Although way back in pre history man's hair covering may have had a more functional purpose, such as protecting the skin from damage, and insulating the body from the vagaries of weather, modern man's scarcer covering of hair offers little of these properties. However we do seem to instinctively appreciate a full, healthy head of hair. We find it aesthetically pleasing, and judging by the many millions of dollars spent by consumers of both male and female each year on hair care products, the condition of our head hair is of considerable importance to us. Many hair care products are available and each affects the hair in different ways. When you cleanse or treat hair in any way, you are dealing with the hair shaft, that part of the hair which is visible and dead.

Hair Care Methods Shampoos

Shampoos are to hair as soaps are to skin; they are an essential part of good grooming. To be effective they must strip the hair of dirt and excess oil, while at the same time cleansing the scalp to remove the top layer of dead skin cells. The hair must be left undamaged and looking lustrous. Many shampoos do little to cleanse the hair but may beautify it.

Shampoos contain one or more of the following types of ingredients:

Soaps

Shampoos that contain soaps as the active cleansing ingredient may leave a residue on the hair if used in combination with hard water, thus leaving the hair dull. The residue, however, is easily removed with mildly acidic solutions such as dilute lemon juice. If the shampoo you use seems to leave your hair dull, it may be worthwhile to switch. Generally, more expensive shampoos are made with synthetic detergents which do not present the same problems as do soapbased shampoos.

Synthetic Detergents

Shampoos made with synthetic detergents do not leave a residue on the hair because they do not interact with hard water. The strength of either soaps or synthetic detergents, and to a lesser extent the amount of oils or conditioners present, determines whether shampoos are designated for dry, normal, or oily hair.

Acid

Many shampoos are alkaline in nature and can leave the hair looking dull and lifeless. To balance this effect, mild acids are added to many shampoos, hence the term "PH balanced".

Conditioners The Purpose of a conditioner in a shampoo is to replenish the oils that detergents remove and to make the shampooing process more convenient. Shampoos that contain detergents and conditioners, counteract one another to some extent This may reduce the overall effectiveness of the product.

medications

Some shampoos contain ingredients which treat skin problems on the scalp. Dandruff is the most common of these conditions, and ranges in severity from a dry, flaky scalp to a condition in which the skin grows too fast and the oil glands become inflamed (seborrhoea). As dandruff becomes more severe, the scalp may become annoyingly itchy.

Medicated shampoos contain agents which slow the growth Of the skin and bring the inflammation of the oil glands under control, relieving the itch. They do not encourage hair growth. BY releasing the tiny hairs trapped under the scaly skin, the hair may appear to be temporarily thicker. There is, however, no evidence that this fuzz like hair grows to maturity and fills in areas ofha ir loss.

Conditioners

Conditioners are a particularly beneficial adjunct to cleansing the hair with shampoo because they reduce the trauma of combing the hair when wet and squeaky clean. They also contain ingredients which help to temporarily mend damaged hair by binding ruffled hair and split ends. This type of damage is often seen in hair which has been exposed to too much sun, has been colored or permed frequently, or has been subjected to chlorine in swimming Pools . The active ingredients in these conditioners are proteins. Conditioners also contain quaternary compounds which help to control fly away hair, a common problem in dry, cold climates and air conditioned rooms. The oils in conditioners help to replenish those which have been stripped from the hair in the cleansing Process.

Not everyone needs a conditioner. Those who do not may find that the conditioner leaves the hair limp and oily looking. The decision as to whether or not a conditioner is necessary and which conditioner to use, is one of personal experimentation and choice.

Coloring the Hair

Coloring grey hair may have a major effect on people's perception of age. Take, for instance, Janice, a 38 year old university professor who took a sabbatical. On her return, an acquaintance remarked that the trip had obviously done wonders for her because she looked ten years younger. In reality, though, Janice had taken the opportunity of her absence to dye her hair, covering up the significant amount of grey she had before she left.

Hair color preparations range from temporary coloring agents, which simply coat the hair with color, to permanent coloring agents, which actually penetrate the hair. The temporary dyes do not irritate the scalp or damage the hair, whereas permanent dying or bleaching of the hair may cause both problems. Semipermanent dyes offer a reasonable compromise because they last longer than temporary dyes, but are less likely to irritate the skin or damage the hair.

Although tradition says women color their hair and men do not, men are frequenting hair salons more often to have their hair color enhanced.