All About Hair! if you want to know facts about your hair maybe this will help you.

[icemarle 0]

There is a an old wives tale which says that if hair is left alone, it will become self cleaning. Is there any truth in that, or is it another urban myth.?
Another one says that for every grey hair you pull out, you get between 2-6 grey hairs in place of it. (I hope that isn't true.! laugh.gif )

Don't worry, I know the latter one isn't true... (You can continue pulling out those gray hairs) As for the first one, I tried that... well, I didn't do it for the sake of trying it out, I was too lazy to take a bath (I didn't leave the house at all anyway) So anyway, I left it like that for a few days, and all I got was extremely oily hair (and some dandruff ) I highly doubt that's self-cleaning.

[beeseven 0]

When the hair follicle enters the rest phase, the hair shaft breaks, so the existing hair falls out and a new hair takes its place. . . . The cells that make the hairs on your arms are programmed to stop growing every couple of months, so the hair on your arms stays short, thankfully! The hair follicles on your head, on the other hand, are programmed to let hair grow for years at a time, so the hair can grow very long.

That's really cool, I had wondered why arm and leg hair stayed so short but head hair could grow so long. Nice topic!

[the_aggie10 0]

hair is very important to some people, maybe because it can dictate what we look like and what other's will think of us. Actually some people base our personality with the way we style our hair.
So maybe it is just right if we could know more something about our hair.

If you're wondering on what the hair is made up, well, based on my research, the chemical composition of hair is : **Carbon 45%, Oxygen 27%, Nitrogen15%, Hydrogen 6%, Sulphur 5%.**

**Each hair on your body grows from its own individual hair follicle. Inside the follicle, new hair cells form at the root of the hair shaft. As the cells form, they push older cells out of the follicle. As they are pushed out, the cells die and become the hair we see.

A "follicle" will make new cells for a certain period of time depending on where it is located on your body. This period is called the growth phase. Then it will stop for a period of time (the rest phase-- this is why sometimes, it seems that our hair grows too slow unlike some years. and here in the philippines they usually blame it on the barber, thinking that the barber did something wrong while cutting their hair.), and then restart the growth phase again.

When the hair follicle enters the rest phase, the hair shaft breaks, so the existing hair falls out and a new hair takes its place. Therefore, the length of time that the hair is able to spend growing during the growth phase controls the maximum length of the hair.

The cells that make the hairs on your arms are programmed to stop growing every couple of months, so the hair on your arms stays short, thankfully! The hair follicles on your head, on the other hand, are programmed to let hair grow for years at a time, so the hair can grow very long.

i also learned that the growth of our hair varies in different races.
in what i read, the asian hair is the fastest growing hair among the races. it can grow about 1.5cm a month while the caucasian hair is the second ranging about 1.2cms a month and the slowest growthrate of hair is the african hair that usually grows 0.8cm a month.

based on your research? not being rude or flaming but i found this strange....i remembered it and today if found this in my science book....but thanks for putting it in your own words....found it quite interesting....also...did yall know that if you burn your hair and it gets to the follicle that you will not grow hair from that follicle again? happend to my brother when i caught his hair on fire but it isnt too noticable < spelling?

[randomdood 0]

interesting, i never knew that hair was made up of those chemicals, then again most things are made out of carbon/oxygen/hydrogen. pretty cool, my hair grows quicker than asians hair thanx for the facts!

[Voidless_Shadows 0]

I have pretty hair :lol:Not really, my hair is decent, but I do alot of things I shouldn't and that's starting to show more and more

[anto 0]

putting too much shampoo will cause your hair to turn gray at an early age. thanks for the tips

[techclave 0]

Now that you have made us realize what stays on top of our head, .. can you go a step further and give some points about hair care... Does acts like wearing a cap, using a towel to dry your hair, help you to lose your hair soon ??? And i also want to know whether the use of hair gel is good or not. And also, do let me know whether the theory that coconut oil applied on the hair and intake of greens help hair growth ??

[master_bacarra 0]

well this is a pretty much interesting topic, considering that i'm a guy. i'm not being sexist of course. some men are also meticulous about their hair and hairstyle. i'll catch up by quoting some of the replies and answering some of them myself.

There is a an old wives tale which says that if hair is left alone, it will become self cleaning. Is there any truth in that, or is it another urban myth.?

it is obviously a myth and for a fact that it does the opposite when you leave your hair alone, dirt from the air will accumulate to your hair and stick to it from the oil that is secreted from your scalp. it is still skin after all. the amount of oil that is secreted depends on the person (and his/her lifestyle). but i do believe some curly-haired people who only wash their hair and put conditioner, instead of shampooing it. this technique is beneficial to them since curly hair tends to be drier than straight hair.

Another one says that for every grey hair you pull out, you get between 2-6 grey hairs in place of it. (I hope that isn't true.! )

well that's what they say. my mom actually told me that one myself, but she believes that growing white hair causes the itch in the hair, which is also wrong. i don't think the hair would increase like that. a follicle can only contain one hair strand so there's no way for that to happen.

does the type of shampoo make a difference?

yes it does make a difference. the shampoo you use should be appropriate for your hair type. for example if the shampoo says "for dry hair" then it should be used for that kind of hair. it's pretty self-explanatory.

But here in the Philippines, we have the things caleed "electric fans" so we use them instead.

um, actually it's not advised to use electric fans in drying your hair. simply because it can be a place where dirt piles up, so when you use it to dry your hair, it would only make your hair dirty.

What about the ocean is the salt and stuff bad for your hair and scalp?

um yes. it also dries your hair. i don't the direct effect on the scalp, but i do know that it will dry your hair.

Well anyways, just another tip. For those who want lighter/blonder hair, don't use Sun-in.
Sun-in is basically a so called ''natural'' hair lightener, but in fact it is bleach.

but isn't that logical? why would someone who is blond/has lighter hair use a bleach/hair lightener that would be stupid.

putting too much shampoo will cause your hair to turn gray at an early age. thanks for the tips

no. too much shampoo will not turn your hair gray. there is a part in the hair follicle that produces the color of the hair, which we know as melanin. as a person ages, the creation decreases, thus the same goes to the pigmentation, which leads to a lighter-colored hair. genetics also has a part on this. if your parent easily had white hair during their early life, then most likely you would encounter that as well.

the only thing that excessive use of shampoo does to your hair is dry it out. while shampoos are like soap in a sense that they clean the hair of the dirt that clings to it, the latter is much stronger, like one poster said. i actually tried using soap once, since i forgot to buy myself a shampoo and after i rinsed my hair, i got shocked because i haven't even gotten out of the shower but i can already feel the dryness of my hair.

Does acts like wearing a cap, using a towel to dry your hair, help you to lose your hair soon ???

well toweling your hair dries your hair, the action of drying your hair puts a strain on the strands, and if there are weak strands, they do break easily. hair breakage has a lot of causes. one of which is too much use of shampoo. as i've said, too much shampoo dries your hair and if it's dry, it would easily break. i cannot tell you the frequency of usage of shampoo in order to prevent too much breakage. you have to consult your dermatologist or your salon about it. ask them which kinds of shampoo would be more appropriate for your hair.

another thing that would cause hair breakage is excessive brushing (especially if you use a brush instead of a comb). brushing tends to strain the strands as well and the weak strands will break easier. if you have curly hair, a wide-toothed comb will do. this would allow you to separate the tangled curly hair easier. another point to consider is that you have to let your hair dry first before combing (or as they say, "towel-dried hair"). this is because wet hair is weaker than dry hair, and brushing while your hair is wet is definitely a no-no.

other actions that damage the hair and lead to hair breakage is hair-coloring, ironing, curling and of course, blow-drying (that's why the author of this thread said something about blow-drying tips). hair coloring which uses chemicals damages the hair itself. ironing and curling well is pretty much self explanatory, and has a relation to the post reply about burning his/her hair.

And i also want to know whether the use of hair gel is good or not. And also, do let me know whether the theory that coconut oil applied on the hair and intake of greens help hair growth ??

there are topicals that can be used for styling the hair. you just have to be careful in choosing which product to use. i have actually read stories about someone who lost all his hair because of a cheap gel he bought.

about home remedies, there are a lot of stuff that can be used. in fact some shampoo brans even integrate these ingredients to their products in order to create the same effect. coconut oil helps as moisturizer. there is a plant called aloe or aloe vera, which aids in hair growth. the leaf can be opened and the gooey white stuff can be applied to the hair and leave it for a few minutes before rinsing. as for other home remedies, i do know of the egg white technique, where you put egg whites to your hair, which is supposed to make your hair moisturized. as for the other stuff, you have to search it over the net.

there are a lot of tips i can give you on taking care of your hair.

for cleaning, use the appropriate shampoo for your hair. in this way your hair would be treated well. shampoo your hair properly in order to clean the strands well. for those who have very oily hair, it means that you have very oily scalp, try to leave the shampoo for a longer time. this will effectively clean most of the oils once you rinse it. for those with dry hair, shampooing shouldn't be done too much or your hair would break easily. massage your hair well in order to stimulate the blood vessels in your head. in this way, you keep the blood pumping and it will allow for better hair growth, and for the oiliness to lessen. if you have oily hair, you need not use conditioners.

for drying, i think the author already mentioned most of it. just remember to tap it dry using a towel and then you can already comb it.

the reason why i know some of that is because i have had some battles with my hair. i've researched some over the internet, hoping that it would help my problem. it did, but i got tired of having to tend to my hair. you see, i have a very thin set of hair (meaning the hair strands are thin), so thin that i can almost see my scalp when i look at the mirror. to make things worse, i have curly hair. imagine the agony. curly hair = dry hair, thin hair = prone to breakage. thanks to genetics, i inherited the worst genes i tried growing my hair to the extend that i could probably have it braided (but of course i won't do that or it will damage my hair even more) just to make it look more full and hoping that it would cover my scalp. to no avail, it still looked bad, i could still see my scalp and i look awful. i've shaved my head twice (i did it myself, and i'm not proud of it). after long battles, and following this and that, i just gave up and have my hair cut short, short meaning semi-bald (around 1 cm i guess). i actually am liking it right now and i think i would consider using this style for a long time. my point is that i've tried and followed some of this stuff, and it did work, it's just that i'm too tired to think about my hair and why i can't style it like most of my peers, and how i envy them for having thick hair.

of course i'm not suggesting that you should go bald as well. i'm just pointing out that carelessness can have a major effect on your hair, although i didn't say i was careless enough to lose most of my hair. and i'm giving you some of the advice so you could use it and with caution.

[QuickSilva 0]

Well my hair does not reflect on my personality. I haven't changed my hair style in, oh 10 years? My hair is never spiked, I mean you can never catch me with gel in my hair. I don't know why, I just don't want/like that stuff. I mean, I think I am the only boy in my classes that doesn't wear gel. Anyway enough about me, I can show off to my Science teacher now that I know the chemical compounds.

[bhavesh 0]

My hair falls a lot, have tried a lot of shampoos, oils, other medicines but with no result. So at last decided to have long hairs and show my hair to everybody till they last. And now I am recognized by my long hairs.Would any body suggest anyway to stop hair fall.