Hair Extension Anatomy: Cuticle and Cortex
Posted on June 13 2016
A single strand of human hair is
made up of three layers. Two of them, the cortex and cuticle, play an important
role in the appearance of your hair. By learning more about them, you’ll be
better equipped to not only take care of your Remy hair extensions properly,
but also to discern real Remy extensions from cheap imitations.
Cuticle
The outer layer of your hair, the cuticle, resembles a tube of tightly packed
shingles when placed under a microscope. These “shingles” are what keep your
hair strong and retain water for luster. The cuticle is essential to the appearance
of your hair and to determining its quality.
Cuticles that are intact and monodirectional create a smooth, shiny appearance and
also indicate strong hair that will last through repeat washing and gentle
styling.
To test your hair for the presence of a cuticle, rub it between your fingers.
If the hair doesn’t “tease up,” it’s been chemically stripped of its cuticle, and
its luster will rapidly fade. If your hair does have cuticles, check to make
sure that they are monodirectional by running your fingers through the hair
while wet. If it tangles, the cuticles are probably running in mixed
directions. Hair that does not have monodirectional cuticles indicates a poorly
made weave that will soon become tangled and matted. On the other hand,
extensions with monodirectional cuticles will stay soft and lustrous.
Continue to protect the cuticle of your Remy hair by using products that
protect it from sun, salt, pool chlorine, and heat.
Cortex
The cortex of your hair is the middle layer just beneath the cuticle, and is
the layer that holds on to hair color. Our virgin Remy hair can be colored, but
you must use ammonia-free dye. Hair color that contains ammonia damages the
cortex, making it dry and brittle. Hair with a brittle cortex is more prone to
breakage during styling.
If you don’t want to take any risks with coloring your hair yourself, Remy
Capillus offers select lines of hair extensions that are pre-colored for your
convenience. As with all of our extensions, they are ethically and selectively
sourced for quality, then processed gently, resulting in beautiful style that
does not compromise the health or appearance of the hair.
Want more tips on caring for and styling your straight, wavy, or curly hair extensions from Remy Capillus? Explore our website and
follow us on social media for fresh updates and new styling tricks.
