Most of us are clueless about the terms that are used to describe the proper quality of hair and tend to think of hair in terms of being thick or fine, and curly or straight.
But in truth, there are several factors should be considered when analyzinghair: texture, density, wave pattern, elasticity and porosity. Each of these factors combine to give us endless variety in hair types.
Texture
Hair texture is the measure of the circumference of the hair strand itself or in simple terms, it is a matter of each hair's width. Hair experts classify the texture of hair as being ‘coarse’, ‘fine’ or ‘medium’.
Fine hair texture is very small in diameter and tends to be weightless and flyaway. Frequently, it is quite straight and will not hold a curl easily. |  | | Coarse hair has the largest diameter. If your hair is not flyaway or thick and coarse, it is a medium hair texture. You should consider yourself lucky, as your hair texture is the most common and most manageable and poses no special considerations regarding processing and chemical services.
Coarse hair is stronger, for but is harder to process, and can be resistant to hair coloring services, perming and straightening.
The texture of hair varies from one to another and can be different in separate areas of the same head. |  | | Density
Hair density is the amount of hairstrands on the head and is measured by counting the number of hairstrands found in one square inch of scalp. Hair density is explained interms of being ‘thin’, ‘medium’ and ‘thick’ and is not related to hairtexture. A normal person will have approximately 2200 strands ofhair/sq. inch and a total of approximately 100,000 hairs. Thick hair iswell-suited to layered styles, while thin hair is often suited to moreblunt styles.
| Porosity
Porosity is the measure of the hair’s ability to absorb moisture and is determined by the condition of the hair's cuticle layer (the overlapping scales of the hair shaft). It is rated as ‘low’, ‘normal’ and ‘high’. |  | | The cuticle is compact in normal, healthy hair and prevents themoisture coming out and going in to the hair shaft. When the cuticle isoverly compact, it prevents the moisture penetration and the hair haslow porosity. Low porosity hair is harder to process, and is resistantto hair color and perms. Low porosity hair must usually be softenedprior to other chemical services.
Hair with high porosity has the cuticle layer open and the hair readily absorbs moisture. Overly-porous hair also releases moisture easily and becomes dry and is easily damaged.
To determine the porosity of the hair, simply feel it when the hair is wet and dry. If the hair feels straw-like and rough when dry, or if it feels slightly rubbery when wet, then you are having overly porous hair.
Elasticity
Elasticity is the measure of how much the hair will stretch and return to a normal state. Healthy hair, when wet, will stretch up to 50% of its original length and return to its normal shape without breaking, while dry hair will only stretch about 20%.
Hair elasticity can be rated as being ‘low’, ‘normal’ or ‘high’. Elasticity of the hair comes from the side bonds in the hair shaft. Hair with normal and high elasticity is easily styled with wet-roller sets, thermal styling tools, etc., while hair with low elasticity is highly susceptible to breakage, will be hard to curl and do not perm well.
To test the hair elasticity, wet your hair and select strands from four different areas on the head. Hold the strand securely and stretch the hair. If the hair stretches and returns to its original length when released, then it has good elasticity. If the hair breaks or does not return to its former shape, you have low elasticity. | | Wave pattern
The wave pattern of the hair is different from the other elements of hair analysis as it has no reference to the health of the hair. Any of the wave pattern types can be found in healthy hair.
Wave patterns can be classified into ‘straight’, ‘curly’, ‘very curly’and ‘coiled’.
|  | | Hair with absolutely no wave in its length is straighthair. Straight hair can be coarse, normal or fine. Curly hair has waveto it. A curly hair strand will form a distinct C shape when short andan S when longer.
Very curly hair will make an S when short and a repetitive wave when allowed to grow out. Very curly hair tends to be bushy when worn long. Coiled hair strands coil in spirals as they grow out from the scalp. The coils can be very tiny and may be finger-sized ringlets.
By using the hair analysis elements, one can compare and judge for themselves if they have fine, thick, straight hair with good elasticity and low porosity, or coarse, thin, curly hair with high porosity and low elasticity, or something in between.
Knowing these elements and being able to analyze one’s own hair will help you make good choices when it comes to the styles and hair services one engages in. |
|