Essential for life, water is a go-to for many with curly, coily, and kinky hair. I bet, like me, you often spritz your hair daily to refresh and manage your magnificent mane. But is water truly the holy grail for hydration, or could it actually be doing more harm than good to our precious strands? Let's dive into this intriguing question in this article!
While the vital virtues of water are no longer in doubt, is it truly essential for our hair routine? Indeed, women with curly, coily, or kinky hair tend to wet or mist their hair every morning to achieve beautiful curls. Humidified hair is indeed more elastic than dry hair and can therefore be styled more easily. But this action might be the cause of all your problems (at least, hair-related ones). Contrary to popular belief, not only does wetting dry hair not hydrate it, but this action would also damage the hair fiber.
WATER ABSORPTION = DAMAGED HAIR
I'm not telling you anything new by saying that wet hair is heavier than dry hair. Despite the tightly packed scales of its cuticle and the sebum that naturally coats it, healthy hair can still absorb more than 30% of its own weight in water. If the hair is damaged, this percentage can reach 45%. This massive absorption of water causes it to lose strength and elasticity: up to 50% loss for very coily wet hair. It is therefore strongly advised not to brush your hair when it is wet. When hair is dry, it is protected by natural sebum, but when it's wet, it's not at all! Hair loses its armor and is more susceptible to breakage. When brushed this way, a lot of damage is done.
HAIR POROSITY
Nevertheless, healthy hair (with regular scales) should limit water penetration into the hair. If water is absorbed by the hair, it means its cuticle is damaged, i.e., too porous. Hair porosity corresponds to hair that is too hydrophilic. It is therefore a deterioration of its cuticle, which no longer plays its role as a natural barrier. The more altered the cuticle of the hair shaft, the more easily the hair absorbs water and loses its hold and elasticity.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE FRAGILE HAIRE ?
Results: the hair is fragile, dull, and brittle. It dries with difficulty, gets dirty faster, "frizzes" and loses its shape at the slightest humidity. Another consequence: it holds color less well. In extreme cases, when the cuticle is completely destroyed, it even becomes very difficult to dye. To find out if you have a damaged cuticle, you just need to check if your hair is shiny. Indeed, healthy hair has a smooth and tight scale envelope. This is what allows it to reflect light and shine naturally. In contrast, dull hair shows marked detachments. The surface irregularity prevents the mirror effect of light. Kinky hair, naturally dry, is often porous due to the lack of sebum along its hair shaft. Therefore, be careful not to apply water to your hair too regularly. Prefer vegetable oil masks.
