Chapter 3 - Cosmetic Hair Treatments
About this chapter...
In this chapter we look at the science behind the hair treatments that are used by people all over the world in order to enhance their appearance: styling, perming, and changing the color of the hair.
From straightforward styling to elaborate perms, from a temporary tint to a platinum bleach, all these processes depend on changing part of the structure of hair. The stylists and technicians who have to apply them are expected to have a thorough understanding of hair structure, the hair growth cycle and the continuing care of hair. They need a working knowledge of the disorders of the hair and scalp, the chemistry of hair care products and the ways in which they protect the hair, and the science that underlies the various cosmetic procedures.
Just as a doctor takes a 'history' of a new patient in the surgery, so the stylist looks at the history of a client's hair and examines its condition, in particular whether there is evidence that it has been chemically treated previously. The doctor can only decide what can be done for the patient once that history is known and understood: in the same way, the most expert stylist can only decide what is or is not possible after that examination has been made.