Your Skin and Hair | 10skincare

Your Skin and Hair

Hair is actually a modified type of skin. Hair grows everywhere on the human body except the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyelids, and lips. Hair grows more quickly in summer than winter, and more slowly at night than during the day.

Henna is a plant used to colour the hair and skin. The red dye is commonly used as a deposit-only hair colour whose active component, lawsone, binds to keratin and is therefore semi-permanent (i.e. it will wash out with time, generally a couple of months). While natural henna is generally a deep red-colour, variations exist. These variations, however, usually contain ingredients from other plants and even synthetic dyes.

Using a plant-based colour such as henna, can cause problems later when trying to do a perm or permanent hair colour. Pure imported body art quality henna is claimed not to cause such problems, but most store-bought henna is mixed with additives which can lead to unpredictable results. Although it may not be visible on darker hair, the staining from henna will remain for several months and this may only be realised when dying is attempted and an unpleasant, permanent orange colour results.

Decreased Pigment in Hair and Skin
Vitiligo is decreased pigment in the hair and skin. White patches develop on the skin and any location on the body can be affected. Most people with vitiligo have white patches in many areas of the body. In most cases, vitiligo develops early in life, between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Ninety-five percent of those affected will develop the disorder before age 40.

Vitiligo symptoms include an often rapid pigment loss in several areas of the skin. The initial appearance of the white patches can be followed by a stable period without any progression of the condition. Later on, further cycles of pigment loss and stability may be observed. Vitiligo commonly affects areas on the skin that are exposed to sun, body folds (such as armpits), previous sites of injury, areas around moles, or areas around body orifices (openings). It is rare for pigment to return once the white patches have developed. Vitiligo can also affect the eyes, skin, and hair.

The Sun Lightens Your Hair but Darkens your skin
Sunlight has the property to bleach wood, decompose plastic and lighten your hair because sunlight breaks down the molecular layers that absorbs the light and heat. The skin darkens because the natural tanning that occurs is a safety measure to keep the skin from doing the same, breaking down. People who live in more sunny areas get darker skin than those who live in less sunny environments due to clouds, etc. People who live in hotter climates get more curly hair and a more open nose as a byproduct to reduce heat.