The hair follicle and skin cells are having sebaceous glands and possess glandular secretions, the constituents of which are directly related to the age and sex of an individual. Before the onset of puberty, the output from these glands tends to be low and increases through the teenage years till almost two decades. Beyond the fourth decade, sebum secretion decreases more in females than in males. Changes in the amount and composition of hair lipids results in lesser scalp hair density, lower growth rates and fibre diameter, cross section, greying and curvature with increasing age [23]. Studies have revealed that children below the age of 15 years had more of potassium, phosphorous, sodium, beryllium and tungsten and decreased amounts of calcium,…show more content… The actual origin of these elements may be due to biological or environmental factors and occupational exposure on people are more related to their environment. Water supply provides large amounts of
Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Manganese and copper to the hair. Other influences include, diet, air pollution and metabolic imbalances [33]. Transition metals on hair can be internal and external. Copper and few other elements are reliable indicators of consumption through diet [34] but Iron and calcium are obtained by external influences.
Therefore, iron and calcium are more readily said to be thrown off balance than Copper.
The two very important metabolic processes are keratinisation of human hair that oxidises thiol to disulphide and in the oxidation of tyro-sine to melanin in the presence of tyrosinase and both make use of copper in their reaction [35]. Other external source of copper can also be through water, producing green hair phenomenon in which the