Hair is basically made up of protein and moisture.
There are 21 Amino Acids in hair protein and they account for round about 80% of the weight of the hair.
Moisture is in the remaining part of the hair, apart for about 15% of Fatty Acids.
There are trace elements making up less than 1% of your Red hair and these particles provide a real indicator of the health of the person. Within these trace elements a doctor can ascertain a lack of certain vital minerals and suggest a new diet to rectify any deficiency.
As many as 25 elements have been isolated in hair strands, including gold and aluminium.
Red Hair grows at the average rate of .35 millimetres a day, round about an inch every six weeks.
If you’re in the mood, you can just keep growing your hair - but be warned, once it reaches about 4 feet long, it tends to stop.
Redhair is Red because of a blending of Eumelanin and Pheomelanin. Although the main chemical in any pigment is a complex iron compound called Trichosiderin. From 100 grams of Redhair, only 40 milligrams of Trichosiderin is found. The Trichosiderin changes the colour make-up of hair, giving it the rich, attractive tint that we know and love as Auburn.
It is quite possible for brown haired men to have a Red beard (see Simon Donald in our Famous Redheads (Red Laughter) section) and many Redheads have blonde eyebrows and body hair.
Henna
This fine paste, obtained from the Henna shrub (lawsonia inermis) has, since time began, been the passport to the glamorous world of Redhair.
The Henna shrub grows in India and the Middle East, and the red dye is created by shredding the leaves and twigs to form the paste.
It is then mixed with hot water, then applied to the hair and left for a couple of hours.
By varying the strength of the mixture, one can attain different shades of Red, from a bright copper tone to a darker, more thoughtful Auburn colour. |
