Hurray for Hair!
Did you know that hair grows all over our bodies, except on the palms of our hands, the bottom of our feet, and on our lips. Of course the hair on your head; as well as your eyebrows and eyelashes are easy to see; but some of the hair – on your cheeks for example – is so fine you can hardly see it at all.
Our hair is made up of the same protein as our nails – keratin. The keratin is formed in the root of the hair. The root lies below the skin in a tiny tube known as the hair follicle. The root is fed by blood vessels. As the hair grows, it pushes up through the hair follicle and out of the surface of the skin. Once the hair reaches the surface of the skin, it is made up of dead cells; that is why it does not hurt when you have your hair trimmed. Hair follicles are normally attached to a gland which produces oils which help protect the hair.
We have over 100,000 hairs on our head! As we go about our normal activities, 50 to 100 of these hairs will fall out every day, making way for new hairs to grow. Hair comes in different colours and textures – for example, you might naturally have dark and curly hair or red and straight. There are all kinds of variations. Hair colour comes from a pigment called melanin. Elderly people produce less melanin and that is why their hair gradually goes grey.
Our hair helps keep our body temperature even. The hair on our head protects us from too much sun, but also keeps us warm in the cold. Our eyebrows act as a protective barrier over our eyes; shading them from too much light, and stopping sweat from dripping into them. Eyelashes shade our eyes and help prevent dust getting in.
We all like to have the hair on our heads looking nice. Your best bet for really healthy hair is to eat a good diet with lots of varied foods. It’s also important to keep your hair clean. How often you need to wash it depends on the type of hair you have. Some people wash their hair daily; while others only need to wash it around once a week.
It’s a good idea to carefully comb out the tangles before washing using a wide-toothed comb. You work from the bottom of the hair to the root. A gentle shampoo is best. You don’t need to use too much shampoo – just a drop the size of a nickel coin should be enough. Apply the shampoo to wet hair. Use your fingertips to gently massage your scalp with the lather to remove dead skin cells and oil. The next step is to rinse all the shampoo out with warm water. If you have dry hair; you can then apply conditioner, concentrating on the ends of the hair. Some conditioners can be left in, others must be rinsed out.
