Do You Have Dull Hair?

We have all seen those ads where there is a 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 best.

In order to understand what can make your hair look dull, you need to understand the composition of your hair. Each strand of your hair is made of 3 layers - the cuticle, the cortex and the medula.

* The medula is at the core, made up of soft, coin-shaped cells stacked on top of each other.

* The cortex surrounds the medula and is made up of spindle shaped cells which determine the color and texture of your hair.

* The cuticle is the outer layer which consists of hard, round tubular cells that overlap and act as armour for the softer, more delicate cells that are inside your hair shaft.

When the outer layer (the cuticle) becomes damaged, the overlapping cells begin to curl up and out. This will have consequences.

* It will be more difficult to comb a "lumpy" strand of hair than a smoother strand (with the cells overlapping nicely).

* The softer middle layer (cortex) becomes exposed, resulting in breakage and split ends.

* Curling cells diffuse the light and give a dull appearance (rather than the healthy sheen that reflects smooth, overlapping cells).

Stages
Very drab or dull-looking hair usually comes in stages, it doesn't just happen overnight. It follows this pattern-

1. It starts with the cuticle being roughed-up, and there is noticeably less shine.

2. It then moves on to the difficult combing stage where the hair starts to tangle a lot more easily than before.

3. The last step is when the hair has no sheen whatsoever because it absorbs light (rather than reflecting it) and looks completely dull.

Prevention
You can prevent dull hair several ways -

* Use a low pH shampoo. A high alkaline shampoo will make the cuticle cells curl.

* Shampoo your hair regularly. Your hair naturally secretes oil which, left unwashed, can coat your hair. This oil attracts dust and dirt which will give your hair a dull look.

* Rinse your hair well when shampooing it. A coating of soap in your hair will not only give you an itchy scalp, it will dim the natural sheen of your hair.

* Limit or avoid the use of styling products (gel, mousse, hairspray). These can create a buildup over time, which will leave your hair looking dull.

* Get regular haircuts every 6 - 8 weeks.

If you have dull hair, it can be rejuvenated with a good shampooing (for the oil, dirt, and buildup), a haircut (for the split ends), and a hot oil treatment (to insert moisture and new life into your damaged hair).

Nadine Visscher is the author of Cutting Your Own Hair and The Beginner's Guide to Cutting Hair. She has been cutting hair for 20 years and now helps others learn the art of haircutting.