Your Hair

Hair:

Hair grows out of follicles located in the junction between the deep layers of the dermis and the hypodermis. These follicles are also known as hair bulbs. The bulb has several types of stem cells, which develop into specialized cells and can renew themselves over a long period of time. These cells divide every 23 to 72 hours, faster than any other cells in the body.

Hair is made up of two separate structures. The hair follicle is the part below the skin, and the hair shaft is what you see above your skin. Blood flow is supplied by a small vessel that passes through the inside of the hair shaft, thus providing the hair with all the vital elements it needs to remain healthy such as amino acids, mineral salts or vitamins.

The hair shaft is surrounded by glands, the most important being the sebaceous gland, which produces sebum that acts as a natural lubricant for the hair. On the surface of the scalp, pores evacuate the sweat produced by the sweat glands.

Hair structure and composition:

The hair is made up of 95% keratin (a fibrous protein). Keratin is synthesized by keratinocytes and is insoluble in water, thus ensuring protection for the hair. Hair is also made up of other components such as amino acids (proline, threonine, leucine and arginine). Keratin is particularly rich in cysteine (a type of amino acid), which gives rigidity and resistance to the entire structure.

The hair’s structure can be divided into 3 distinct parts:

Medulla: This is innermost layer of the hair shaft which is composed of soft and oily substance.
Cuticle: This is thin protective outer layer that contains the nourishing portion essential to hair growth. It is highly keratinized, composed of scale like cells that are layered one over the other.
Cortex: main component of the hair, containing long keratin chains that add elasticity and resistance to the hair. The cells of the cortex are joined together by cement rich in lipids and proteins. Each cell is composed of bundles called macro fibrils. The hair cortex also contains melanin. Made by specialised cells named melanocytes, melanin is the pigment responsible for the hair colour. These melanocytes inject pigment melanin into keratinocytes of the new hair shaft.

The Growth Cycle of hair:

The hair on your scalp grows about a half millimetre a day. Hair grows in three stages as anagen, catagen, and telogen.

Anagen stage: Hair spends three to four years in this stage. A new hair pushes out the old hair which is stopped growing up. The anagen phase for eyelashes, eyebrows, and leg and arm hair is very short (30 to 45 days). That’s why those hairs tend to be shorter than the hairs on your head.
Catagen stage: The catagen phase is a transitional stage and it lasts for two to three weeks. During this time, growth slows down and the outer root sheath shrinks and attaches to the root of the hair. This becomes a club hair, which is a hair that has stopped growing.
Telogen stage: The telogen phase is the resting phase, which lasts for about three months. During this phase, the hair follicle is at rest and the club hair is completely formed. Pulling out a hair will reveal a dry, white material at the root. The body sheds about 50 to 100 scalp hairs a day.

Hair shape:

Some people have curly hair, while others have thick, straight, shiny hair. Straight hair has a mostly circular circumference. The more circular the hair shaft, the straighter the hair. Strands of curly hair are flat. The flatter the shaft, the curlier the hair.

Hair Shining:

The cross-sectional shape of a hair also determines the amount of shine that the hair has. Straighter hair is shinier because sebum from the sebaceous gland can travel down the hair more easily. With curly hair, the sebum has trouble traveling down the hair, making it look more dry and dull.

As you get older, your hair can change colour, texture, and thickness. It can even change some of its location, with too much in some areas and too little in others.

Hair problems:

Dandruff causes the scalp to produce white flakes which are dead cells of skin. It can lead to itching, irritation, redness of skin, hair loss. Dandruff is of two types – dry and wet.
1. Dry dandruff: It occurs mostly in the winters because of dry weather. Hot water baths results in soak up of the natural oil from the scalp.
2. Wet dandruff: It occurs when the scalp glands secrete excess sebum. That excess sebum along with dust particles from outside block the hair growth.
Male pattern baldness: The most common type of hair loss in men. Male pattern baldness usually includes either a receding hairline, hair loss at the crown, or both.
Female pattern baldness: In women, hair loss usually includes uniform thinning across the scalp, with a preserved hairline. The crown may be affected, but hair loss rarely proceeds to baldness as in men.
Thinning of hair from above and across the head is often the first sign of hair loss. Permanent loss of hair from the scalp is called baldness. Loss of hair in small patches that occurs mostly in the middle of the scalp.
Head lice: Tiny insects that live on the scalp and feed on blood. Preschool and elementary school-aged children and adults who live with children are most susceptible to catching head lice, which are only spread through close contact.
Division of hair shafts from the end is known as split ends. Dry hair splits up. This dry and dull hair is prone to fall a lot. Damaged hair develops cracks in the outer layer of the hair (cuticle). It is difficult to manage. Hair that lacks natural oil and moisture is recognized as dry. Lack of oil in the scalp causes dry flakes. Split ends generally occur in dry and unhealthy hair.
Hirsutism: A condition in which women develop male-pattern hair (such as facial hair). An excess of testosterone due to a medical condition is usually responsible.
Greying of hair is a condition where the hair starts greying at an early age.
Tinea capitis (ringworm): It’s a skin infection that’s caused by mold like fungi that live on the dead tissues of your skin, hair, and nails. Infection creates round patches of hair loss. No worm is involved.
Alopecia areata is a condition of round patches of total hair loss, usually from the scalp. The hair usually grows back. When you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks your body. With alopecia areata, it’s the hair follicles that are attacked.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder that causes your hair to come out. Sometimes, hair grows back but falls out again later. In others, hair grows back for good. Types of Alopecia areata
- Alopecia areata totalis means you’ve lost all the hair on your head.
- Alopecia areata universalis is the loss of hair over your entire body.
- Diffuse alopecia areata is a sudden thinning of your hair rather than lost patches.
- Ophiasis alopecia areata causes hair loss in a band shape around the sides and back of your head.

11. Telogen effluvium: A month or two after a personal shock (such as surgery, childbirth, severe stress), hair can abruptly fall out in large patches. Typically, new hair starts regrowth. Hair loss after delivering a baby- is a form of telogen effluvium and usually resolves without treatment.

12. Folliculitis: Inflammation of hair follicles, usually due to an infection. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that frequently causes folliculitis. Acne is a form of folliculitis that is caused by inflammation. This inflammation can sometimes be worsened by the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes.

Hair loss medications and mechanism of action:

Testosterone turns into a very powerful form of testosterone (DTH) because of an enzyme called 5-Alpha Reductase. This powerful form tends to promote the fall of hair follicles. The medications basically stop an enzyme to inhibit this process.

What to and what not to do for Hair:

Heat Curling styles and hair straightening devices and tools damage your hair. Excessive exposure to heat and pollution damages the hair by soaking up the natural oil in the scalp, leading to hair loss. Minimize the use of heat styling products and cover your head while stepping out in the sun.
Over-brushing or rough brushing can weaken your hair. Never brush wet hair and use a wide-toothed brush to comb your hair. Brushing stimulates blood circulation in the scalp and boosts oil production in the hair. It makes hair look glossy and smooth, but brushing too much can cause greasy hair.
Hair colours contain chemicals that strip your hair of its natural moisture and cause split ends. Avoid hair dyes. Chemicals like sulphates, sodium chloride, parabens, and propylene glycol are often found in shampoos and conditioners. These chemicals affect the health and growth of the hair.
Hormonal Imbalance is common for women to experience hair fall during pregnancy, menopause, and menstruation. These are the periods when hormones change rapidly in a woman’s body. Too much of oestrogen affects the hair. This is the reason woman loses hair in menstrual cycle. Cruciferous vegetables such as sprouts.
Androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness, and female-pattern baldness are conditions that occur due to aging.
Scalp infections causes itchiness, dryness, and redness on the scalp and damage the hair follicles.
Thyroid, cancer, and PCOD can cause permanent or temporary hair loss.
A diet lacking in vitamins and minerals weakens the hair roots and obstructs hair growth. Increase protein and trace minerals in your diet. B vitamin is most important. Especially Biotin (Vitamin B7) is main content to maintain protein in your body which promotes hair strengthening. Vitamin B-12 helps balance the production of melanin in the hair follicles. Add iron, copper, and catalase rich food to your diet by consuming nuts and green leafy vegetables.
Sleep deprivation, smoking, and excessive consumption of alcohol can affect the hair growth a lot.
Washing helps clean dirt and excess oil that accumulates on the scalp. Improper and irregular washing your hair routinely can lead to hair damage.
Seborrheic Dermatitis is a skin condition caused by Malassezia yeast, an organism found on the skin’s surface. It causes itching, redness, and greasy scalp that leads to oily dandruff.
Head massage with herbal oil is very effective in treating dry dandruff. Oil helps moisturize the scalp naturally and prevents dryness. You can use coconut oil, almond oil, tea tree oil, camphor oil, and neem oil to massage your scalp.
Avoid more frequent washing your hair every day as it dries up the natural oil in your scalp. The dryness causes dandruff and itching that leads to hair fall.
Use rubber bands and headbands that have a soft texture to avoid hair damage.
Microfiber towels absorb water faster than regular towels and help dry your hair quickly. Never rub your wet hair with a towel.
Satin pillow covers and bed sheets creates less or no friction and prevents split ends.
Regular trimming helps eliminate split ends and gives your hair a healthy appearance.
Apply hair masks using aloe vera, hibiscus flowers, honey, yogurt any of the herbs or natural products that condition your hair and provide moisture to it.
Your hair gets its nutrition from the blood that circulates in the scalp. Lack of blood circulation weakens the hair roots and causes brittle hair. Take foods which improve Haemoglobin content.
Hard water soaks up the natural oil from the hair and leaves hair dry and brittle. The compounds present in hard water do not allow the shampoo to work on your hair.
Fluorides in water destroys the hair particles a lot and it also causes acne (pimples) on your skin.
Sulphates destroys the protein content of hair. Avoid sulphate shampoos. Use sulphate free shampoos to clean your hair.
Onion juice which is a natural and potent inhibitor of the 5-Alpha reductase. Mix onion juice with water at ration of 50:50 and apply on scalp for 15 minutes and washout.
Green tea is also an inhibitor of this enzyme. Make green tea and rub on scalp for 15 minutes and wash out.
Rosemary oil consist of substance called rogaine. This is also an inhibitor of 5-Alpha Reductase. Apply rosemary oil on scalp in night and leave for entire night. Washout in the morning.
Zinc is a vital element in hair follicles. People who have Zinc deficiency are the victims of hair loss. Zinc is available in foods such as eggs, sea food and red meat. Eat oysters and Red meat twice weekly which gives Zinc to hair particles and strength the hair follicles. These are best sources of Zinc.
Silica gives strength to hair. Silica consumption is good for skin, hair and nails too.
High levels of cortisol mainly impact the hair and causes hair loss. Stress is the main parameter to release more cortisol. Vitamin d greatly reduces the stress. Do exercise in morning sun to control stress and get vitamin D. Mental stress aggravates sebum production in the scalp and results in dandruff also.
Too much estrogen inhibits the functioning of Thyroid. Fatty liver stops the conversion of t4 to t3 by inhibiting selenium. Increase the selenium content in diet. Best foods for this trace element selenium are sea foods, sea weed and nuts.