HAIR TYPES & ETHNICITY (3)- Afro hair

The characteristics of Afro hair

One tends to associate Africans with tightly curled hair. However, some Caribbean people and aboriginal tribes in South East Asia and Australia also have this hair type. It tends to be woolly and dry with a flat cross section. The combination of black and red pigments in the hair result in hair color that is almost black to brown. About 10 percent of people have auburn hair.

Afro  hair shape and twisted structure is very vulnerable. It is extremely easily damaged by heat or chemicals. The hair bulb may lie to the side of the follicle, and so the hair shaft grows out of the follicle at an acute angle. Intermittent variation in diameter as the hair strand twists causes weak points along its length. Due to their curliness, the strands weave among each other and become entangled easily. Another reason for entanglement is some scales have loosened and broken off from the hair strands.  The disjointed scales along the hair strands become caught up with the scales on neighboring hairs. The result is tangles, producing knots that in turn become tightened during combing. Even vigorous combing can cause breakage in afro hair.

Hair become wavy when there is Irregular growth in the hair bulb     (the bulb varies slightly to one side or the other). Another factor is the shape of the hair follicle, whether it is straight or curved.  All hair twists as it grows. In Asian hair, the twists are far apart. Therefore, the curvature of straight hair is not pronounced. Some Afro hair has 12 times as many twists per centimeter as Caucasian hair. The number of twists of wavy hair is between that of straight and curly hair.

The thin cuticle of Afro hair is often in an open position. This allows moisture to escape from the cortex, leading to dryness.  Moisture contributes to the strength of hair. The open cuticles make the cortex vulnerable. Since the cortex provides hair its resilience, Afro hair is the most fragile among the three hair types. It breaks under a strain of 60 grams after an elongation of 40%. At the other end of the scale, Asian hair is the strongest, withstanding a weight of 100 grams and an elongation of 55%. The strength of Caucasoid hair is between the other two hair types.

* Photo from Wikipedia

HAIR TYPES & ETHNICITY (2)- Asian hair

The characteristics of Asian hair

Asian hair is Straight or slightly curved , thick and has tensile strength. It has the capacity for  a longer life span and  grow to greater length than other hair types.  If you cut the hair, the cross section is round.   It resists damage well due to its hair structure.

The hair bulb is the tiny factory that manufactures hair. It sits snugly at the base of your  hair follicle that supplies the bulb with nutrients and water through a fine mesh of blood vessels. The hair cells die in the mid- region of the follicle and formed into a hair strand. The hair shaft  then exits through the skin of the scalp.

In straight Asian hair, bulb, follicle and shaft are all aligned directly above each other. The hair grows straight out of the scalp. Therefore, if you cut the hair too short, the thick strands will stick out like bristles of a brush.

Asian hair has a thicker cuticle (the outer ‘bark’ that protects the center of the hair, the cortex). It has up to ten layers of these scale-like cuticles.

The cuticles are laid at a steep angle and are closer to each other, providing better protection to the cortex. However, the oily ‘glue’ that holds the cuticle together is not as strong as Caucasoid hair. If you pull or stretch the hair too much, the glue give way and the hair breaks of in a long strand but can holds its shape due to the strong cuticle.

When cuticles lie close to each other along the length of the hair (closed position), it reduces the amount of moisture from escaping from the cortex. Moisture within the hair give it strength and suppleness. The flip side is it is more difficult for nutrients and moisture to penetrate the hair. For those who wish to color or perm their hair, it is also more difficult for dyes or chemicals to penetrate.

The positive aspect of close cuticle is the hair looks glossier because it reflects light better. When the cuticles are open, the hair looks  dull and feels coarse. Since Asian hair has up to twice the number of cuticle layers than other hair types, they feel very rough when the cuticles are open.

HAIR TYPES & ETHNICITY (1)

I have the typical oriental hair- straight, thick and black. I used to yearn for my cousins’ natural curly hair when I was a teenager. The ‘Afro look’ was fashionable in those days so I subjected my hair to strong,  stinging chemicals and high heat to get curls at the hair salon. I thought Caucasians also had more fun with their multitude of hair colors that were easier to dye and style.

A former colleague who had natural curly hair straightened her hair regularly. She explained that her curls were very difficult to comb. They tangled and snapped easily. She used to tell me I was so lucky to have such a luxuriant head of straight hair. Guess this was a ‘Grass is greener on the other side syndrome’ with each person thinking the other person’s hair type looked much better. Now I have finally accepted my straight hair and appreciated its positive aspects- it is the hardiest and strongest among all hair types.

RACIAL HAIR TYPES

There are three major racial hair types with variations within each:

• The Asian (Far Eastern) hair type
  
  
• The Afro hair type
  
  
• The Caucasoid hair type

Each hair type has its own characteristics and special needs that determine the hair care routine and products to use.

What Happens TO AGING HAIR

Better healthcare and nutrition have enabled many more people to retain their physical vigor and relative youthfulness well into their silver years. When we compare middle age people with photographs of their grandparents taken at the same age, the most striking fact is how much older their grandparents looked. However, there is one aspect that has not improved significantly- hair, people’s crowning glory. Youth-conscious men still bemoan heir receding hairline and balding pate (male-pattern baldness) with advancing years and some women worry over increasingly sparse hair (female-pattern baldness).

Besides baldness, older people experience a number of other changes on their scalp.

1. HAIR COLOR

Gray hair is one of the most obvious sign of aging. It is due to decreasing levels of color pigment (melanin) produced by hair follicles. Hair becomes progressively lighter, eventually turning white due to absence of this pigment. Aging hair gets less UV protection due to decreased melanin.

What can cause the hair follicles to stop producing pigments? Pollution and exposure to UV radiation of the sun may trigger oxidative stress leading to damage to hair follicles.

In 2009, scientists in Europe described how hair follicles produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. This chemical builds on the hair shafts, which can lead to a gradual loss of hair color. (Wood, J.M et al. Senile hair graying: H2O2 mediated oxidative stress affect human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair. FASEB Journal

Some scientists speculated that there may be a ‘time clock’ that instruct melanocytes (melanin producing cells) to slow down production and eventually stop working as one ages. perhaps genes regulate the lifespan of each of these cells and they occur at different rates in individual hair follicles. That is why not all hair on the head turns gray at the same time.

2. HAIR THICKNESS CHANGE

By early 40s, the actual diameter of each strand of hair in people starts to shrink. Aging hair becomes finer due to shrinking size of hair follicles. The thickness of hair naturally becomes finer when the size of the opening for hair to emerge from its roots become smaller. Gradually, instead of producing terminal hair, affected hair follicles produce vellus hair, (the short, fine, fuzzy, colorless hair found on other parts of the body).

In women, Hair shaft diameter was more influenced by menopause. Postmenopausal women have finer and much less dense hair on the frontal scalp relative to pre-menopause.

3. DECREASED HAIR DENSITY

The rate of new hair growth slows and cannot replace the rate of natural shedding of hair from the scalp. Eventually many hair follicles stop producing new hairs altogether. The result is sparser hair or baldness in affected areas.

The number of active hair follicles may shrink 30 to 35 percent by age 60.

4. DULL, DRY HAIR

Einstein’s electrifying hair

Glossy or greasy hair of youth may turn into dull, dry hair in old age. This is because sebum [oil] production declines as people age.

After menopause, a woman’s scalp may be producing only half of what it did at its peak. Without the protection of sebum, the friction caused by hair rubbing against each other or from combing/brushing is more likely to lead to electrically charged static buildup. Unless you like the ‘Einstein look’, you will find that lack of lubrication from sebum makes hair feels rougher, looks duller, and is less manageable.

5. HAIR CURVATURE

Hair curvature change as one age, revealed a Japanese study. Besides higher curvature and less manageability, aged hair also is more vulnerable to damage (tiny kinks leave weak spots along the hair fiber). (Journal of structural biology, 10/2006)

NOTE: The study was conducted on Asian, not Caucasian women.

6. HAIR LIFESPAN

Hair goes through different phases in its lifespan. It has an active, growing phase, then stops growing and become dormant. The hair is shed at end of dormancy and a new phase with new hair growth begins.

With aging, there is a shorter active phase that produces fewer hairs, and these are smaller and of poorer quality than normal hair.

7. BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES

The hair produces substances that maintain its properties. A study in 2011 by two Japanese universities found levels of three molecules in hair altered with age. The finding was based on comparison of hair of subjects in their twenties to those in their fifties. The researchers propose these molecules can be possible markers for aging hair.

There are other chemicals produced by the body that trigger hair lost. However, they are not age specific, although more older people may get the condition.

As a result of the above changes, hair has less body, is less greasy, less smooth (which may be linked to curvature), weaker and less manageable. Generally, the hair aging process starts later in people with black hair.

The aging process of hair can be divided into two groups- intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) factors*

Intrinsic factors:

•Genetic defects

•Hormones

•Age

•Body distribution (Where the hair is growing.)

Extrinsic factors:

•Climate

•Pollutants

•Toxins

•Chemical exposure

To a certain extent, hair damaged by both internal and external factors can be modified or improved through supplementation and lifestyle changes.

(Refer to articles from the TCM and Ayurveda perspective on factors that affect hair health and how to maintain the youthfulness of hair.)

* List of factors by Tom Dawson

A TREAT FOR YOUR HAIR THE AYURVEDA WAY

You can pamper your hair with an Ayurvedic treat each week to keep it healthy and beautiful. The basic procedure is easy to remember, but you will have to set aside time and preferably do it in an unhurried, stress-free environment.

Here is the basic procedure:

•Condition your hair with oil.

•Wash hair.

•Apply nutritious, herbal oil on hair when it has dried.

In addition, you can give your scalp a relaxing massage. A 1998 study found that massaging the scalp with a combination of several essential oils in a base of jojoba and grape seed oils improved new hair growth for 44 percent of patients suffering from alopecia areata (patchy hair loss). The report stated one patient dramatically completely regrew hair from an almost completely bald scalp!

1. CONDITION

Oils suitable for all hair types are sunflower, jojoba and olive oil.

If you have dandruff or infected scalp, add neem, clove, eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

•Vata hair: sesame / apricot / avocado / almond oil

•Pitta hair: coconut / grape seed / rice bran oil

•Kapha hair: olive / sesame / grape seed / soy / safflower oil.

In cold weather, you can add mustard oil to any of the above oils to warm the scalp.

2. WASH

You can add any one or a blend of the following ingredients to wash hair:

MAIN INGREDIENTS

Shikakai (Acacia concinna), soapnut / soapberry / soapbark / soaproot (There are a number of plants traditionally used as soap around the world so use what is available to you.), tea and vinegar

SECONDARY INGREDIENTS

Add any of the following ingredients to the main ingredients:

Besan powder (Chickpea/garbanzo flour milled from hulled roasted chickpea [Cicer arietinum])

Amla powder (Indian gooseberry, Emblica officinalis)

Hibiscus powder (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Gram flour [black (urad dal) / red (toor dal) / green (mung bean) ]

LIQUID MEDIUM

Mix above ingredients in a liquid medium such as milk, yogurt or warm water. The warm water helps to dissolve oil better.

For some bath recipes that uses soapnut, go to:

 GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [2]- Bath recipes 

Herbs that enhance skincare are also good for your hair. They may balance sebum production, have antiseptic properties, reduces inflammation or mitigate some of the damaging effects of the sun. Such herbs can be added to your hair wash or conditioner. You may use either fresh or dried herbs. Ready-made hydrosols, oils or essential oils are convenient choices as well.

If your hair needs another oiling after wash, use any of above oils stated in ‘1. Condition’ as base oil and add any of the following ingredients:

Sandalwood, coriander, bhringaraj, rose, rosemary, holy basil and lemongrass.

Certain herbs and oils are especially helpful to specific hair types although they may be used by other doshas.

•Vata skin benefits from the oils of Sea buckthorn, walnut, jojoba and vetiver .

•Herbs particularly helpful for Pitta hair are jasmine, sandalwood and brahmi.

•Kapha hair may benefit from occasional application of oil infusions with black pepper, nutmeg and/or cinnamon. These are warming herbs with antiseptic properties and help to improve sluggish circulation, which kapha constitution is prone.

•apply black seed/ black cumin seed oil either on its own or blended with another oil.

That’s quite a lot of herbs to choose from. The next step is to choose and use the herbs the Ayurveda way. If you feel overwhelmed by the choices, you can try Meera herbal hair wash and Meera conditioning oil. This is an ancient recipe using a blend of flowers and herbs such as shikakai, green gram, tulsi, vettiver, amla and much more. The recipe varies slightly among manufacturers. A word of caution: some unscrupulous manufacturers may use mineral oil and some man-made chemicals instead of using all natural ingredients. Therefore, read the ingredients list carefully before purchase.

MORE INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR HOMEMADE HAIR RECIPES

Ayurveda may consider hair to be  a byproduct of bone metabolism but the modern theory is that skin and hair are related. This is because a protein called keratin is an important component of both. Therefore, you can use many of the ingredients interchangeably.

Below are some articles from the main site, JUMBLEBOX HOME

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [1]

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/skincare1.html

(Check out the properties of ingredients in this page, which are suitable for both skin and hair.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [1]- sunscreen

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/sun.html

(Your hair need protection from damaging rays of the Sun. the oils in this page is good for both your skin and hair. The heavier oils act as sealant to prevent moisture from escaping whereas the lighter oil penetrates your hair to moisturize it. GRAPESEED oil has ceramides to fill in gaps in damaged hair.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [3]- TONER INGREDIENTS

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/toner2.html

(You can use many of the acidic ingredients mentioned in this article to balance the ph of your hair. If you have dry hair, avoid the strong astringent ingredients)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [4]- Oily Skin

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/moisturize3.html

(The ingredients and recipes in this article are suitable for oily to normal hair as well.)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [3]- Skincare herbs

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/toner3.html

(Depending on the needs of your hair, look for herbs that are antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, improve elasticity, moisturizing, maintain ph and oil balance, improve circulation, antioxidant)

GOOD SKINCARE NATURALLY [2]- Bath recipes

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/bath2.html

(This article has some soapnut recipes)

AYURVEDA HAIR THEORY

According to Ayurveda, hair is a byproduct of bone tissue metabolism. The same tissues responsible for building bones are also responsible for the growth of hair. The quality of the hair is dependant on the quality of digestion from which nutrition is derived.

A poor diet can cause poor digestion, leading to accumulation of toxic buildup of partially digested food (ama). Impurities weaken production capacity of bones, which results in dull hair, weak nails and problem skin.

We are born with three *doshas with one dosha being dominant in most of us. Some people have two doshas that are almost balanced. When the tridoshas (vata, Pitta and Kapha) are out of balance, the health of our body and hair are compromised.

Look for the following characteristics to assess your hair type and the dosha that is in excess:

•VATA DOSHA: thin, dry, dull, lusterless, coarse or rough in texture, kinks in the hair, dry flakes from scalp (especially in winter), and have split-ends

•PITTA DOSHA: Soft, excessive oiliness and sweating in hot, humid weather, prematurely gray hair, flaky itchy scalp and more hair falls out than new growth leading to thinning hair.

•KAPHA DOSHA: Thick, wavy and excessive greasiness and dandruff.

Different healthcare systems have different theories about hair and ways to remedy hair problems. The important thing is that the remedies work! As the pragmatic Chinese like to say, “Black cat, white cat; the cat that catches rat is good cat!”

*dosha: characteristics that occur together as a group and each group is labeled as a specific dosha.