Friday, 26 February 2016

4 signs that hair is damaged

Is my hair damaged?

It is important to know when your hair has been damaged. It is fundamental to damage control by knowing when to treat hair more carefully and also allows us to narrow down possible causes of the damage. The following questions are important in judging hair quality.

Does the hair have shine?

Did you know? Weathering of hair
can be seen under a microscope. (1)
Hair shine can be visually gauged by looking for the amount of light reflected from the hair. The natural arrangement of closely overlapping cuticles in the hair makes it shiny. The smoothness of the overlapping cuticle scales allows light to reflect, which we see as "shiny". Combing and brushing hair causes one to lose cuticle scales. This weathering of hair is sped up by excessive grooming and chemical treatment of hair, such as from dyeing. 

Not all hair has that natural shine. It's important to know the extent of shine natural to you. For instance, African-American individuals tend to have less shiny hair because their hair shaft is naturally irregular. 

Weathered hair that has lost a significant number of cuticles becomes dull and frizzy. Trichoptilosis, or split ends, results from too much loss of cuticles. The inner weak part of the hair, the medulla, is exposed and the hair breaks to give frizzy and "hard to manage" hair. 



Is the hair soft to touch?

Following from looking at hair, damaged hair tends to be also feels less soft to touch. As mentioned before, intact cuticles give rise to softness. Damaged hair doesn't retain this same softness. In particular, chemically processed hair is not as soft as virgin hair. This results from the hair dye or chemical curling agent disrupting cuticles to penetrate into the hair. Hair that is harsh to touch has been permanently damaged. 

Does the hair lay orderly?

Damaged hair is not only to touch less visually-appealing, it is also at the mercy of static electricity. This makes hair look further frizzy. These effects are most prominent in hair that has been dyed or chemically treated to make it wavy. 


Has the hair been heat damaged?

Bubble hair (1)
Hair is heat-damaged when rapidly-exposed to high heat. The most common heat-damage arises from use of a curling iron. The water in the hair turns to steam and tries to leave. This causes the hair to explode from within. This is proven as hair bubbles can be seen from such hair. 

Heat-damaged hair will be extremely frizzy at the ends. It will also readily break during grooming procedures. 


Is there anything I can do?

Prevention is the best cure. If you hair is damaged, prevent any further damage by following these simple guidelines.
  • Don't excessively groom. 
  • Reconsider chemical treatments to the hair. This includes hair-dyeing and hair waving procedures. 
  • Don't overuse a curling iron.
Image sources
(1) Draelos, Z.D., 2004. Hair Care: An Illustrated Dermatologic Handbook. CRC Press.

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