What You Need to Know About Your Hair's Elasticity

When your hair is wet, it's structure is altered, causing it to become thicker and longer. It gets longer because it absorbs water and stretches. Your hair's elasticity is the measure of how much it will stretch (and then return to its normal length).nnElasticity The elasticity of your hair depends on a couple of factors - whether it is wet or not and whether it is healthy or unhealthy. Healthy hair stretches up to 35% of its length before snapping off whereas unhealthy hair breaks more quickly because it does not have much elasticity. Healthy dry hair stretches up to 20% of its normal length and healthy wet hair can stretch up to 50% of its usual length and then return to its former length without breaking. Wet hair has more elasticity than dry hair. Elasticity is often described as being lonw, normal, or high.nnEffects of Elasticity How does this effect you? It can help you decide what hairstyle is best for you or your client. Hair with normal or high elasticity is easy to work with. It responds well to wet-roller sets, curling irons, etc. Hair with low elasticity is more difficult to work with because it can be hard to curl or lose its quickly.nnTesting Elasticity You can determine the elasticity of your or your client's hair with this simple test. Take at least 4 strands of hair from different areas of the hair. Make the hair wet. Hold one end of one strand in each hand and pull the hair taut to stretch it. If the strand stretches and then returns to normal after you release it, you have good elasticity. If the hair snaps or does not return to its former length, you have low elasticity. Test each of the 4 strands separately. Make your decision based on the average result of your "stretch tests". If you have low elasticity, the bad news is that your hair is very susceptible to breakage, it will be hard to curl, and it will not perm well. Therefore, you should treat your hair with tender loving care and opt for a straighter hairstyle.