Mane Supermodel, Rapunzel - Health - Wellness

From the time we were young and read fairy tales most people became enchanted by long hair. Who could forget the story of Rapunzel? Young girls, and even young boys, often associated Rapunzel's hair with beauty and success, and they wanted the same long tresses for themselves.

We see women with long, shining, healthy-looking hair grace front covers of magazines. Runway models show off fashions while gently tossing their long, vibrant, and luxuriously styled hair. Men are fascinated by hair--they absolutely love long hair on women, or are obsessed with losing their own.

Hair is comprised of modified types of skin. If your diet is deficient in vitamins and minerals it will have a detrimental effect on your scalp and hair follicles. Hair follicles are growth tissue just below the primary layer of skin. The strands we see above the skin are just pieces of dead protein tissue pushed up by the follicle base. No wonder we constantly have to pamper and revitalize lifeless hair.

Some of the problems that damaged follicles might cause are hair that is:

Too dry,

Too oily,

Too frizzy,

Straw like,

Limp,

Constantly splitting at the ends, and

Prone to balding spots.

Chemical and physical damage plagues our hair on a daily basis. Our head is exposed to chemicals, sunlight, and physical trauma from brushing, combing, curling, hot irons, etc. Strands of hair are damaged and broken by styles that require bands, barrettes, clips, bobby pins and braiding. It gets to be a real "hairy" situation. We lose 50 to 150 scalp hairs a day--that's the bad news. The good news is that the strands are shed to stimulate new growth from the follicles.. Win some, lose some, that's the "mane thing."

The best fix and maintenance program for damaged locks is frequent trims every six weeks to help reduce splitting and prevent breakage. Use low heat when it comes to a hair blower or dryer. Take B vitamins to promote growth. Shampoos, conditioners and rinses that are rich in protein will improve the surface of the hair shaft, making it appear thicker and smoother. Almost everyone can have long, glamorous looking hair if proper care is taken.

According to British Vogue Magazine in 2008: "SHORT HAIR - it was the year to talk about going short - even if in reality, very few committed." There you go, we are obsessed with long hair. Or maybe it's just hard to break away from the mane thing. It all stems back to that Mane Supermodel, Rapunzel.

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