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COMPOSITION OF THE HAIR
Hair is composed chiefly of the protein keratin (KER-ah-tin), which is found in all horny growths including the nails
and skin. The chemical composition of hair varies with its color. Darker hair has more carbon and less oxygen; the
reverse is true for lighter hair. Average hair is composed of 50.65% carbon, 6.36% hydrogen, 17.14% nitrogen, 5.0%
sulfur, and 20.85% oxygen.
ANAGEN: THE GROWING PHASE
The average growth of healthy hair on the scalp is about ½” (1.25cm) per month. At any one time, as much as 90% of
the hair on our head is growing. It keeps growing for a period lasting from 2 to 6 years, during which the hair-shaft
diameter increases in size and (if not cut) the hair reaches maximum length. Factors such as gender, age, type of hair,
heredity, nutrition, and health have a bearing on the duration of hair life.
The rate of growth of human hair can differ on specific parts of the body, between sexes, and with age. Scalp hair
grows faster on women than on men. Between the ages of 15 and 30, scalp hair grows rapidly, but shows down
sharply after age 50. Hair growth also is influenced by nutrition, health, and hormones.
CATAGEN: THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE
The transitional phase signals the end of the growth phase. It is very short, lasting one to two weeks. During catagen,
the follicle rapidly decreases in volume and the lower part of the follicle is destroyed.
TELOGEN: THE RESTING PHASE
When catagen ends, the hair follicle begins a two – to six-month phase of resting. During telogen, the follicle is shorter,
approximately one half to a third of the length of an active follicle.
Only about 10% to 15% of our hair is in the resting phase at any one time. Hair follicle cycles are not synchronized;
each one goes through these three phases independently.
After telogen, activity in the hair follicle begins again, returning to the anagen, or growing, phase. A new hair shaft
forms and grows alongside the old hair, forcing it to fall out.
Under normal circumstances, everyone loses some hair every day – between 40 and 100 hairs. That’s not as much as it
sounds, since the average head has about 100,000 individual shafts of hair. The number of hairs on the head varies with
the color of the hair: blonde, 140,000; brown, 110.000; black, 108,000; red, 90,000.
ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA
The most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia affects some 40 million men and 20 million women in the
United States. Hair loss can begin as early as the teens and is frequently fully seen by the age of 40. By age 35, almost
40% of men and women show some degree of hair loss.
The gene for androgenetic alopecia can be inherited from either side of the family or from both sides. Affected members
of the same family may have varying degrees of thinning. In men, this is known as male pattern baldness and usually
progresses to the familiar horseshoe-shaped fringe of hair. In women, it turns up as a generalized thinning of the hair
over the entire crown of the head. Over time, the hair on the sides may also become thinner. Women retain their
frontal hair line, which my be straight or M-shaped. It is extremely rare for a woman to go bald.
OTHER TYPES OF HAIR LOSS
Alopecia Areata
There is a sudden loss of hair in round or irregular patches; the scalp is not inflamed. This type of hair loss occurs
individuals who have no obvious skin disorder or serious disease. It is often attributed to stress. Alopecia areata is
confined to a few areas and is often reversed in a few months, though recurrences may occur. The National Alopecia
Areata Foundation estimates that 2.5 million men, women, and children suffer from this type of hair loss.
Telogen Effluvium
This premature shedding of hair in the resting phase (telogen) can result from various causes, such as difficult childbirth,
shock, drug intake, fever, etc. Some women also experience sudden hair loss when they stop taking birth-control pills or
if they follow a crash diet too low in protein. The hair loss is usually reversed once the condition is resolved.
Traction of Traumatic Alopecia
Patchy of diffuse hair loss is sometimes due to repetitive traction on the hair by pulling or twisting. This type of hair loss
also occurs after excessive application of chemicals, such as permanent wave solutions, or after excessive use of hot
combs. This condition is usually reversed once trauma has stopped.
Postpartum Alopecia
Women sometimes experience temporary hair loss at the conclusion of a pregnancy. While some women can lose
tremendous amounts of hair in the weeks following the birth of their child, the abnormal hair loss slows as hormone
levels in the body return to pre-pregnancy levels.
THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF HAIR LOSS
Generally, the medical community has looked upon hair loss with complacency, stating that it was a nonmedical
condition. But the mental anguish that many hair loss sufferers feel is very real, overlooked, and not fully addressed.
DISORDERS OF THE HAIR
CANITIES
Canities (ka-NIT-eez) is the technical term for gray (unpigmented) hair. Its immediate cause is the loss of natural
pigment in the hair. There are two types:
1. Congenital canities exists at or before birth. It occurs in albinos and occasionally in persons with normal hair.
A patchy type of congenital canities may develop either slowly or rapidly, depending upon the cause of the
condition.
2. Acquired canities may be due to old age, or onset may occur prematurely in early adult life. Causes of acquired
canities maybe worry, anxiety, nervous strain, prolonged illness, or heredity.
RINGED HAIR
Ringed hair is alternate bands of gray and dark hair.
HYPERTRICHOSIS
Hypertrichosis (hi-per-tri-KOH-sis) or hirsuties, means superfluous hair, an abnormal development of hair on areas of
the body normally bearing only downy hair. Treatment: Tweeze or remove by depilatories, electrolysis, shaving, or
epilation.
TRICHOPTILOSIS
Trichoptilosis (tri-kop-ti-LOH-sis) is the technical term for split hair ends. Treatment: The hair should be well oiled to
soften and lubricate the dry ends. The ends also my be removed by cutting.
TRICHORRHEXIS NODOSA
Trichorrhexis nodosa (TRIK-o-rek-sis-no-DO-sa), or knotted hair, is a dry, brittle condition including formation of
nodular swellings along the hair shaft. The hair breaks easily, and there is a brushlike spreading out of the fibers of the
broken-off hair along the hair shaft. Treatment: Softening the hair with conditioners may prove beneficial.
MONILETHRIX
Monilethrix (moh-NIL-e-thriks) is the technical term for beaded hair. The hair breaks between the beads or nodes.
Treatment: Scalp and hair treatments may improve the hair condition.
FRAGILITAS CRINIUM
Fragilitas crinium (frah-JIL-i -tas KRI-nee-um) is the technical term for brittle hair. The hairs may split at any part of
their length. Treatment: Conditioning hair treatments may be recommended.
DISORDERS OF THE SCALP
Just as the skin is continually being shed and replaced, the upper-most layer of the scalp is also being cast off all the
time. Ordinarily, these horny scales loosen and fall off freely. The natural shedding of these horny scales should not be
mistaken for dandruff.
DANDRUFF
Dandruff consists of small, white scales that usually appear on the scalp and hair. The medical term for dandruff is
pityriasis (pit-i -REYE-ah-sis). The nature of dandruff is not clearly defined by medical authorities although it is
generally believed to be of infectious origin. Some authorities hold that it is due to a specific microbe.
A direct cause of dandruff is the excessive shedding of the epithelial, or surface, cells. Instead of growing to the surface
and falling off, these horny scales accumulate on the scalp.
Indirect or associated causes of dandruff are a sluggish condition of the scalp, possibly due to poor circulation, infection,
injury, lack of nerve stimulation, improper diet, and uncleanliness. Contributing causes are the use of strong shampoos
and insufficient rinsing of the hair after a shampoo. The two principal types of dandruff are:
1. Pityriasis capitis simplex (kah-PEYE-tis SIM-pleks): dry type.
2. Pityriasis steatoides (ste-a-TOY-dez): greasy or waxy type.
Pityriasis capitis simplex (dry dandruff) is characterized by an itchy scalp and small white scales that are usually attached
to the scalp in masses or scattered loosely in the hair. Occassionally, they are so profuse that they fall to the shoulders.
Dry dandruff is often the result of a sluggish scalp caused by poor circulation, lack of nerve stimulation, improper diet,
emotional and glandular disturbances, or uncleanliness. Frequent scalp treatments, use of mild shampoos, regular scalp
massage, daily use of antiseptic sclap lotions, and applications of scalp ointments are all recommended for this disorder.
Pityriasis steatoides (greasy or waxy type of dandruff) is a scaly condition of the epidermis (surface skin). The scales
become mixed with sebum, causing them to stick to the scalp in patches. There may be itchiness, causing the person to
scratch the scalp. If the greasy scales are torn off, bleeding or oozing of sebum may follow. Medical treatment is
advisable.
Both forms of dandruff are considered to be contagious and can be spread by the common use of brushes, combs, and
other articles. Therefore, the cosmetologist must take the necessary precautions to sanitize everything that comes into
contact with the client.
Hair is composed chiefly of the protein keratin (KER-ah-tin), which is found in all horny growths including the nails
and skin. The chemical composition of hair varies with its color. Darker hair has more carbon and less oxygen; the
reverse is true for lighter hair. Average hair is composed of 50.65% carbon, 6.36% hydrogen, 17.14% nitrogen, 5.0%
sulfur, and 20.85% oxygen.
ANAGEN: THE GROWING PHASE
The average growth of healthy hair on the scalp is about ½” (1.25cm) per month. At any one time, as much as 90% of
the hair on our head is growing. It keeps growing for a period lasting from 2 to 6 years, during which the hair-shaft
diameter increases in size and (if not cut) the hair reaches maximum length. Factors such as gender, age, type of hair,
heredity, nutrition, and health have a bearing on the duration of hair life.
The rate of growth of human hair can differ on specific parts of the body, between sexes, and with age. Scalp hair
grows faster on women than on men. Between the ages of 15 and 30, scalp hair grows rapidly, but shows down
sharply after age 50. Hair growth also is influenced by nutrition, health, and hormones.
CATAGEN: THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE
The transitional phase signals the end of the growth phase. It is very short, lasting one to two weeks. During catagen,
the follicle rapidly decreases in volume and the lower part of the follicle is destroyed.
TELOGEN: THE RESTING PHASE
When catagen ends, the hair follicle begins a two – to six-month phase of resting. During telogen, the follicle is shorter,
approximately one half to a third of the length of an active follicle.
Only about 10% to 15% of our hair is in the resting phase at any one time. Hair follicle cycles are not synchronized;
each one goes through these three phases independently.
After telogen, activity in the hair follicle begins again, returning to the anagen, or growing, phase. A new hair shaft
forms and grows alongside the old hair, forcing it to fall out.
Under normal circumstances, everyone loses some hair every day – between 40 and 100 hairs. That’s not as much as it
sounds, since the average head has about 100,000 individual shafts of hair. The number of hairs on the head varies with
the color of the hair: blonde, 140,000; brown, 110.000; black, 108,000; red, 90,000.
ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA
The most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia affects some 40 million men and 20 million women in the
United States. Hair loss can begin as early as the teens and is frequently fully seen by the age of 40. By age 35, almost
40% of men and women show some degree of hair loss.
The gene for androgenetic alopecia can be inherited from either side of the family or from both sides. Affected members
of the same family may have varying degrees of thinning. In men, this is known as male pattern baldness and usually
progresses to the familiar horseshoe-shaped fringe of hair. In women, it turns up as a generalized thinning of the hair
over the entire crown of the head. Over time, the hair on the sides may also become thinner. Women retain their
frontal hair line, which my be straight or M-shaped. It is extremely rare for a woman to go bald.
OTHER TYPES OF HAIR LOSS
Alopecia Areata
There is a sudden loss of hair in round or irregular patches; the scalp is not inflamed. This type of hair loss occurs
individuals who have no obvious skin disorder or serious disease. It is often attributed to stress. Alopecia areata is
confined to a few areas and is often reversed in a few months, though recurrences may occur. The National Alopecia
Areata Foundation estimates that 2.5 million men, women, and children suffer from this type of hair loss.
Telogen Effluvium
This premature shedding of hair in the resting phase (telogen) can result from various causes, such as difficult childbirth,
shock, drug intake, fever, etc. Some women also experience sudden hair loss when they stop taking birth-control pills or
if they follow a crash diet too low in protein. The hair loss is usually reversed once the condition is resolved.
Traction of Traumatic Alopecia
Patchy of diffuse hair loss is sometimes due to repetitive traction on the hair by pulling or twisting. This type of hair loss
also occurs after excessive application of chemicals, such as permanent wave solutions, or after excessive use of hot
combs. This condition is usually reversed once trauma has stopped.
Postpartum Alopecia
Women sometimes experience temporary hair loss at the conclusion of a pregnancy. While some women can lose
tremendous amounts of hair in the weeks following the birth of their child, the abnormal hair loss slows as hormone
levels in the body return to pre-pregnancy levels.
THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF HAIR LOSS
Generally, the medical community has looked upon hair loss with complacency, stating that it was a nonmedical
condition. But the mental anguish that many hair loss sufferers feel is very real, overlooked, and not fully addressed.
DISORDERS OF THE HAIR
CANITIES
Canities (ka-NIT-eez) is the technical term for gray (unpigmented) hair. Its immediate cause is the loss of natural
pigment in the hair. There are two types:
1. Congenital canities exists at or before birth. It occurs in albinos and occasionally in persons with normal hair.
A patchy type of congenital canities may develop either slowly or rapidly, depending upon the cause of the
condition.
2. Acquired canities may be due to old age, or onset may occur prematurely in early adult life. Causes of acquired
canities maybe worry, anxiety, nervous strain, prolonged illness, or heredity.
RINGED HAIR
Ringed hair is alternate bands of gray and dark hair.
HYPERTRICHOSIS
Hypertrichosis (hi-per-tri-KOH-sis) or hirsuties, means superfluous hair, an abnormal development of hair on areas of
the body normally bearing only downy hair. Treatment: Tweeze or remove by depilatories, electrolysis, shaving, or
epilation.
TRICHOPTILOSIS
Trichoptilosis (tri-kop-ti-LOH-sis) is the technical term for split hair ends. Treatment: The hair should be well oiled to
soften and lubricate the dry ends. The ends also my be removed by cutting.
TRICHORRHEXIS NODOSA
Trichorrhexis nodosa (TRIK-o-rek-sis-no-DO-sa), or knotted hair, is a dry, brittle condition including formation of
nodular swellings along the hair shaft. The hair breaks easily, and there is a brushlike spreading out of the fibers of the
broken-off hair along the hair shaft. Treatment: Softening the hair with conditioners may prove beneficial.
MONILETHRIX
Monilethrix (moh-NIL-e-thriks) is the technical term for beaded hair. The hair breaks between the beads or nodes.
Treatment: Scalp and hair treatments may improve the hair condition.
FRAGILITAS CRINIUM
Fragilitas crinium (frah-JIL-i -tas KRI-nee-um) is the technical term for brittle hair. The hairs may split at any part of
their length. Treatment: Conditioning hair treatments may be recommended.
DISORDERS OF THE SCALP
Just as the skin is continually being shed and replaced, the upper-most layer of the scalp is also being cast off all the
time. Ordinarily, these horny scales loosen and fall off freely. The natural shedding of these horny scales should not be
mistaken for dandruff.
DANDRUFF
Dandruff consists of small, white scales that usually appear on the scalp and hair. The medical term for dandruff is
pityriasis (pit-i -REYE-ah-sis). The nature of dandruff is not clearly defined by medical authorities although it is
generally believed to be of infectious origin. Some authorities hold that it is due to a specific microbe.
A direct cause of dandruff is the excessive shedding of the epithelial, or surface, cells. Instead of growing to the surface
and falling off, these horny scales accumulate on the scalp.
Indirect or associated causes of dandruff are a sluggish condition of the scalp, possibly due to poor circulation, infection,
injury, lack of nerve stimulation, improper diet, and uncleanliness. Contributing causes are the use of strong shampoos
and insufficient rinsing of the hair after a shampoo. The two principal types of dandruff are:
1. Pityriasis capitis simplex (kah-PEYE-tis SIM-pleks): dry type.
2. Pityriasis steatoides (ste-a-TOY-dez): greasy or waxy type.
Pityriasis capitis simplex (dry dandruff) is characterized by an itchy scalp and small white scales that are usually attached
to the scalp in masses or scattered loosely in the hair. Occassionally, they are so profuse that they fall to the shoulders.
Dry dandruff is often the result of a sluggish scalp caused by poor circulation, lack of nerve stimulation, improper diet,
emotional and glandular disturbances, or uncleanliness. Frequent scalp treatments, use of mild shampoos, regular scalp
massage, daily use of antiseptic sclap lotions, and applications of scalp ointments are all recommended for this disorder.
Pityriasis steatoides (greasy or waxy type of dandruff) is a scaly condition of the epidermis (surface skin). The scales
become mixed with sebum, causing them to stick to the scalp in patches. There may be itchiness, causing the person to
scratch the scalp. If the greasy scales are torn off, bleeding or oozing of sebum may follow. Medical treatment is
advisable.
Both forms of dandruff are considered to be contagious and can be spread by the common use of brushes, combs, and
other articles. Therefore, the cosmetologist must take the necessary precautions to sanitize everything that comes into
contact with the client.
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