Hair Types

Luc Vincent

In this article, we will look at the different types of hair together.

Hair has 3 qualities: Texture, Porosity and Elasticity.

Hair Types

1- The hair

Hair is a flexible, strong, horny filament. Like all hairs, it is an epidermal formation implanted more or less obliquely in the skin.

From the moment of conception, the color and nature of hair are determined by the laws of genetics: it is already decided whether we will be blonde, black, albino or brown, or whether we will have curly or straight hair.

The primary function of hair is to protect the scalp from heat, cold, sun, and injury. Did you know that bald people injure their heads more often than hairy ones? This is precisely because hair acts like a cat's whiskers!

There are approximately 100,000 hairs in a black or red head of hair, 150,000 in a blonde head of hair, and 110,000 in a brunette head of hair. It is normal to lose between 10 and 80 hairs per day, and the average hair growth rate is about 1.2 cm per month.

Hair is rooted in a circular pattern, which is why it's easier to style one side than the other. Since hair is a dead, keratinized cell, damaged hair cannot be healed, but it can be temporarily repaired while waiting for new growth to arrive.

Repair is most often done with protein or oil-based products, but none of these products will permanently repair hair with damaged cuticles.

Regular treatments are then required, as damaged cuticles do not close well and do not retain treatment products.

It's only after a few shampoos that the repair product is released, which is why it's important to repeat the process. It's also thanks to healthy cuticles that dyes and other products can adhere to the hair's keratin.

Healthy cuticles close automatically after being forced open by chemical dyes. However, when they become damaged, they become unable to close, making them unable to hold repair products for long, hence the faded colors and dull colorations observed in such cases.

The living part of the hair, the bulb, needs nutrients to keep it healthy. To achieve this, it's important to eat a healthy diet.

Severe stress, medication, anesthesia, pregnancy, hormonal changes, or serious illness can all affect hair quality. You may have noticed that hair rarely looks the same after your thirties, due to the hormonal changes that occur during this period in both men and women.

Hair Types

Some scientists call hair "the garbage can of the human body," because hair can reveal dietary habits as well as medication or drug use. (The longer the hair, the further back in time you can trace.)

Many athletes shave their heads to avoid hair analysis revealing the use of certain illicit substances.

Benjamin "Ben" Weider, a renowned bodybuilder and nutritional supplement specialist, was able to shed light on Napoleon's death by purchasing a lock of his hair at auction. Having it analyzed, he discovered two types of poisons that the emperor had apparently ingested over a long period of time!

Hair, or rather its bulb, has a lifespan of two to six years. Then, another hair grows from the same papilla. As we approach old age, hair lives for a shorter time and becomes finer. Growth is less vigorous in some people, most often in men.

2- How to differentiate between hair types and define your hair type

Hair has three qualities: texture, porosity, and elasticity.

1- The texture

To the touch, the hair is soft, coarse or waxy.

Soft hair is hair that is easy to style and generally healthy.

Naturally coarse hair often has waves or curls, has a lot of body, and is easy to add volume. If its coarse texture is the result of overuse of chemicals, the hair will become "static" when styled.

Waxed hair (as in Asian hair) has a glossy finish regardless of its thickness, since the cuticles lie flat; it is generally very shiny, but because the cuticles are very closed (flat), it is difficult to give it volume, maintain its style, and even perm it.

2- Porosity

If your hair is easy to cut with scissors—in other words, if there's no resistance—it's porous. If you don't want to risk using scissors to perform this test, wet your hair. If it absorbs the water very quickly, you'll know it's porous.

The main causes of hair porosity are overuse of bleaching and perming, improper color application, and health issues.

3- Elasticity

Elasticity is the hair's ability to stretch without breaking and return to its original length.

To test, take a strand of hair between your hands and stretch it slightly. Hair with low elasticity will break at the slightest tension.

Also, lightly skim over your scalp. It should have good mobility, meaning it shouldn't feel stuck to your head. A scalp that doesn't move, or has very limited mobility, accumulates waste, which leads to poor blood drainage, which can hinder normal hair growth.

The scalp should have a slightly pinkish color due to good blood circulation. A whitish color indicates poor circulation, and marked redness could indicate irritation or hypersensitivity.

A scalp should never be too oily or too dry. Even if it feels rough to the touch, it should be free of dry or oily dandruff and, after washing your hair, it should not give off any odor.

Although sebum is associated with oily hair, it plays an important role in hair health. This thin layer of lipids that covers the skin protects the scalp from dryness, and its high acidity prevents the growth of bacteria.

Sebum also serves to waterproof the skin, thus preventing the chemicals in hair products from penetrating it. It also moisturizes the hair and gives it greater flexibility. Serum overproduction is normal during puberty. This production will normalize during adulthood and decrease significantly during old age.

3- External factors that influence sebaceous secretion are:

High temperature with humid ambient air;
Ultraviolet rays (excessive irradiation which has the effect of reducing sebum production);
Repeated shampooing with intense friction of the scalp;
A diet high in sugar.