Your hair: the inner structure.

The Cortex: This is the inner structure of your hair, protected by the cuticle and it is where we find all the natural moisture and proteins that gives hair its inner strength and flexibility. The cortex is also where the majority of hair’s natural colour is, and where permanent oxidised colour sits.

The structure of this internal element is very similar to rope when healthy it is tightly coiled and incredibly strong.

But just like rope, over time it can become frayed, and if the cuticle is also damaged, hair begins to suffer.

When the cortex frays, natural moisture and proteins can escape, weakening hair, making it lifeless, lacking in volume and prone to breakage. If we were to continuing fraying the hair, it would resemble string, still fibrous, still coiled, but delicate and easily broken.

Eventually, the smallest micro fibres of the hair will break down, and at this point hair needs drastic help.

Fortunately, here at Rhona McCallum Hair we have products and treatments that helps prevent this level of damage and breakdown of the hair, maintaining healthy cuticle and cortex, which means, longer lasting blow dry’s, easier to style hair, and colours that stay salon fresh for longer.

There is one more part of the hair, ‘the medulla’, not found to be present in all hair types, there are theories as to what the function of the medulla is. Sheep wool has a high medulla content and could be there to help protect against cold as it acts as a thermal layer. However, in human hair it serves no purpose and could potentially be nothing more than cells that didn’t make the grade to become cuticle or cortex.