| We have all seen those ads where there is a | | | | It follows this pattern- |
| picture of a woman with a head full of | | | | |
| amazingly thick,shiny, beautiful hair. How | | | | |
| do you look like that in real life? Let's | | | | |
| look at how you can make your hair look its | | | | 1. It starts with the cuticle being |
| best. | | | | roughed-up, and there is noticeably less |
| | | | shine. |
| In order to understand what can make your | | | | |
| hair look dull, you need to understand the | | | | 2. It then moves on to the difficult combing |
| composition of your hair. Each strand of | | | | stage where the hair starts to tangle a lot |
| your hair is made of 3 layers - the cuticle, | | | | more easily than before. |
| the cortex and the medula. | | | | |
| | | | 3. The last step is when the hair has no |
| - The medula is at the core, made up of soft, | | | | sheen whatsoever because it absorbs light |
| coin-shaped cells stacked on top of each | | | | (rather than reflecting it) and looks |
| other. | | | | completely dull. |
| | | | |
| - The cortex surrounds the medula and is made | | | | Prevention |
| up of spindle shaped cells which determine | | | | |
| the color and texture of your hair. | | | | You can prevent dull hair several ways - |
| | | | |
| - The cuticle is the outer layer which | | | | - Use a low pH shampoo. A high alkaline |
| consists of hard, round tubular cells that | | | | shampoo will make the cuticle cells curl. |
| overlap and act as armour for the softer, | | | | |
| more delicate cells that are inside your hair | | | | - Shampoo your hair regularly. Your hair |
| shaft. | | | | naturally secretes oil which, left unwashed, |
| | | | can coat your hair. This oil attracts dust |
| When the outer layer (the cuticle) becomes | | | | and dirt which will give your hair a dull |
| damaged, the overlapping cells begin to curl | | | | look. |
| up and out. This will have consequences. | | | | |
| | | | - Rinse your hair well when shampooing it. A |
| - It will be more difficult to comb a "lumpy" | | | | coating of soap in your hair will not only |
| strand of hair than a smoother strand (with | | | | give you an itchy scalp, it will dim the |
| the cells overlapping nicely). | | | | natural sheen of your hair. |
| | | | |
| - The softer middle layer (cortex) becomes | | | | - Limit or avoid the use of styling products |
| exposed, resulting in breakage and split | | | | (gel, mousse, hairspray). These can create a |
| ends. | | | | buildup over time, which will leave your hair |
| | | | looking dull. |
| - Curling cells diffuse the light and give a | | | | |
| dull appearance (rather than the healthy | | | | - Get regular haircuts every 6 - 8 weeks. |
| sheen that reflects smooth, overlapping | | | | |
| cells). | | | | If you have dull hair, it can be rejuvinated |
| | | | with a good shampooing (for the oil, dirt, |
| Stages | | | | and buildup), a haircut (for the split ends), |
| | | | and a hot oil treatment (to insert moisture |
| Very drab or dull-looking hair usually comes | | | | and new life into your damaged hair). |
| in stages, it doesn't just happen overnight. | | | | |