Australian Hair & Scalp Foundation
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Shiny hair with a smooth texture and clean cut ends or tapered tips is generally perceived to be healthy. Hair texture and shine relate to hair surface properties while the integrity of hair ends relates to the hair cortex.

Hair can be straight, wavy or curly, blonde, black, brown or red. These natural variations are an important part of our identity that are regularly manipulated according to the dictates of fashion, culture or society.

These manipulations generally require alteration of the normal structure of the hair shaft. Whilst most cosmetic procedures are safe, there is potential for damage. Loss of lustre, frizz, split ends and other hair problems are particularly prevalent among people who repeatedly alter the natural style of their hair or among people with hair that is intrinsically weak. This weakness may be due to individual or racial variation or less commonly an inherited structural abnormality in hair fibre formation.

Hair health is also affected by common afflictions of the scalp such as seborrhoic dermatitis, as well as age related phenomena such as greying and androgenetic alopecia. Hair products that improve the structural integrity of hair fibres and increase tensile strength are available, as are products that increase hair volume, reduce frizz, improve hair manageability and stimulate new hair growth.