There are two issues I’ve believed since I used to be a teen: First, that air drying is the healthiest method to dry my hair; Second, that moisture is the one factor my strands actually need. All through my life, I’ve carried out my greatest to keep away from the blow dryer, for concern that it could make my curly hair frizz out (much more than it often does). I’ve additionally prevented merchandise that include protein, apprehensive that they’d make my curls crunchy and stringy. The styling outcomes have been blended — from wonderful to horrible hair days — however I didn’t assume a lot of it till lately, after I got here throughout the time period “hygral fatigue.” Because it seems, my hair has not been at its healthiest, and it’s seemingly as a result of I’ve been air drying and overly moisturizing it.
Don’t have time to learn the small print? Right here’s a very powerful stuff: Hair that’s often overly moisturized can develop hygral fatigue, a type of everlasting hair harm. This ends in boring, brittle, tangled, frizzy, and gummy-like hair. To forestall it, you’ll have to a) use merchandise with a minimum of some protein on wash days; b) strive a pre-shampoo to guard hair within the bathe; c) presumably use a hairdryer or fan as a substitute of air drying. Learn on to completely perceive the idea of hygral fatigue and find out how to deal with your hair primarily based in your hair sort.
What’s hygral fatigue?
“Hygral fatigue is basically a kind of hair harm that’s introduced on by extreme increasing and contracting of the hair follicle,” says Jessica Shultz, salon proprietor and stylist at Twisted Scissor’s Salon in New York. “It’s attributable to over-moisturizing. The moisture is what causes the follicle to broaden and contract extra typically than [it’s] meant to.”
“This repeated cycle of wetting and drying, which can also be swelling and shrinking the hair shaft, [as well as] lifting of the hair cuticle, could cause cracks within the hair cuticle,” explains Mell Guido, stylist, curl specialist, and educator in a YouTube video. “The hair cuticle [is the] roof over the home, or the hair strand. [The cuticle] protects the entire contents on the within and in addition provides the hair its outer look.” So, washing and drying your hair too typically could cause hygral fatigue (moisture overload isn’t the one perpetrator).
Guido says hygral fatigue explains why the longer our hair will get, the dryer our ends get: “It’s just because [your ends] have been in your hair for therefore lengthy … They’ve been by so many cycles of that wet-to-dry course of, and over time, [that] will increase the porosity in your ends.”
What’s hair porosity?
“Porosity” refers to how effectively your hair absorbs and maintains moisture. The well being of the cuticle determines how simply moisture passes out and in of your strands. Based on Guido, having cracks and holes in your cuticle (bear in mind: that’s the protecting outer layer) results in a rise in hair porosity — which isn’t one thing you need.
There are three forms of hair porosity: low, medium, and excessive. (Skilled hair colorists grade porosity on a level from one to five, however to make issues simpler to grasp, most sources use three common porosity varieties.) Low porosity refers to strands that don’t simply take up moisture. Medium porosity refers to strands that extra readily take up moisture — this stage is often the simplest to model and handle. Excessive porosity refers to strands that simply take up quite a lot of moisture. There are three components that may enhance your hair porosity:
- Chemical compounds, like dyes and bleach
- Intense warmth, like curling irons and flat irons
- Repeatedly over-moisturizing your hair, by both utilizing merchandise which are too excessive in moisture or letting your hair keep moist for lengthy intervals of time.
How do I do know if my hair is low, medium, or excessive porosity?
Many sources recommend the hair porosity water test to find out your porosity stage, which includes taking a strand of your hair and dropping it into a glass of water. Based on the water test, the hair will float if it’s low porosity, sink halfway if it’s medium porosity, or sink to the underside if it’s excessive porosity. Nevertheless, this take a look at is inaccurate.
“This isn’t going to provide you correct outcomes,” says Guido. “Relying on its texture, your hair could have a unique molecular weight and can react in a different way within the water regardless. So many different issues could cause your hair to sink or to drift in water.” To essentially decide your hair porosity, strive the strategy under.
Spray a piece of your hair with water and observe it.
First, ensure your hair is clear and has no product on it. Then, spray down a piece with water and search for signs of low to high porosity:
- Low porosity: Water beads on the floor and takes some time to sink in.
- Medium porosity: Water could bead barely on the floor, however sink in simply.
- Excessive porosity: Hair instantly soaks up the water with no beading.
An additional tip: Suppose again in your hair therapies. How typically have you ever dyed or bleached your strands? The extra you chemically alter your hair, the extra porous it’s. And lastly, don’t depend on hair texture to find out porosity. Some sources declare that {smooth} hair signifies low porosity whereas tough hair signifies excessive porosity. Nevertheless, it’s attainable to have naturally-smooth hair that’s now bleached and extra porous. It’s additionally attainable to have naturally rough-textured hair that hardly permits any water in (like mine).
Why is hair porosity essential to grasp?
In case you’re apprehensive that your hair has hygral fatigue, you’ll have to know the easiest way to deal with it. Remedy strategies fluctuate relying on porosity. Low porosity strands, for instance, want merchandise with excessive moisture and low protein. Medium porosity hair typically wants equal quantities of protein and moisture, and excessive porosity hair wants principally protein and somewhat moisture. (After all, this will change relying on climate and different components, just like the hardness of your water.)
How do I do know if I’ve hygral fatigue?
Whereas everybody’s hair is totally different, hygral fatigue tends to create strands which are (in accordance with Guido):
- Boring
- Brittle
- Dry
- Frizzy
- Extraordinarily comfortable
As Shults factors out, excessive porosity hair is probably the most prone as a result of it absorbs probably the most moisture. Fearful that you just over-moisturize? Don’t panic — whereas moisture overload can result in hygral fatigue, a couple of high-moisture days aren’t going to completely damage your hair. The true harm comes when your hair is repeatedly over-moisturized.
How do I repair hygral fatigue?
Sadly, true hygral fatigue can’t be fastened. “In case you suspect your hair has hygral fatigue, the one factor to do is stop additional harm,” says Shults. “Any hygral fatigued hair will stay broken till you develop out future wholesome hair and reduce away the harm.”
The excellent news: Most hair is just over-moisturized, not completely broken. On this case, “you need to instantly begin treating your hair way more delicately,” says Shults. “This consists of being very mild within the bathe when cleansing your hair in addition to while you towel your hair dry.” Under are a couple of different suggestions for stopping hygral fatigue.
Wash your hair much less steadily.
“You actually need to stop how a lot your hair is getting moist — how a lot it’s going from moist to dry — and in addition how lengthy it’s staying moist,” says Guido. Additionally, washing your hair too typically can strip essential oils out of your scalp and go away your hair too dry. When you’ve got straight hair that will get oily rapidly, strive washing your hair two to three times weekly. If it’s curly or on the dryer aspect, strive washing it as soon as per week and even much less typically than that.
Air dry or blow dry relying in your hair sort.
When you’ve got very thick hair that takes a very long time to dry (like mine), pick up the blow dryer. Involved about radiation? Use a low-EMF dryer and maintain it additional away out of your head. That is made simple by a diffuser attachment. In any other case, strive sitting in entrance of a delicate fan or air filter, and flip your hair steadily from one aspect to the opposite.
Don’t have thick hair? Air drying could also be the best choice. “I might not advocate utilizing a blow dryer, as it will trigger extra increasing and contracting of the follicle,” says Shults.
No matter your hair thickness, use light-weight styling merchandise if you happen to air dry. As an example: Strive a light-weight leave-in conditioner as a substitute of cream, and a runny styling gel or foamy mousse as a substitute of a thick, sticky gel. Do your greatest to make use of much less product, too, to assist your hair dry extra rapidly. (Use a hairbrush designed for moist hair to evenly distribute the product so you need to use much less of it.)
Use somewhat protein, and take a look at a pre-shampoo.
Regardless of your hair porosity, Guido recommends that you just use merchandise with a minimum of somewhat little bit of protein. “Everyone wants protein,” she says. “Even in case you are the bottom of the bottom of porosities and also you say your hair permits no moisture in, you need protein in your hair.” Don’t know what to purchase? Search for merchandise that say “strengthening” on the label.
And earlier than you step within the bathe, strive coating your hair in a pre-shampoo or somewhat oil (corresponding to coconut oil) earlier than you wash it. “Research have proven that the fiber swelling of the hair was lowered when the hair was pre-treated with issues like coconut oil,” says Guido.
Backside Line
Since I’ve stopped washing my hair so steadily and added a conditioner with protein to my routine, I’ve seen a noticeable enchancment. I’ve additionally scheduled my subsequent salon appointment to get my dry ends chopped. My takeaway? Moisture is essential, however it isn’t the entire story. There’s much more to hair care than what meets the attention, however following a wholesome routine will assist keep longevity.
