It’s not ‘rocket surgery’ either, as George Bush allegedly mis-said. Only this month, 748 neurosurgeons and space engineers went through cognitive testing to see if the phrases – ‘It’s not rocket science’ or ‘It’s not brain surgery’ are deserved. Interestingly, while each showed specific strengths in certain areas, when averaged across six domains of intelligence, they were no more exceptional than the rest of the population.
But more importantly, how do we stop our hair breaking and splitting?
First let’s understand why hair snaps or splits. Hair doesn’t split or break near the root. This is because the protein structure is complete and most likely fully hydrated. Healthy hair is 97% protein 3% water. In this condition, hair is supple, flexible and very resilient to pressure. It will flex, bounce around and settle back, and if you pulled it really hard when wet, it could stretch up to 50% in length and spring back to normal.
But hair outside the scalp is no longer connected to the metabolism and left uncared for it will slowly wither. The hair gets dehydrated, the protein structure breaks down, the hair thins and becomes drier. It loses its flexibility, and this thinner, dry brittle hair is more likely to snap under pressure. As the hairshaft breaks down further, the tips break apart, giving split ends.
Hair Up Close
People like to do a lot to their hair. Bleach it. Tong it. Tug it and tease it. Take it on sunny holidays without protection, drench it in salt water and chlorine pools. Coat it in plastic and silicone then expect it to perform when they need it to.
We all want to enjoy life to the full but there are safer ways to do all those things. And these lifestyle choices ‘take out’ from and deplete the hair. Most people don’t consider ‘putting back’ on a regular basis.
Such to say that outside of my own client community the general condition of hair I see is far worse than at any time in my career. It doesn’t have to be that way. Keeping hair protected, supple and flexible means it stays stronger, thicker and more lustrous. It looks way better, is easier to style and the styles last longer.
This illustration of a hair shaft shows some of the stresses that can drain the life out of hair
Kevin Murphy Pre-wash Treatment
kevin Murphy contains our unique complex of amino-acids and conditioning agents - Hydrabond Rx™. It penetrates deep into the hairshaft to repair bonds and protect from further breakage. Just apply twice a week or at least every other hair wash. It only takes a minute. With regular use you’ll notice less breakage and far fewer split ends.
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