porous = longer drying time?

[candibaby]

I dont know if this has been brought up before, but I've been thinking about something. Now I know some of my hair was porous from color that I had last year, and my hair would take FOREVER to dry, even when I sat under the dryer it still took 2 or more hours unless I was rollersetting, then maybe an hour if I was lucky.

Today I used Porosity Control Conditioner because my stylist told me about when we talked about hair porosity. Today my hair dried in NO TIME. I didnt even rollerset it, just wrapped it, and it usually takes SO long for me to dry my hair in a wrap. But nope, I was out of there after like 35 minutes. I was like is this the twilight zone?

I know porous hair holds on to water for dear life..
so do you think that there is a connection between porous hair and longer drying times?

 

[KAddy]

I knew I saw something earlier...

Porosity

In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex. This is because the cuticle covering the cortex is intact, and is then almost (but not quite) waterproof. Shampoos do not damage the
cuticle. When hair is permed or tinted, however, the chemicals have to penetrate the cortex in order to react with the keratin inside it. Increasing the temperature, or applying an alkaline lotion, separates the scales of the cuticle enough to allow the chemicals to pass through. After the processing is finished the scales gradually close up again.
But if hair is processed too many times the cuticle scales may never return to their original tightness and the protection they once offered is lost. The cuticle can also be damaged in the same way by too much blow drying, curling irons that are too hot, and the effects of wind and sun. The hair becomes increasingly porous, and water can then pass in and out of the cortex.
Over-porous hair is dry, and tends to develop split ends. The damaged cuticle is fragile, and the damage worsens as time goes by. The greater the damage, the more the cortex swells with water whenever the hair is washed, but the more water it loses when it dries. The repeated wetting and drying of the cortex gradually weakens the hair.
Sun, previous chemicals, blow drying, alkaline shampoos, inactive or low active thyroid gland and diet low in protein all contribute to porous hair.

 

[candibaby]

Good post Kaddy, but the person who wrote that made it seem like porous hair and damaged hair go hand in hand, like if you have one you have to have the other. my colored ends were porous when the rest of my non colored hair wasnt, but there was no damage to be found. I do get what she was saying though.

 

[Supergirl]

Hmmmm...., it would seem like more porous hair would dry quicker because any moisture could escape easily. In my own experience, my ends (more porous) always dry fastest. But it sounds like in your experience, your most porous hair dries slower. Interesting...

 

[Carlie]

Actually, porous hair does = damaged hair because the cortex is exposed. Not all damage can be seen w. the naked eye. The more porous your hair is, the more it will hold water when wet, resulting in longer drying time.

The following information was taken from: http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_34.htm

Porosity

In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex. This is because the cuticle covering the cortex is intact, and is then almost (but not quite) waterproof. Shampoos do not damage the cuticle. When hair is permed or tinted, however, the chemicals have to penetrate the cortex in order to react with the keratin inside it. Increasing the temperature, or applying an alkaline lotion, separates the scales of the cuticle enough to allow the chemicals to pass through. After the processing is finished the scales gradually close up again.

But if hair is processed too many times the cuticle scales may never return to their original tightness and the protection they once offered is lost. The cuticle can also be damaged in the same way by too much blow drying, curling irons that are too hot, and the effects of wind and sun. The hair becomes increasingly porous, and water can then pass in and out of the cortex.

Over-porous hair is dry, and tends to develop split ends. The damaged cuticle is fragile, and the damage worsens as time goes by. The greater the damage, the more the cortex swells with water whenever the hair is washed, but the more water it loses when it dries. The repeated wetting and drying of the cortex gradually weakens the hair.

 

[candibaby]

Actually, porous hair does = damaged hair because the cortex is exposed. Not all damage can be seen w. the naked eye. The more porous your hair is, the more it will hold water when wet, resulting in longer drying time.

The following information was taken from: http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_34.htm

Porosity

In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex. This is because the cuticle covering the cortex is intact, and is then almost (but not quite) waterproof. Shampoos do not damage the cuticle. When hair is permed or tinted, however, the chemicals have to penetrate the cortex in order to react with the keratin inside it. Increasing the temperature, or applying an alkaline lotion, separates the scales of the cuticle enough to allow the chemicals to pass through. After the processing is finished the scales gradually close up again.

But if hair is processed too many times the cuticle scales may never return to their original tightness and the protection they once offered is lost. The cuticle can also be damaged in the same way by too much blow drying, curling irons that are too hot, and the effects of wind and sun. The hair becomes increasingly porous, and water can then pass in and out of the cortex.

Over-porous hair is dry, and tends to develop split ends. The damaged cuticle is fragile, and the damage worsens as time goes by. The greater the damage, the more the cortex swells with water whenever the hair is washed, but the more water it loses when it dries. The repeated wetting and drying of the cortex gradually weakens the hair.

When I said damage, I meant like split ends and things like that that can be seen, because with me that wasnt the case.

 

[Iansan]

i've noticed that too. after doing the damaged hair treatment of aphogee, super charged moisturizer and porosity control my hair dries in half the time now.

 

[candibaby]

i've noticed that too. after doing the damaged hair treatment of aphogee, super charged moisturizer and porosity control my hair dries in half the time now.

why did you have to say something about the SCM? now i have to ask, how do you like it? Is it really that moisturizing? I've been wanting to try it for the longest.

 

[Iansan]

why did you have to say something about the SCM? now i have to ask, how do you like it? Is it really that moisturizing? I've been wanting to try it for the longest.

i like it. best with heat for no more than ten minutes. it doesn't provide much slip but it's very moisturizing. i use it as a leave in too sometimes, and it work better than humectress for that purpose, imo.

 

[FlowerHair]

Hmmmm...., it would seem like more porous hair would dry quicker because any moisture could escape easily. In my own experience, my ends (more porous) always dry fastest. But it sounds like in your experience, your most porous hair dries slower. Interesting...

ITA. The more porous your hair is the faster it should dry. At least that's what I thought

 

[Tene]

ITA. The more porous your hair is the faster it should dry. At least that's what I thought

That's what I thought also

 

[dreamgurl]

I got this doing a search....kind of long.


Hair Theory:

Healthy Hair- Hair is healthy depending on two factors-porosity and moisture. Porosity is the relative density of the protein matrix that makes up each hair. Over time the protein molecules in the hair oxidize, or float away with oxygen molecules. When this happens, the cuticle of the hair(outer layer) will raise up from being flat and sealed. It's more likely to tangle and, because there are more holes in the hair, moisture isn't trapped in the hair shaft. To keep the naturally occuring damage at a minimum, use less hot water, rinse conditioners with cool water to close the cuticle and trap the moisture in, and keep the ends of the hair trimmed to stop the unravelling effect of drying ends. Remember, those ends have been through a lot more that the hair next to your scalp.

Color applications, sunlight, and excessive blowdrying speed up the natural process of oxidation. Conditioners are usually either relatively light and are mostly for detangling, or they are denser moisturizers for more porous or course hair. Moisturizing conditioners help replace the quickly-lost oils, sooth the hair shaft, enhance curl, and make hair easier to comb out. They don't, however, address the issue of oxidation. To control the damage or, to reverse it altogether, use a protein conditioner.

Protein conditioners are usually lightweight leave-in conditioners for damage maintenance or heavier treatments to reverse the damage. Protein treatments should be used sparingly. Too much protein soaked into the hairshaft will leave no room for moisture. This will result in hair that is very strong, but inflexible. Instead of bending or stretching-it breaks.

It makes sense to have more than one conditioner. Sometimes you need to simply detangle the hair for a night out on the town. Sometimes you need to moisturize the hair because it's frizzy or won't curl well. Sometimes you need to repair the damage of intense chemical treatments.

Shampoos are formulated for four major types of cleansing- purifying,bodifying, normal cleansing, or gentle cleansing. Over-use of purifying or bodifying shampoos can dry the hair out. It's logical to have more than one shampoo.

My personal philosophy on hair products is this: Start natural. Synthetic aromas deplete your ability to smell over time. Organic aromas are infinitely more complex and subtle. Well made body care products don't build up or dry you out. Their effects may vary somewhat with each individuals body chemistry, but overall they are more likely to truly clean and condition your hair. Styling products, well...as long as you can wash the "mess" out of your hair and it does what you want, GO FOR IT! I had dreadlocks for a while. You wouldn't believe what I was putting in my hair and not washing out...

 

[Porsche19]

That makes sense, that it takes longer for undamaged hair to dry. If you hair is porous, it can't hold onto the moisture. It's like your hair is wide open, it won't close to trap in moisture... it dries more quickly.

Like if you take an old, ratty spogeand a brand new one and wet them and leave them out to dry, the ratty one would dry faster because the "cells" inside of the old sponge are ripped/damaged/missing or whatever... and the new sponge is perfectly healthy and has healthy "cells" which can hold water to their full capacities.

It gives me some hope too, because my hair takes forever to dry.

 

[candibaby]

It doesnt make sense to me for more porous hair to dry faster. If your hair is porous, then it can hold a lot more water than hair that isnt porous, because hair of normal porosity is almost waterproof so that hair wouldn't hold water, therefore the non porous hair would dry faster and the porous hair would dry slower because held all that water that the non porous hair didnt. Just like if you take a strand of your hair and sit it in a cup of water, the porous hair would sink to the bottom because it can absorb all that water, but the non porous hair will just float on top because it's "waterproof" like it's supposed to be. Did I make any sense?

 

[candibaby]

That makes sense, that it takes longer for undamaged hair to dry. If you hair is porous, it can't hold onto the moisture. It's like your hair is wide open, it won't close to trap in moisture... it dries more quickly.

Like if you take an old, ratty spogeand a brand new one and wet them and leave them out to dry, the ratty one would dry faster because the "cells" inside of the old sponge are ripped/damaged/missing or whatever... and the new sponge is perfectly healthy and has healthy "cells" which can hold water to their full capacities.

It gives me some hope too, because my hair takes forever to dry.

Just like what Carlie posted -- In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex. This is because the cuticle covering the cortex is intact, and is then almost (but not quite) waterproof.

The sponge wouldnt be a good example I dont think, because your hair isnt really supposed to hold water at all.

 

[Dare~to~Dream]

*BUMP*...I've been doing some research on porosity and I'm still confused. Has it been concluded that porous hair dries slower or faster?

 

[Dare~to~Dream]

This is what confuses me {taken from two different sites}:


Moisture with Porosity...

Is the ability for hair to be able to absorb and retain moisture. The best way for me to explain this is to would be for you to imagine a sponge. First of all imagine a brand new sponge. It will have tiny holes in it, and when you immerse it in water, it will soak up a large quantity, and be able to hold that liquid for a long period of time. This is because it has good porosity. Now imagine an old sponge. Its holes have become damaged and distorted. It might even be torn in some areas. When you immerse this sponge in the same amount of liquid, it will absorb far less and will certainly not be able to retain the moisture so readily.

It is the same with hair. Hair that has poor porosity will not be able to absorb or retain moisture as well as hair that has good porosity. making hair permanently dry.


From the other site:


Porosity

In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex. This is because the cuticle covering the cortex is intact, and is then almost (but not quite) waterproof. Shampoos do not damage the cuticle. When hair is permed or tinted, however, the chemicals have to penetrate the cortex in order to react with the keratin inside it. Increasing the temperature, or applying an alkaline lotion, separates the scales of the cuticle enough to allow the chemicals to pass through. After the processing is finished the scales gradually close up again.
But if hair is processed too many times the cuticle scales may never return to their original tightness and the protection they once offered is lost. The cuticle can also be damaged in the same way by too much blow drying, curling irons that are too hot, and the effects of wind and sun. The hair becomes increasingly porous, and water can then pass in and out of the cortex.
Over-porous hair is dry, and tends to develop split ends. The damaged cuticle is fragile, and the damage worsens as time goes by. The greater the damage, the more the cortex swells with water whenever the hair is washed, but the more water it loses when it dries. The repeated wetting and drying of the cortex gradually weakens the hair.

 

[Shatani]

DAMN! my hair must be ALL pores!!!! it takes FOREVA for my hair to dry...no matter what i do to it....and heaven forbid i put any kind of product on it!!!

 

[Nanyanika]

i'm confused i find that my texturized hair takes forever to dry meaning it holds in a lot of moisture my natural roots dries faster.

 

[SerenityBreeze]

My understanding is that if your hair is porous, water is "easy come easy go" . The hair does not retain all of the excessive water that reached the cortex from being porus because it just falls or "dires" right out.

In non porous hair, excessive water does not reach the cortex in the first place, resulting in a normal speed of drying, which in my understanding would be slower than porus hair because the shaft is closed and its regular moisture takes longer to dry.

 

[ThursdayGirl]

i'm confused i find that my texturized hair takes forever to dry meaning it holds in a lot of moisture my natural roots dries faster.

I have this same observation with my relaxed vs. natural hair. I know that the relaxed hair is older and probably has more damage and has been treated chemically therefore it should be more porous. My natural roots on the other hand (~2-2.5 inches) dries VERY quickly... and is probably less porous. This makes me think that the more porous your hair....the more water it holds onto...and it holds onto the water for longer.

So I would say that there is a connection Candibaby.

 

[locabouthair]

Hmmmm...., it would seem like more porous hair would dry quicker because any moisture could escape easily. In my own experience, my ends (more porous) always dry fastest. But it sounds like in your experience, your most porous hair dries slower. Interesting...

I'm confused. I always thout porous hair is hair that doesn't have enough moisture and therefore it would dry faster. Because my hair dries fast and it is usually dry.

 

[locabouthair]

Hmmmm...., it would seem like more porous hair would dry quicker because any moisture could escape easily. In my own experience, my ends (more porous) always dry fastest. But it sounds like in your experience, your most porous hair dries slower. Interesting...

I'm confused. I always thout porous hair is hair that doesn't have enough moisture and therefore it would dry faster. Because my hair dries fast and my hair tends to lack moisture.

 

[junipertree]

If your hair is porous, how often are you supposed to use porosity control shampoo? Is the shampoo better than the conditioner or should you use both? I use different shampoos for different purposes so I do switch around but can you "overuse" the porosity control and what exactly does it do to your hair (I'm talking about how it "feel" afterwards)?

 

[ThursdayGirl]

I'm confused. I always thout porous hair is hair that doesn't have enough moisture and therefore it would dry faster. Because my hair dries fast and my hair tends to lack moisture.

Perhaps this is the answer... look at it this way... the ends are going to be more porous than the middle of the shaft...which in turn is going to be more porous than the natural hair. Remember that natural, unprocessed hair is not very porous at all... the chemicals that we use (color, relaxer) break down the hair's cuticle, making it more porous. Also as hair ages, the cuticle gets roughed up and dried out due to friction from fabrics, air, etc.

Thus the ends will dry fast (the are the oldest part of your hair), the middle may be wet longer than the ends, because it is less porous than that part of the hair, thus it absorbs water, but doesn't let it go quite as easily as the very porous ends... and the root dries quickly because it isn't very porous at all (the cuticle layer is mostly intact)... therefore very little water getting into or out of the hair.... so its not holding on to the water.

So if we did a little chart.... you would have...:

More porous -----> less porous

ends > mid-shaft > root

Drying time:

root < ends < mid-shaft

 

[Poohbear]

I'm confused... isn't natural hair naturally porous???

When I was transitioning, my relaxed hair took a long time to dry and my new growth would dry quickly. My relaxed hair was damaged and overprocessed.

Now that I'm natural, my hair dries quickly after being wet.

So porous doesn't always mean your hair is in a bad condition.

 

[esoterica]

I have this same observation with my relaxed vs. natural hair. I know that the relaxed hair is older and probably has more damage and has been treated chemically therefore it should be more porous. My natural roots on the other hand (~2-2.5 inches) dries VERY quickly... and is probably less porous. This makes me think that the more porous your hair....the more water it holds onto...and it holds onto the water for longer.

So I would say that there is a connection Candibaby.

I agree. The chemical free part of my hair dries much faster than the relaxed ends.

 

[Dolapo]

my natural roots also dry faster than my relaxed ends. But in general, my hair takes less than two hours to dry all over

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Hmmm, I thought relaxed/texturized hair would dry faster than unprocessed hair because the cuticle is opened up by the basic (pH greater than 7) lye relaxer.

 

[candibaby]

I never did find out the answer to this question. But I too have noticed that the natural part of my dries faster than the relaxed part. I know that all hair is supposed to be porous to a certain extent.. but not so much that it holds on to water for dear life.