Moisture balance is essential for healthy hair. If the balance becomes disrupted due to natural moisture loss or damage then the resulting loss of elasticity can leave hair difficult to style, dry and prone to breakage. Healthy, well-hydrated hair should have some stretch or elasticity.
Common Causes of Low Hair Elasticity
Over-processing with colouring, straightening, and perming procedures can result in chemical damage. Lack of moisture, a lack of protein, and product buildup on the scalp are some additional common causes of low hair elasticity.
I get an old item of clothing and cut it up into strips, then tie the strips tightly at one end making a 'hoop'. Then just loop that round the ends of my hair tightly. It works the best if it's stretchy fabric like from a t-shirt :)
Learn more about hair's elasticity. Low elasticity is when the hair is brittle and dry, which means the hair is out of balance and primarily is more protein and has little to no moisture. The hair will stretch too much with high elasticity and does not return to its original shape or break.
Either your hair is too thick or too oily, which makes them heavy, sticking to your head and not letting them stand against gravity. Shampoo your hair once or twice, daily. Avoid consuming oily foods. Comb your hair often. To reduce their thicknes...
If your hair lacks elasticity, try incorporating protein treatments, deep conditioning, and gentle handling techniques into your hair care routine to help restore elasticity and prevent future damage.
Mix egg whites and yogurt thoroughly in a bowl till it performs a unified paste. (use egg yolks only if your hair very dry or damaged) Apply the mixture to your hair and leave it on for 25-30 minutes. Rinse the pack out with cool water and then shampoo and condition as usual.
As mentioned earlier, low porosity hair has tightly packed cuticles, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate. This results in dryness, frizz and lack of elasticity.
Chemical Treatments: Procedures such as coloring, perming, and relaxing can break the disulfide bonds, weakening the hair and causing it to become stretchy. Heat Styling: Frequent use of hot tools like straighteners, curling irons, and blow dryers can damage the hair's protein structure.
In order to find out what the elasticity of your hair is, wet a strand of hair and stretch it as much as you can. This will determine whether your hair falls under high, medium or low elasticity. Low elasticity: In most cases you can tell that hair has low elasticity by just looking at it as it appears quite brittle.
What Is Hair Porosity? In the simplest terms, porosity is your hair's ability to soak up and hold in moisture and products. There are three levels of porosity: low, medium, and high. Each strand of your hair has an outer shell of cuticles that kind of look like shingles on the side of a roof.
Your hair is made up of the cuticle and cortex. The cortex is responsible for strength and elasticity, composed of keratin chain building blocks that assemble to form larger structures. The strength of your hair's structure is reinforced by disulfide bonds along its width and peptide bonds along its length.
A piece of material is clamped in a vice. A fixed weight is hung from the end and the material bends / deflects. When the weight is quickly removed, the material 'springs back'. The amount of deflection, is a measure of its elasticity.
Is your hair glassy and smooth? Then it's probably not porous at all. This is because the low porosity hair strands are sealed and smooth, making the hair appear reflective and shiny.
We know how relaxing a long, blazing hot shower can be at the end of a long day, but all that heat can dry your strands—which is the last thing low porosity hair needs. Switch to lukewarm water and aim to keep your showers on the shorter side to help protect your strands from unnecessary moisture loss.
If your hair strands feel dry, brittle, and bumpy on touch, fair chance you're lacking moisture. If it feels mushy, doesn't stretch at all and snaps easily, it likely needs more protein.
“Look for products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or aloe vera, which hydrate without leaving a greasy residue,” says Garshick. “Use a lightweight conditioner and avoid heavy oils or creams. A leave-in conditioner spray or a volumizing conditioner can also help add moisture without making hair flat.”
Easy! The Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft from the ends towards the scalp. If you feel little resistance and your fingers glide smoothly, your hair is likely high porosity. If you feel some resistance but can still slide your fingers easily, you have medium porosity hair.
If lifestyle changes and anti-aging skincare products have not produced the results you're after, medical treatments may be the next step. Medical procedures performed by a cosmetic dermatologist can improve skin elasticity by stimulating new collagen growth.