About the ruin for the hair of all kinds of chemicals are now confirmed literally "on every corner. But how exactly does the hair get damaged by these effects? Let's see... So why is it that hair is so damaged by chemical influences?
Persistent hair coloring (including hair bleaching) is a process designed to change the natural hair color, i.e. the composition of melanin molecules, which was given from birth. In order to lighten the natural pigment (located in the cortex) and put their artificial dye pigments, it is necessary to provide access to the inside of the hair, namely - to create a highly alkaline environment in which the scales of the cuticle open.
It is a question of resistant coloring, other types of dyes act differently and their impact on the hair is different. In detail about the types of dyes and their effects, I wrote in a separate article.
Chemical perm or straightening is the process of breaking the disulfide bonds of cortex fibers with the subsequent artificial creation of new bonds (by applying a special fixing composition). That is, the bond of elementary fibers is first destroyed and then rebuilt.
To achieve such an effect, as a rule, an alkaline medium is also created.
Ph of persistent dyes varies from 9 to 10, of brightening agents (powder, paste) - from 10 to 12, of compositions for curling or straightening - from 7 to 10, and normal pH of hair - about 5. The more the pH shifts to either side, the more the hair is damaged (at pH values greater than 14 or less than 0, the hair is completely destroyed).
After a strong alkaline action, the cuticles can no longer lie as smoothly as a natural hair, and unfortunately, this is final.
Hairdressers in such cases like to give an analogy with the lumps - "closed" lump - normal hair, "open" lump - damaged. And though, it seems quite similar.
This "open bump" effect on the hair leads to four potential effects:
- quick pigment washing out of the hair when washing (that's why after clarification you have to tone your hair so often, and that's why even the natural hair color becomes lighter after curling);
- under the scales of the cuticle, pigments from the environment are "stuffed", in particular, dirt and rusty particles of tap water and get stuck there, creating a grayish yellowish darkish shade, especially noticeable on clarified hair;
- hair with a "loose" cuticle does not reflect light well, scales cling to each other, so the hair looks dull, rough, difficult to comb;
- It is much easier to damage the open flakes when washing, drying and other mechanical influences, which eventually leads to the exposure and destruction of the next layer of hair (cortex).
For example, nodular trichoclasia (one of the most common forms of hair shaft damage) manifests itself as a fragmented loss of shell cells (cuticles). Damaged areas are the cortex fibers that are spread out in different directions, like the end of a soaked rope. Grey-white dots (nodules) are observed on the hair, where hair usually breaks down.
Of course, not only can hair be chemically damaged, but it can also be caused by improper haircuts, illiterate care, and other factors. I wrote about it in detail in the article "Why can't I grow long hair? And yet the most damaging effect on hair is alkaline.
Is it possible to repair damaged hair?
In fact, no.
The part of the hair we see is made up of keratinized ("dead") cells, so there is no "nourishment" from within the body of the hair fiber.
If the cuticle scales and/or cortex fibers are already damaged or lost, there is nowhere else to go with them, the length of the hair does not regenerate.
However, in a sense, hair can be "improved" by external means: masks, balms, and conditioners are designed to patch holes in the structure of the hair fiber, and to "put" the hair in a special film to protect it from external influences, depending on the components that make up it.