Cosmetic Aspects of Hair the Hair Mass

 

Cosmetic Aspects of Hair the Hair Mass

A single human hair grows at the rate of approximately 9 mm per month. The combined effect of approximately 100,000 hair shafts produces a physical entity the hair mass which increase at a combined total of 6 feet (1.8 Meter) an hour, or 140 feet (46.67 meters) per day. At a uniform length of 40 cm, this represents 40 km of hair carried on the head.

It is this mass which allows us to display hair in the manner of our choosing, and is in turn dependent on the root to tip integrity of the 100,000 or so hair shafts on our scalp.  

 

Hair in time and Space

It is important to recognize that hair exists in both time as well as space. On a brief glance at a head of hair, the observer makes a subconscious assessment of hair as if it is all of the same chronological age. In theory, a days growth of hair breaking the surface might remain in similar if not identical condition until some years later when it is cut off or falls to the ground in the hexogen, or shedding phase. In children and young adults, preservation of good condition is possible. Adult female hair can survive relatively unscathed by combination of good hair care and a sympathetic environment. For most adults, there is both a natural and progressive deterioration in the external condition of the hair shaft overtime. 

 

This is the result of environmental and self-inflicted, repeated damage. This process, known as weathering, can vary from minimal to extreme.

In young women who do not use chemical processes or excessive heat on their hair, the weathering process is almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. In women with repeated chemical applications, the damage particularly at the tip is quite evident. 

 

Modern research techniques allow hair scientists and researchers to examine the breakdown of the structures of the hair at a nano scale (i.e. the breakdown of chemical bond). It is now possible to extrapolate not only how these breakdowns result in changes in a single fiber marker (such as loss of tensile strength), but how these single fiber changes impact bulk properties such as noticeable shine. The extent of the structural changes and their manifestations vary depending on the morphology of hair (i.e. Diameter and Curl), and on the prevailing hair style (long vs. short).