The Malleability and Elasticit essays

The Malleability and Elasticit essays As result of genetic differentiation, every single person in the world has distinct hair, but the main differences between hair types are in texture and thickness. These variations are caused by the genetic make up of the fibers that make up the hair and follicles that generate the fibers. Hair is made from keratin (protein) that is wound in a coil. The turns of the coil are held together in hydrogen bonds. By wetting the hair and applying heat, the bonds (shape) of the hair can be altered. But for how long can the bonds stay like that? What factors act on the hair to make it change back? Will a thicker hair follicle reshape more readily than a thin hair follicle? Does curly hair straighten easier than naturally straight hair curls? Do the hydrogen bonds stretch and how far? Does thicker hair have more elasticity than thin hair? It is expected that the hair will maintain its changed shape until exposed to a form of water and a thinner follicle reshape easier than a thicker one, strai ght hairs should accept a new shape more readily than curly and a thick hair will have more elasticity than a thinner one. The hair fiber is the core part of the hair structure. It is made in the follicle. Those cells made in the center of the hair follicle become the cortex cells. As the cells multiply, they are pushed upwards towards the skin surface. Now they begin to differentiate into different cell types. The cortex cells change from a round into a flattened appearance. They are squeezed together into layers called lamella. As the cells pass the melanocyte cells, melanin pigment is added. The cells become keratinized and harden. When they completely harden, it becomes impossible for the cells to function properly and the cells die. The keratinized cells are then pushed away from the hair follicle region as new cells come up underneath. The cortex cells are now part of the dead keratinized fiber and what is seen as a strand of ...