes hard and straw-like.
The older the hair gets, the less lipids remain under the cuticle flakes. With more time these cuticle flakes fall off due to external factors. In turn this may cause the protective layer of the cuticle to get weak which you may notice by the hair dryness.
We tried to keep it simple and give you the most important INFO on hair structure. Now you know all the secrets. We hope from now on you will take proper care and keep your hair in the best possible condition. And, please, remember, proper care is not only about shampoo or conditioner. It includes more, guys. Hair cosmetics to support your hair growth, or to moisturize the skin, or vitamins that provide proper nutrition. By the way, all that you can find in our store and just get one step closer to your dream hairstyle.
Hey, hairy buddies, stay with us, stay tuned because there is much more to reveal.
Useful links:
Cosmetics to support hair growth
Cosmetics to support beard growth
Vitamins 16 in 1 for hair
