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What is Hair Care?
Hair care is an umbrella term used for describing hygiene as well as cosmetology that involves hair that grows from the scalp, and to some extent, the pubic, facial, and other types of body hair. Hair care practices vary as per the person’s culture as well as the physical attributes of the hair. Hair may be trimmed, colored, plucked, shaved, or just removed using treatments like sugaring, threading, and waxing. Several hair care services and products are offered in barbershops, spas, and salons, while many products are commercially available for use at home.
Care of the hair and care of the scalp skin is generally considered separate, but both are intertwined since hair growth takes place from beneath the scalp and skin in other areas. The living components of hair care products market, such as hair root, hair follicle, sebaceous gland, and root sheath are present beneath the skin, on the other hand, the hair shaft that emerges is not exactly a living part. Any changes or damage to the hair shaft that is visible, cannot be repaired using a biological process, though a lot can be done to maintain the health of the hair.
Importance of Scalp in Hair Care
Scalp skin is like any other type of skin and should be kept healthy for a healthy body as well as proper hair production. With regular cleaning of the scalp of those with rough hair or hair-fall issue, hair loss can become a common occurrence. However, a bacterial infection is not always the reason for every type of scalp disorder. Some can happen inexplicably, with often, just the symptoms treated to manage the condition (such as dandruff). There are a few other bacteria that have a bad impact on the hair itself. Head lice are some of the most common scalp and hair ailments worldwide. Head lice removal happens with keen attention to detail, with studies showing that it is not always due to poor hygiene.
Some of the latest studies have revealed that lice grow rapidly in clean hair. Therefore, hair washing regularly and too often can be bad since healthy hair health maintenance and production only requires basic cleaning of the scalp and skin. It is quite like the way the body’s skin needs cleaning for hygiene.
Importance of Hair Care Products in Hair Cleaning
Hair washing helps in the removal of excess oil and sweat, along with unwanted items from the scalp and hair. Hair washing is often considered a part of bathing or showering using shampoo, which is a specialized surfactant. Shampoo is used by applying it along with water to the hair. The shampoo breaks down the water’s surface tension, soaking the hair. This activity is called the wetting action. This wetting action happens when the shampoo molecule’s head attracts the water to the user’s hair shaft. Conversely, the shampoo molecule’s tail gets attracted to the dirt, oil, and grease present on the hair shaft.
The shampoo’s physical action turns the dirt and grease into an emulsion, which is rinsed away using water. This is called an emulsifying action. Sulfate-free shampoos are generally less damaging to colored hair compared to normal shampoos containing sulfates. Sulfates present in shampoos strip away the natural scalp oils along with hair dye. These also lead to a foaming effect of the shampoos.
What are the Different Hair Care Products Available in the Market?
Shampoo
Shampoo is described as a hair care product that helps elevate the appearance as well as the feel of hair. Additionally, it aids in replacing materials that are lost during hair wash, including natural oils. The hair shampoos’ safety level can be determined by establishing the presence of appropriate ingredients. Also, hair shampoos’ quality is evaluated by their ability to cause eye and scalp irritation.
Product safety is generally determined by stringent adherence to regulations pertaining to quality assurance as well as good manufacturing. This can include testing the shampoo’s compatibility with shelf life and packaging. Shampoos are always assessed by the FDA to understand the degree and type of eye irritation that can happen, and to ensure that there is no contamination.
Hair Conditioner
Hair conditioner is a type of hair care product that enhances the health and appearance of hair. Hair conditioner’s major feature is its ability to bring down friction between the hair strands allowing smoother combing or brushing. Some other advantages of using hair conditioner include strengthening, reduction in split ends, and hair repair. Hair conditioners come in various forms such as creams, viscous liquids, thinner lotions, sprays, and gels. They are often applied after hair wash and can be washed out after a short period of time.
Hair Oil
Hair oil is one of the essential parts of hair care, with the product extensively used by all age groups. These hair care products are highly recommended for hair growth. Manufacturing these is a simple process that involves a cylindrical vessel for mixing all the ingredients as well as oil bases according to the predetermined formulae. It is often a viscous liquid that comes in either transparent or opaque form. Hair oils are usually marketed in several forms including herbal, medicinal, regular, and ayurvedic, for various hair types as well as concerns.
