cmw45
Well-Known Member
After reading the title of the post created by Trimbride, I became slightly alarmed and proceeded to read the article she had attached. After reading the post, I was almost ready to drop the "3 Month Baggy Challenge" until I re-read the article...
This is the article in it's entirety:
_______________________________________________________________
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Moisture content[/FONT]
The moisture content of hair is greater when the atmosphere is moist and humid, and less when the air is dry. The reason why hair 'collapses' in hot, humid atmospheres is summed up by:
heat and humidity -> more moisture
-> less static electricity
-> collapse
In dry conditions:
heat and dryness -> less moisture
-> more static electricity
-> more volume (body)
When hair is wet the cortex swells and the edges of the cuticle scales tend to lift. The hair surface temporarily loses its smoothness.There is therefore more friction when wet hair is rubbed than when it is dry. This is what can lead to matting and tangles developing during over-vigorous shampooing (there is not greater static charge on wet hair than on dry).
These tangles are one of the reasons why many children hate having their hair washed, and the problem is easy to avoid.
Hair diameter
The elastic properties of both wet and dry hair are related to the diameter of the hair shaft. The thicker the hair, the more it will tend to resist stretching.
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.
________________________________________________________________
After re-reading the article I noticed the following:
1) That while I don't think this article can be used as evidence against baggying, I do believe that it provides support for low-manipulation techniques, especially when the hair is when and the hair shaft has more texture.
2) One of the sentences that really stood out to me was, "In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex." Which would imply that when baggying, very little water is getting into or out of the cortex if the hair is healthy.
3) The article goes on to state that the hair cuticle is damaged when chemicals (for perms, relaxers, or dyes) penetrate the cortext in order to react with the keratin inside of it allowing the hair shaft to become porous. The shaft closes up eventually over time, HOWEVER, after repeated chemical processes and excess heat, over time, the hair shaft begins to no longer close up. Allowing for water to enter and leave the shaft freely (causing drying and swelling).
Conclusions for Me: What I took away from this article is that the hair shaft is made "porous" and prone to swelling though continued chemical processes and heat application. In general, I think this article supports the low manipulation, low heat, and stretching practices that many women on this site maintain. I also do not believe that this article is evidence against baggying, as it contends that normal healthy hair (which is what we all hope we have and are striving for) lets very little water in and very little water out, and that the goal of most baggying techniques is to keep the ends of the hair protected from undue friction, which the article contends leads to splitting and breakage.
I hope this alternate opinion does not offend...I myself, am always in support of greater discussion about hair.
This is the article in it's entirety:
_______________________________________________________________
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Moisture content[/FONT]
The moisture content of hair is greater when the atmosphere is moist and humid, and less when the air is dry. The reason why hair 'collapses' in hot, humid atmospheres is summed up by:
heat and humidity -> more moisture
-> less static electricity
-> collapse
In dry conditions:
heat and dryness -> less moisture
-> more static electricity
-> more volume (body)
When hair is wet the cortex swells and the edges of the cuticle scales tend to lift. The hair surface temporarily loses its smoothness.There is therefore more friction when wet hair is rubbed than when it is dry. This is what can lead to matting and tangles developing during over-vigorous shampooing (there is not greater static charge on wet hair than on dry).
These tangles are one of the reasons why many children hate having their hair washed, and the problem is easy to avoid.
Hair diameter
The elastic properties of both wet and dry hair are related to the diameter of the hair shaft. The thicker the hair, the more it will tend to resist stretching.
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.
________________________________________________________________
After re-reading the article I noticed the following:
1) That while I don't think this article can be used as evidence against baggying, I do believe that it provides support for low-manipulation techniques, especially when the hair is when and the hair shaft has more texture.
2) One of the sentences that really stood out to me was, "In a normal, undamaged hair shaft, very little water can get either into or out of the cortex." Which would imply that when baggying, very little water is getting into or out of the cortex if the hair is healthy.
3) The article goes on to state that the hair cuticle is damaged when chemicals (for perms, relaxers, or dyes) penetrate the cortext in order to react with the keratin inside of it allowing the hair shaft to become porous. The shaft closes up eventually over time, HOWEVER, after repeated chemical processes and excess heat, over time, the hair shaft begins to no longer close up. Allowing for water to enter and leave the shaft freely (causing drying and swelling).
Conclusions for Me: What I took away from this article is that the hair shaft is made "porous" and prone to swelling though continued chemical processes and heat application. In general, I think this article supports the low manipulation, low heat, and stretching practices that many women on this site maintain. I also do not believe that this article is evidence against baggying, as it contends that normal healthy hair (which is what we all hope we have and are striving for) lets very little water in and very little water out, and that the goal of most baggying techniques is to keep the ends of the hair protected from undue friction, which the article contends leads to splitting and breakage.
I hope this alternate opinion does not offend...I myself, am always in support of greater discussion about hair.
