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What makes hair silky?

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anon123

Well-Known Member
I see it mentioned in many threads about people's texture being naturally silky or naturally . . . not silky. I don't even know what the opposite of that would be? Coarse? Frizzy?

Anyway, what is it that makes a person's texture more or less "silky"? Can anyone explain the science behind this?
 
I think it has something to do with the cuticles. Like how type 1 hair reflects the light because it is smooth and type 4 refracts light because it......well it isn't smooth. Gotta do with the shape of the hair strand or something I think.

Not very helpful :grin:
 
vkb247 said:
I think it has something to do with the cuticles. Like how type 1 hair reflects the light because it is smooth and type 4 refracts light because it......well it isn't smooth. Gotta do with the shape of the hair strand or something I think.

Not very helpful :grin:
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense and is what I expect. I also remember reading that the tighter the curl, the more the cuticle naturally sticks up because it can't lie flat at a bend/curve in the hair. But apparently there can be a 4a silky and a 4a non silky. So their hair is curling at the same rate, but for some reason, one's hair is "silkier" than the other.
 
I can't answer it either. My kids both have 3a hair. But my son's has a rougher texture. It does not feel silky like my daughters. Like vkb247 said, it could be the cuticles or individual hair shape.
 
That's why I figure shape of the strand matters. If you have an oval shaped strand your cuticles will lay different from someone with oval or a flat shaped strand. I bet some of use with very textured hair may have different shapes on one strand, the hair at my crown that feels "coarser" feels like that. It is bumpy all the way down no matter how straight.

I think coarser is supposed to mean thicker but that section doesn't feel like the strands are bigger. But they are definitely more delicate cause each one of those bumps I feel has a big potential for breakage/splitting.
 
I think its the combo of degree of curl with the thickness of each hair strand coupled with the compactness of the hair cuticle.
 
mwedzi said:
That makes a lot of sense and is what I expect. I also remember reading that the tighter the curl, the more the cuticle naturally sticks up because it can't lie flat at a bend/curve in the hair. But apparently there can be a 4a silky and a 4a non silky. So their hair is curling at the same rate, but for some reason, one's hair is "silkier" than the other.
Click to expand...

I rarely see the silky 4's. I think some characteristics are more likely to run in certain hair type circles based upon physical characteristics of each type. I think I have patches of silky 4a but Idk about all over. I would really need to stretch for a long period of time to see what is really going on all over.
 
I have definitely seen a few silky 4's and it really threw me because I used to think that type 4 couldn't be like that. But this is why I don't think it is curl size as much as the other factors. Compactness of the cuticle must be a big factor.

Come to think of it, on the flip side, I have seen plenty if people with straight and wavy hair that isn't silky.
 
vkb247 said:
I have definitely seen a few silky 4's and it really threw me because I used to think that type 4 couldn't be like that. But this is why I don't think it is curl size as much as the other factors. Compactness of the cuticle must be a big factor.

Come to think of it, on the flip side, I have seen plenty if people with straight and wavy hair that isn't silky.
Click to expand...

CO-signing.

That said, where do you draw the line between silky and cashmere-y/fleecy/butter soft?

My hair feels like cashmere. Not silk.

Others have said it is silky because it is not "frizzy" and has a "fluffy" quality. This gives me a chuckle.

My hair is quite coarse, thick in strand and dense. The strands are near flat, as far as I can tell.

Is there a gradient on the "Silky scale"? Or is it either/or?

Or is silky a matter of "swang" and "shine"? Movement and ability to reflect light?

Hair typing...a headache in the making.
 
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vkb247 said:
How close the cuticles are together. How many are packed into each strand.
Click to expand...

vkb247, you got your hair shaft anatomy knowledge on point. :yep:

Share some more knowledge if you can!

Do you know anything about how the bonds are broken and repaired inside the shaft? Sorry Mdwezi..don't meant to hijack the thread.... :(
 
LittleGoldenLamb said:
CO-signing.

That said, where do you draw the line between silky and cashmere-y/fleecy/butter soft?

My hair feels like cashmere. Not silk.

Others have said it is silky because it is not "frizzy" and has a "fluffy" quality. This gives me a chuckle.

My hair is quite coarse, thick in strand and dense. The strands are near flat, as far as I can tell.

Is their a gradient on the "Silky scale"? Or is it either/or?

Or is silky a matter of "swang" and "shine"? Movement and ability to reflect light?

Hair typing...a headache in the making.
Click to expand...
@ The bolded

That is what my defintion of silky would be
 
vkb247 said:
How close the cuticles are together. How many are packed into each strand.
Click to expand...

I'm searching online for more info and one article says that the compactness of the cuticle is porosity.

And the shape of the hair determines whether it is curly or straight. :perplexed
 
vkb247 said:
That's why I figure shape of the strand matters. If you have an oval shaped strand your cuticles will lay different from someone with oval or a flat shaped strand. I bet some of use with very textured hair may have different shapes on one strand, the hair at my crown that feels "coarser" feels like that. It is bumpy all the way down no matter how straight.

I think coarser is supposed to mean thicker but that section doesn't feel like the strands are bigger. But they are definitely more delicate cause each one of those bumps I feel has a big potential for breakage/splitting.
Click to expand...
Exactly:yep: you got this down pat sista!

I think it has to do with weather your cuticles naturally lay down or if they naturally stick up.
 
To me silky hair is smooth/er than non-silky hair so it tends to be more shiny.

ETA: You guys are quoting my gibberish all over the place! I try to catch my typos but I have a tendency to read what I tried to type instead of what I actually typed. :lol:
 
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And it can lay down with very little effort, just a brush and some gel, no need to tie with tight scarf it can also achieve very smooth rollersets and airdry mostly straight as a result. It reflects light easily and has a semi/glossy appearance.
 
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I'm completely confused on the silky/non-silky categories. I once thought I knew the difference, but I've seen pictures of what other people are calling silky and I think "That's not silky", so now I don't even know.
 
vkb247 said:
That's why I figure shape of the strand matters. If you have an oval shaped strand your cuticles will lay different from someone with oval or a flat shaped strand. I bet some of use with very textured hair may have different shapes on one strand, the hair at my crown that feels "coarser" feels like that. It is bumpy all the way down no matter how straight.
Click to expand...

Right, but then I thought:

vkb247 said:
And the shape of the hair determines whether it is curly or straight. :perplexed
Click to expand...

that this was true. Like, the more oval shaped the follicle, the more tightly coiled the hair and the flatter the hair strand was. So very round follicles give a round hair shaft and also straight hair.

My hairs are very flat, like ribbon.

Can we get some pictures of silky type 4 in here? We can use my hair as an example of whatever the opposite of silky is. :giggle:
 
Heavenly said:
vkb247, you got your hair shaft anatomy knowledge on point. :yep:

Share some more knowledge if you can!

Do you know anything about how the bonds are broken and repaired inside the shaft? Sorry Mdwezi..don't meant to hijack the thread.... :(
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that :grin:

I just came across this great article about how relaxers work. Relaxers, Perms, water, and heat rearrange bonds. Only the first breaks permanently by breaking the bonds and "capping" them so they can't reform. Perms create more disulfide bonds by "uncapping" the naturally caped sulfides in straight hair.

How cool is that!
 
Found this:

37995501.gif


See how round the chinese strand is, which explains why their hair is so dead straight.

I also imagine their cuticles are tight. Can withstand anything.
 
I have always thought silky hair is hair that has natural shine. Hair that reflects light without product is silky.

According to the LOIS hair typing system hair textures can be:

Silky - Hair has low sheen, a very high shine, with a lot or low frizz. Easily wets in water.

Thready - Hair as a low sheen, with high shine if the hair is held taut (as in a braid), with low frizz. Wets easily but water dries out quickly.

Wiry - Hair has a sparkly sheen, with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. Hair never seems to get fully wet.

Cottony - Hair has a low sheen, a high shine if the hair is held taunt and has high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.

Spongy - Hair has a high sheen with low shine with a compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.

Shine is a sharp reflection of light while Sheen is a dull reflection of light.
 
vkb247 said:
Funny you should mention that :grin:

I just came across this great article about how relaxers work. Relaxers, Perms, water, and heat rearrange bonds. Only the first breaks permanently by breaking the bonds and "capping" them so they can't reform. Perms create more disulfide bonds by "uncapping" the naturally caped sulfides in straight hair.

How cool is that!
Click to expand...

Yes! And the longer the relaxer is left on, the more intense the rearrangment of the bonds is, right... depending on your individual hair porosity, right? Which explains why some folks can leave a relaxer on forever and not suffer great damage... its because their porosity is better.

So I guess the capped sulfides protect the shaft from snapping and breaking... with normal wear and tear that is.
 
mwedzi said:
So here is a link to the picture Roboxcore posted of her teacher's hair. Someone in that thread said it was silky 4a:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showpost.php?p=8684028&postcount=325
Click to expand...

To me it seem she has a rounder shaft, with tighter cuticles which makes her hair silky, because it reflects light in one direction.

Yes, she is 4a, but her structure is not like a ribbon, which throws the light in all different directions, giving a dull appearance.

So why is her hair that darn curly? Could be because it is fine hair (individual strands are thin).

This is why I dont believe in hair typing. Too many variables. :ohwell:
 
I think her hair only looks silky because if product. Ecostyler makes my hair look like that. There is a member here and I remember so many things about her except her screen name. She is in ATL, natural but used to be texturized, she has a child, and I don't know for sure if she is from an island but I no she goes to some of the reggae clubs I love! There is one pic I absolutely love where she has a puff and red, gold, and green earrings.

Dang sound like a stalker :look:
 
Bene said:
See, things like that confuse me. I don't see how that is silky at all. When I think of silk, I think of it's properties. Smooth, soft texture, I picture silk scarves or dresses. Maybe I have a different definition of "silky"?
Click to expand...

The slicked back hair doesn't look smooth to you? Lemme see if I can find another type 4 to contrast that pic with . . .

o92vlc.jpg
 
^^^^ She looks like she has used no styling product. Diameter of the thread makes a difference too. Finer hair usually looks silkier.
 
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