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Hair condition
Hair is a remarkably tough material. It can stand up to considerable
abuse, but over time this can wreak havoc with its natural properties.
In particular, its porosity can be badly affected, so that it breaks
easily and cannot be styled satisfactorily.
On the other hand, we can recognise hair
that is in good condition. It shines, it is easy to manage - it
just looks good. Even though the hair shaft is technically 'dead',
in that its cells are no longer dividing, we may describe it as
'healthy'. So why can its properties change so much that the hair
loses this 'healthy' appearance?
Sometimes this may be due to a medical condition
such as poor nutrition: starvation or anaemia due to a lack of protein
in the diet can damage the hair. In famine conditions, some people's
hair changes as it grows from black to gingery-red if they cannot
get enough protein.
We have seen that in older people hair may
not be able to grow as long as it used to, and may become thinner
and lose its pigmentation. It might be thought to be less healthy.
But it can still maintain its structure, and indeed many elderly
people have beautiful hair.
Probably the most obvious aspect of healthy
hair is its shine - its ability to reflect light. This property
depends mainly on the cuticle of the hair shaft, and how intact
it is.
So the good condition of your hair in fact
depends on the current state of each of the 100,000 or so individual
hair shafts on your head. If the cuticles are intact, if their cortex
has not been affected by heat or chemicals, and if
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Hair this
long must have been growing for seven or eight years: just look
at its beautiful condition
the hair is not caked with grease and old hair spray, then the
hair will probably have reasonable shine and body.
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