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CHAPTER-7
Hair
To study and design hair preparations it is very much essential to have
knowledge of hair. Hair is one of the vital parts of the body and
considered to be accessory structure of the integument along with seba-
ceous glands, sweat glands and nails. They are also known as epidermal
derivatives as they originate _from the epidermis during embryological
development. Hair is an important component of the overall appeal of
the human body. Presence of hair in odd place can make a negative
effect, whereas hair on head is a part of overall attraction and beauty of a
human being. So, people take a lot of care of hair to make an impact or
appeal.
Hair and Hair Follicles
Before puberty the hair is mainly present on the scalp, the eyebrows
and eyelashes, irrespective of sex. At puberty hair grows in other places
like axillae, over the pubes in both sexes and in male as beard on the
face. Though all mammals have hair but hair in man is different from
others.
Hairs can be found nearly all over the surface of the skin except over
some specific sites like the sides and soles of the feet, the palms of the
hands, the sides of the fingers and toes, ‘the lips, and portions of the
external genitalia. There are about_50,00,000 fairs on the human body
and 98 per cent of them are on the” general body surface and about
1,00,000-1,20,000 are on the head. Population density of normal_adult
Scalp hair is reported fo be between _225_hair om? on average with
variable range of 175-300_hair cm2. The rate of hair growth has been
Teported to be varying with sites. 2 with sites. Scalp and chin have highest rate of
growth. The raté of growth of scalp hair is between 0.27-0.40 mm per
day. The growth rate of axillary hair is nearly same. The growth rate
for hair on body surface is about 0.2 mm per day. Though the daily
Variations of temperature have no effect on te growth rate but the study
i wticated higher growth rate of beard in summer than winter. a ae
one study report which indicated that the growth of scalp hair
105
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women is faster than men. The growth rate of scalp hair is More jn
= 2 eee oe,
y a ‘and declines in old age.
young and adults and declir nee
—_——
Cuticle covering Medulla
hair shaft
Glassy
Intemal root
hair plexus sheath
Fig. 7-1 Schematic structure of cross-section of hair
Hair production is ‘a process of mutual involvement of both dermis
and epidermis and originates from hair follicles. A schematic structure
of hair is shown in Fig. 7-1. Hair follicles extend deep into the dermis,
typically projecting into the underlying subcutaneous layer. The base of
the hair follicle, called hair papilla, is a peg of connective tissue contain-
ing capillaries and nerves. Hair papilla is further surrounded by hair
bulb‘which consists of epithelial cells. Hair production is a specialized
cornification process. The epithelial layer involved in hair production is
called the hair matrix. Basal cells near the centre of the hair matrix
divide by mitosis producing daughter cells and are gradually pushed
towards the surface. The new soft cells are funnelled up through the
constricted follicle. The cells produced closest to the centre of the
matrix form the medulla or core of the hair. Cells closer to the edge of
the developing hair form the cortex which is relatively hard. Soft
flexible keratin is present in the medulla but the cortex contains hard
Keratin which gives the hair its stiffness. Coat_of the hair is called
Gaticle which is formed by the dead cells at the surface of the hair. It
ontains ard keratin. The root of the hair is eXtended trom the hair
billb to the point about halfway to the skin surface where internal
hair is complete. The hair shaft is extended from
The size, shape, colour and
organization of the E i
this point to the exposed tip of the hair.
nature of the hair shaft are highly variable. : 1
The cells of the hair follicle walls are organized into three distinctive
conceniric layers and include
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(The internal root sheath that surround: i
ae er portion of hese Is the hair root and the
(2) The external root sheath that exte
M nds from skin surface to the
(3) The glassy membrane, a thickened basement membrane wrapped
in a dense connective tissue sheath,
In the adult integument there are two types of hair—
Lay Vellums hairs : These are the fine i
peach fuzz hairs located
much of the body surface. _
107
Oy Terminal hairs : These are heavy, more deeply pigmented, and
sometimes curly. Examples are hairs on head, including eyebrows and
eyelashes.
eyerascs.
Colour of hairs can vary from person to person. This reflects
differences in structure and variations in the Pigment produced” by
melanocytes at the hair papilla. Though these characteristics are geneti-
cally determined, but hormonal and environmental factors can influence
the conditions of the hair. With increasing age, pigment production
decreases and the hair colour lighténs towards gray. White hair is the
Fésult of combination of a lack of. pigment and the presence of air
bubbles _within the medulla.of the hair shaft, But this change. in
colouration is gradual as the hair is dead and inert,
Apart from keratin, it also contains a small amount of uric acid.
Colour is also varied according to the mineral content. In brown hair
there is carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and water. Iron”
content is more in red hair. Nornially carbon content is about 44%
which is more than other elements. :
Functions of Hair
Hair has several important functions—
The hair on head protect the scalp from ultraviolet light,
cushion round the head, and insulate the skull.
-(2) Eyebrows protect the eye from small foreign particles’ and
insects, “Also it diverts sweat from the eyes.
(3) Vivrissae, the hairs, guarding the entrances to nostrils eee
nal ear canals filter the air and help prevent the entry of smal
insects and foreign particles.
(4) Body hair helps. in evaporation of perspiration and draining of
external water from the body.
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(5) Hair is also part of sensing function. As, to check a root hair
plexus of sensory nerves surrounds the base of each hair follicle,
one can feel the movement of the shaft of even a single hair,
This sensitivity acts as an early-warning system that may help to
prevent injury.
It is responsive to several.external stimulating conditigns like Tage,
fear cold etc. and stands erect when stimulated erector pili pull on the
follicles and force the hairs to stand erect.
Ailments of Hair
There can be some ailments to the normal health of hair and can
cause trouble. There can be problem in pigmentation and thus changing
the colour of the hair.
Baldness or alopecia is one important problem and can be of differ-
ent Kinds. Baldness can occur as a result of deficiency of diet, ill health
or certain operations. Common baldness is of different type and occurs
in maximum numbers. In this the hair is lost gradually and it_usually
starts at the crown and. the temple. Common baldness is normally
inherited. It can be passed on by the mother to her sons.
Dandruff is caused by skin irritation, disease or microbial infection.
In the first one it occurs because the stratuit cormeunt sheds large scales
which are visible. This can be due to excessive brushing, or scratching,
strong lotions and soft alkaline soaps used to wash the hair. These can
harm the skin and break down the ‘er of the epidermis. The
sScond form of dandruff is due to disease which causes the large scales
of dandruff i ssoase which causes the large scale
to fall on the shoulders. The,more the head is scratched, the faster these
—_—
Scales are produced,
Scales are produced,
Ateps to Keep Hair Healthy
{D- Wash the hair with mild shampoos which are reinforced_by
active substances. :
(2) After shampooing treat the hair_witl sing preparations and
i ad hs
setting Totions in order to impart the gloss and firmness to it.
ris . fe gs eee ea
(3) Groom the hair with hair conditioners in order to make it elastic
and protect it from deterioration after frequent permanent way. -
eet WAY
ing.
(4) Preserve the hair and its growth by constant attention, using hair
tions and hair' treatment packs containing active substances,
hair'treatment packs ees
ue
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ch? 109
Hair Care Preparations
To overcome ailments or other problems of hair and also for decora-
tive or beautification purposes various hair care preparations are widely
used. The need of demand of such products has increased over the
years. It shares a high portion of cosmetic products marketed.
All the hair care products can be classified in the following way and
will be discussed in the Proceeding chapters accordingly.
oy Tfair cleansers : Various shampoos like clear liquids, liquid
creams, solid creams or gels, anti-dandruff shampoos, oil shampoos,
‘powders, dry shampoos, etc.
&y Hair dressings : Anhydrous brilliantines, pomades, hair_oils,
hair creams, gum based hair dressings, hair lacquers, alcohol-based hair
lotions, resin lotions, sprays.
@y Hair_wavers, curlers and straighteners : Hot waving, cold
waving, tepid waves, roller and pin perms, instant perms.
Hair tonics : Preparations containing various_substances like
sulphur derivatives, vitamins, etc.
46) Hair removers : Depilatories, epilatories.
{6)- Hair dyes and bleaches (hair colorants) : Various_dyes_and
bleaching preparations.
(7) Shaving preparations : Soaps, creams. |
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