Child Hair vs. Adult Hair – What you need to Know
There’s a lot to love about children and hair, but did you know that those two items tend to have a special meaning when grouped together? Okay, you’re probably sitting here wondering exactly what we mean, and we really can’t blame you. If you’ve been reading any of our blogs in the past, then you already know that hair is a pretty complicated beast – can it possibly become any more complicated? Actually yes, it can, and we’re going to tell you how.
Argan Oil Treatment Can’t Produce These Strands
If you’re like most parents then you probably spend a fair amount of time looking for your children, and if you look too closely at the hair on their head, you’re going to notice that hair strands are rounder during childhood while your own is a bit flatter. It’s true, hair strands to flatten with age, and it also tends to be much softer during childhood. This is typically a result of the absence of the medulla, the core of the hair. As the medulla develops, hair becomes a bit more coarse, and a bit more difficult to work with.
Hair Density
Babies have more hair follicles than adults, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first. In the 22nd week of pregnancy, a fetus will have one million hair follicles, and that’s not a small amount by any means. Actually, it’s the largest number that a person will ever have, and new follicles will not appear or grow throughout their life. As the body grows, hair density decreases, which explains the lack of hair in the elderly, and the existence of the receding hair line in others.
All About Hormones
Chemistry plays a significant role in hair as a child, for example, there are lower hormone levels during infancy, and in the life of an adult, sebum, a waxy protective coating, builds up every 2-3 days. In a child, however, the intervals are much longer, meaning an adult doesn’t need to worry about daily washing. A child, however, has much more sensitive hair structure and therefore more to worry about.
A Word about Color
Children tend to have lighter hair when they are younger. For example, a child who has blond hair as an adult may grow to have brown hair later in life. This is a result of the younger hair having less melanin and it is also more transparent. As transparency decreases, hair becomes darker. So what should you take away from this exactly? For one thing, children’s hair is going to be a bit more sensitive than adult hair, which means that more abrasive products probably shouldn’t be used.
Keep in mind, however, that this will tend to vary from person to person. This is one of the reasons that many companies market and sell baby shampoo which serves to ensure that the hair is preserved and the young individual does not experience any sort of damage as a result of a treatment, professional or otherwise.
As you can see, there are some significant differences between a child’s hair and an adult’s hair, and with that being the case, it would be within any adult’s best interest to consult a stylist or a physician before using any type of argan oil leave in treatment. It can be difficult to determine what’s right, and what’s not, but in the end, the research is absolute, positively worth it.