Hair Holds Heat

[GIJane]

I have been told by more than one person such as many stylists, kitchen stylists, or friends. That my hair holds heat. People have told me on numerous occassions that when heat is applied to straighten my hair. My hair does not cool off it still is very hot to the touch. Almost to hot to touch. It also does not straighten very well. It has to be gone over the strands over, over, over, over, and over again.

So since joining LHCF I no longer allow my hair to be straighten as I am scared of heat damage. But I was curious with my hair holding heat. Does that has to do with the porosity. Why does my hair tend to burn people. Can someone clarify this for me?

 

[ambs_0587]

Bumping for you.

 

[NaturalBeauty<3]

I want to know this too.
My hair also gets ridiculously hot. Even when I'm outside in the sun, when I hug ppl I'm told my hair burned their face. (I'm short, so they normally try to put their head or lay their cheek on top of my head)
What does this mean?

Good question OP.

 

[danniegirl]

you all are hot headed lol

JK i have no idea i never even heard anyone say your hair holds heat

 

[yuhlovevybz]

I've burned my fingers on my hair before but I CAN get it straight easily. And it kinda bakes in the sun too. I've seen a few people whose hair burns people, idk what it is.

 

[GIJane]

I want to know this too.
My hair also gets ridiculously hot. Even when I'm outside in the sun, when I hug ppl I'm told my hair burned their face. (I'm short, so they normally try to put their head or lay their cheek on top of my head)
What does this mean?

Good question OP.

Me too, its weird.

you all are hot headed lol

I have a temper as well.

I've burned my fingers on my hair before but I CAN get it straight easily. And it kinda bakes in the sun too. I've seen a few people whose hair burns people, idk what it is.

I, myself cant get my hair straight. But my old hairdresser could give me a really nice press. With quite a few passes. She also said she doesnt know why my hair gets so hot.

My hair can hold heat but not moisture. What kind of bull is that.

 

[manter26]

Did a quick google search and found this on the heat capacity of hair:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g021373450173070/

It's just the abstract though, so I can't see the details.

The heat capacity (HC) of hair depends on it's ability to hold water (porosity is an aspect of this). Without reading the full text, I gather that they experimented with wet hair and heated it and the HC aligned with the vaporization of water, meaning it dried quickly.

The 2nd curve is hair drying over time, at a lower temp and for 30 mins. This hair with lower water content was exothermic (hot to the touch because it expels heat) rather than endothermic (cool to the touch because it absorbs heat from surroundings).

The heat capacity in the exothermic (bottom curve) case compared to the endothermic case was lower ( -1.8 J change). The lower heat capacity means the hair gets hotter quicker.

Here's how sisterSlick (? I think) explained it in an article:

The moisture not only helps maintain hydrogen bonding between keratin proteins, but it also helps absorb and dissipate heat through the hair fiber. Moisture increases the hair’s specific heat capacity, or the amount of heat needed to increase the hair’s temperature, Dow Corning scientists say. Poorly moisturized hair heats rapidly and is damaged more easily. Here, water serves a protective function. Protein allows the hair to retain much of its internal moisture, and keeps the hair’s own keratin structure fully supported.

 

[ChanelNo5]

My stylist said the same thing the last time I got my hair straightened! I wonder what it means.

^^^
Wait..so my hair is dry? :-(

 

[NaturalBeauty<3]

I moisturize all the time... And my hair doesnt SEEM dry...
i think that my hair has the potential to be dry, but I do regular protein treatments that help with keeping the moisture in as it "keeps the hair's own keratin structure fully supported"...?

Thats what I got outta that. #shrug

Thanks!

 

[GIJane]

So my hair is desert dry and holds heat. Dang. I can't win for losing.

Wait a minute. I am real confused about the protein thing. It is too my understanding (I may be wrong?) that low-porosity hair has a lot of protein but because of the tight cuticles is hard to moisturized.

But, now I don't have protein in my strands to bind the water. I am real confused and frustrated right now. Stupid hair of mine.

 

[bludaydreamer]

The study is saying that your hair is hot because it does not absorb the heat, just like it does not absorb moisture. It is hot to the touch because the heat just sits on the outside of the strand. It is probably the same for moisture. From what I understand that is a porosity issue, but I don't know how to correct that. Maybe someone can chime in.

 

[GIJane]

The study is saying that your hair is hot because it does not absorb the heat, just like it does not absorb moisture. It is hot to the touch because the heat just sits on the outside of the strand. It is probably the same for moisture. From what I understand that is a porosity issue, but I don't know how to correct that. Maybe someone can chime in.

Thanks for clearing that up bludaydreamer. I believe that I have low porosity hair. I washed my hair. Then put a dry strand of hair in water and it sat on top of the water for more than 24 hrs. I tried doing a baking soda rinse before I dc'd and it made my hair like straw. So I really don't know how to get moisture in my hair. I baggy every other day. Sometimes I baggy everyday. Kind of easy for me since my hair is currently in box braids. But thanks for getting me straight on that.

I thought it was saying that my hair was absorbing heat because I do not have enough protein in my hair and that is why my hair does not have moisture.

 

[naturallygoldie]

"Poorly moisturized hair heats rapidly and is damaged more easily." Nice to know