Natural solution for damaged and weakened hair

Having healthy, strong and bright hair is the key to an impeccable look; it is the best possible introduction. Due to the current trend for continuous change and due to the fact that it is the easiest and most striking external personal transformation, hair fibres are subjected to thermal, chemical and mechanical processes that result in more opaque, more brittle, drier, rougher and weaker hair. It is necessary to treat hair with specific products that repair, moisturise and nourish it, providing smoothness and protecting it from any aggressions.

Hair fibre

Hair is an epidermal structure composed of obliquely arranged flexible cylindrical filaments. Hair is considered as a dead material and it is only alive where it is inserted in the scalp (pilose follicle). Chemically, about 80% of human hair is formed by a protein known as keratin with a high content of sulphur, coming from the amino acid cystine, which is a characteristic which distinguishes it from other proteins. Keratin is a laminated complex formed by different structures, which gives the hair strength, flexibility, durability and functionality.1 The amino acids found in the hair cuticle and cortex are similar and mostly neutral (>70%), although the overall hair charge is negative due to the side chains of acidic amino acids present. Keratin is formed by polypeptide chains in a helix parallel to the longitudinal axis. Their structure and layout are preserved thanks to the bonds formed in the polypeptide chains: Van der Waals forces (very fragile, they provide molecular stability and are involved in keratin folding), hydrogen bridges (weak bonds between amino acids), ionic bonds (between acidic and basic side chains) and disulfide bridges (bonds between cysteines). Hair fibre is composed of three main structures: medulla, cortex and cuticle. The medulla contains enucleated cells with lipids. Their presence is intermittent along the shaft. The cortex occupies the central part, which is the most solid and important. Cortex cells have 40% of sulphur-rich protein matrix and 60% of helical fibrillar protein. Immersed in the matrix, several ?-keratin helices are grouped forming microfibrils, macrofibrils and eventually hair fibres. The cuticle protects the internal structures and covers the shaft. The healthy, shiny and smooth appearance of hair depends on this layer. Its precursor cells differentiate and flatten into flakes as they ascend along the follicle, overlapping. Cuticle cells have a keratin that is harder than that of epidermal cells, and they are externally stable and resistant.