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Why Does Your Natural Hair Take So Long To Dry?

23/2/2013

 
PictureA damaged hair cuticle
I washed my hair 6 hours ago and it's still wet!

Granted, I have been wearing a beany hat all day and it is in plaits but even when it's loose my hair does take a long time to dry. 

The key driver of the rate at which hair dries is its porosity.

Porosity refers to how easily water and other chemicals can diffuse into and out of hair. If the outer layer of the hair fibre, the cuticle, is very tightly bound and lies very flat the hair is not very porous. This type of hair is quite resistant to the entry and exit of chemicals including water.

If the cuticle layer of hair has been damaged, it's weak and much more porous. Porous hair dries much more quickly than non-porous hair.

Porous hair once moisturised loses that moisture much more quickly than hair that is not porous.

PictureA damaged hair cuticle
Other environmental and external factors influence the rate at which hair dries:
  • When it's hot hair dries faster;
  • When the heating inside a home or other building is high, hair dries faster;
  • Setting lotions help hair to dry more rapidly;
  • The use of a blow drier obviously accelerates the rate at which hair dries and the more intense the heat, the faster hair dries.

In order to reduce heat damage and maintain the integrity of the cuticle layer, air dry hair or blow dry at a low heat for a prolonged period of time. 

According to The Science of Black Hair, an intensely hot blow dry for a short period of time (10 - 20 minutes) is far more damaging than much milder heat application for a longer period of time, e.g. sitting under a hooded dryer for 45 minutes.

Keep these factors in mind when you want your to dry fast!

Picture

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Sheshe
5/3/2013 05:46:04 am

Ok... is it just me? Both pictures are labeled as a damaged cuticle. Surely this is an oversight.

Heather @ Neno Natural
5/3/2013 06:39:23 am

Hi sheshe,

The top cuticle only is damaged the second image shows how a healthy cuticle looks under a microscope. Lots of flat layers.

In the unhealthy cuticle the layers are lifted.

My best,
Heather

Kiki
25/4/2015 12:30:53 pm

yes it is incorrectly labeled though.

shondel jackman
5/3/2013 10:09:41 pm

love the information and the feed back on how to keep hair hair healthy thank you

Heather @ Neno Natural
6/3/2013 06:54:00 pm

You're welcome Shondel!

Ms. Vee
9/7/2013 01:11:46 pm

My hair has a very very itchy area and that side is thin and not the same length as the other side, Do you think it can recover or is it permanently damaged?

Ms. Vee
9/7/2013 01:13:01 pm

Im transitioning to natural hair. thanks

Bonita
19/8/2013 10:40:57 am

Hi i have a question i am joining the natural movement..But now my scalp seem to be more dry now i use all the butters shea,mango,almond and the good oils is this normal

Rebecca
23/11/2015 03:11:26 am

If you use a lot of Shea butter, STOP. Shea butter coats the hair shaft as well as the scalp (depending on how it's applied). When it leaves a coat, the hair is unable to soak in moisture, causing the hair to remain dry. Hope this small tip could help!


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    By Heather Katsonga-Woodward

    I was a natural hair blogger and mixtress living between London & Chicago from 2012 to 2017. I always thought I was 4C but some say 4B; images below - you decide! Heather xx

    p.s. I now blog about wealth and personal finance on my personal website.

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