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The Hair Shaft |
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The Hair FibreThe hair fibre is made from three basic layers, as shown on the diagram on the left.These layers vary in thickness, depending on the thickness of the hair. The CuticleThe cuticle is the outer layer of the hair which can be seen by the human eye. It is made up of tiny fish-like scales which should lay flat and overlap. This layer determines the condition of the hair; damage can occur very easily to the cuticle scales by misuse of chemicals and electrical appliances. When the cuticles are damaged the surface becomes rough and the light cannot reflect from the scales, therefore the hair has a dull lifeless appearance and appears to be in bad condition.The CortexThe cortex is immediately beneath the cuticle scales and is made up of a large number of cells packed very closely together. The natural colour pigment of the hair is contained within the cortical cells. These colour pigments are a mixture of red, blue and yellow cells, which combined together give various degrees of brown.The MedullaThe medulla is the central core of the hair fibre, and consists mainly of fatty granules and waste tissue. The medulla contains no colour pigments and is only evident when there are excessive amounts of waste. |
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