Shashicka Tyre-Hill Speaks: What is Your Hair Type?

Every day you see people with all color and styles of hair. Pink hair, green hair, pretty much every color in the rainbow. In today’s world, they have left the normal colors of blondes and chocolate browns behind. What many people do not know is that depending on your hair type, you could be doing some major damage. Not all hair is the same. There are different textures and types of hair and none of them have been created the same. We may all think we fall in the same category, because of our genes, but that is not true. Just like no one person is the same, neither is our hair.

Let us begin by looking into the basic structure of hair:

1. Hair grows from the follicle, which is long and bulbous. If you were to pull out a strand of hair you would see the bulb at the tip of the hair. The cells at the base of the follicle divide rapidly and is where you get your hair growth.
2. Each strand of hair consists of three layers, the first being the innermost layer called the medulla. This is only present in thick hair.
3. The middle layer is known as the cortex. This layer provides the strength, color, and texture of your hair.
4. The outer most layer is called the cuticle, and this is what protects the cortex. It is completely colorless.
5. The entire strand of hair is made up of a protein called keratin. And that is hair!

There are 2 basic kinds of hair:

1. Terminal hair is the hair that grows thick and long and is found on the head, armpits, pubic hair, face, and chest. (Face and chest on men)
2. Vellus hair is soft short hair that you will find over the rest of your body.

The type of hair you have has a lot to do with geography.

1. If you are of Asian descent, then the hair strands are round and thicker than all other types of hair. Except for the red head who has the thickest hair of all.
2. If you are of European descent with blonde or dark hair, then your hair strands are thinner. The strands are round to oval shaped.
3. If you are of African descent, then the hair strands are flat and that is the reason for the frizzes and curl.

It is interesting to see when you blend cultures and challenge family members to see who got their hair from whom. Some of your family may have straight or curly hair, while others may have a beautiful flow of wavy hair. Try forming a family tree and find the origin of your ancestors, you may be amazed at what you find. Some may think they are from one place and culture, when they just might be from some unknown land that they never knew of.

Your hair holds more than the story of your life, it holds the history of who your truly are. Try exploring and doing some research to find out just what type of hair you truly have.

Enjoy!

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/vellus-hair
https://www.verywellhealth.com/terminal-hair-1069284#:~:text=Terminal%20hair%20is%20the%20thick,follicles%20all%20over%20the%20body.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2008/mar/01/hair-composition-reflects-geography/