HAIR

Posted by Tamira Bell in Science And Society - Best - Y on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 11:19 pm

Hair is a strand of protein that grows from the follicles in the skin. It is composed of the tough protein called keratin. Each strand of hair is held into the skin by a follicle which is inside of the skin. At the base of the stand is a bulb that lives inside of the follicle. In the bulb of the hair strand, cells divide and grow to build the hair shaft inside of the hair. Blood vessels also bring nourishment to the cells in the bulb and they bring hormones that determine growth and the structure of the hair.

Hair grows in 3 distinct stages: Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen. Anagen is known as the growing phase when hair is growing. It usually lasts 2-7 years & determines the length of your hair. Catagen is known as the regression phase. It’s when the hair shrinks and detaches from the hair follicle. It usually lasts for about 10 days. The last stage is telogen, which is the resting phase. This is when the hair is released and falls out, then the follicle remains inactive for 3 months. This stage usually lasts for about 3 months.

When hair is pushed up through the hair follicle and towards the surface of your scalp, the cells fill with fibrous proteins and lose their nucleus. When it reaches the surface, it’s a complex system of protein-rich fibers. This is known as Keratinization.

Society classifies hair into different categories. It’s called the hair typing system. People with Type 1 hair have straight, fine hair, that tends to be oily, and is hard to damage. People with Type 2 hair have wavy hair in a ‘S’ pattern. People with Type 3 hair have curly hair that can range from being in a ‘S’ pattern to kink or tight curls with a lot of strands of hair densely packed together. People with Type 4 hair have very tightly coiled hair that is very fragile and has less defined curls. There are certainly trends in different hair styles.

Many people wear trending styles in their hair like weave, they use heat to straighten it, and they even use chemicals like perms. All of these things can cause damage to the hair. As a result, people who suffer from hair damage have split ends, baldness, Alopecia Areata, and even permanent scalp damage. As a result to counter hair damage, many people are joining the natural hair movement. This is a movement that trending especially in the black community, where people are opting out of chemicals, heat, and anything damaging to their hair and choosing to wear their hair naturally and use natural hair products.

I personally spend a lot of time maintaining my hair. Growing up, I had very thick hair that was difficult to manage. So when I was in 3rd grade, my mom decided to give me my first perm. This was the worse decision ever. When it was applied to my hair, it burnt my scalp so badly. Also a few weeks later, my hair started to fall out. The perm chemically altered the texture of my hair and severely damaged it. As the years went on, my hair eventually grew and I used a lot of heat styling. From 4th grade until 8th grade, my hair rapidly grew and I could see the difference in length each year. However past 8th grade, I wasn’t seeing much growth. My hair was shedding all over the place and it was very thin. I was very frustrated so I began to research how to make my hair grow and be healthy. The best option that I found was wearing my hair in its natural state. In January of 2014, I decided to go natural. It has been 2 ½ years since then and this was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. My hair is very healthy and has grown so much.

*My hair in heat styling in eight grade (2011).

*My natural hair this year (2016).

Link to Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oksriJXXZTk6QLXfLvI8bUP3DwdDxNjVSVnE1KzwJNo/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography:

Sherrow, Victoria (2006). Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History. 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. iv.ISBN 0-313-33145-6.

Krause, K; Foitzik, K (2006). "Biology of the Hair Follicle: The Basics". Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 25: 2–10.doi:10.1016/j.sder.2006.01.002

"Common Causes of Damaged Hair That You Can Avoid." About.com Style. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://blackhair.about.com/od/blackhairproblems/a/damagedhair.htm>.

"The Hair Growth Cycle." Philip Kingsley. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://www.philipkingsley.com/hair-guide/hair-science/hair-growth-cycle/>.

"What Is Hair Made Of?" GrowHairGuru. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://growhairguru.com/what-is-hair-made-of/>.

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