Hair, we wear it on our heads, use it
as an accessory, cut it, bleach it, dye it and perm it. But do we
really understand what it is? We know that there are many different
textures and colors out there when it comes to our natural decoration,
but why do all these variations exist?
Now, I am definitely no expert on this subject, but I do know a bit about hair, and after researching on this matter I decided to bring you guys the information I found.
The surface of a strand of hair is covered with scale-like cells. Right under these cells are the cortex and the medulla which are in the center of the strand. Hair is mainly made of fibers composed of Keratin which is defined as any of various sulfur-containing proteins. Many types of Keratin exist and they are not only found in your hair but also in your skin and nails.
What forms the curls?
Keratin, as mentioned before, is composed of sulfur atoms and all hair has the basic keratin “structure” that forms curly hair. What creates the difference between the textures is the shape of the hair strand. If the strand has a very round shape the hair will be straight. If the strand is “flatter” or more of an oval shape, the hair will be curly. This is because the “flat” or oval shape causes more disulfide bonds between the hair proteins. So, the flatter the follicle, the more linking between sulfur atoms and thus the curlier the hair.Now obviously there are ways to break these bonds in order to create different textures. However, it is amazing to see the different types of curls that exist right now, all due to a slight difference in the shape of the hair strand.
References:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/keratin
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/genomics/2011/Piper/Background.html
http://www.spring8.or.jp/pdf/en/res_fro/05/133-134.pdf
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/retexturizing/keratin/what-makes-curly-hair-curly
http://humantouchofchemistry.com/what-makes-your-hair-curl.htm
http://skyesbeautytricks.com/straight-or-curly-what-is-the-difference/
http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types
http://suite101.com/article/curly-hair-wavy-hair-straight-hair-a95894
http://www.examiner.com/article/straight-hair-vs-curly-the-real-difference
Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJ5rrslDWHnfSKJUbKFAKtBJlpnaFDdkFKsQoolLuVJ9TeSzJdFnPkvmgOx7s_YTphhAc2tWcf_cuWV3DCxBygCvcFR2AMe4gIGD89nf3-atpK1A2iDdV1QyMXUU7Lncw7SvaK1ZBhns/s320/hair-cross-section.gif
