Cuticle (Hair Cuticle)
Category: science
The shingle-like outer protective scale layer of a hair strand.
A healthy cuticle lies flat, trapping internal moisture and reflecting light for high shine. Chemical services like perms, straighteners, and bleaches have a high pH to force these scales open, letting processing solutions reach the internal cortex cortex core.
Common Examples
- Using an acidic conditioning rinse closes the hair cuticle layer down tight, locking in the fresh color molecules.
- Heat styling without a thermal boundary spray will crack the cuticle layer scales, exposing the inner cortex to moisture loss.