How Gels, Sprays, and Other Chemicals Impact Hair Shape

Hair sprays, gels, perms, and other chemical products and processes exist for only one reason: So you can force your hair to do what you want. It’s part of human nature to want what you don’t have. People with straight hair want curls and people with curly hair are constantly trying to tame it into straight submission.

Hair, however, has a mind of its own and has certain built-in characteristics that must be overcome if you want it to do your bidding. Some factors that influence the look of your hair are:

• The thickness of the hair shafts
• The density of the hair
• The natural stiffness of the hair (which keeps it from lying on the scalp like a wet noodle)
• The natural curvature of the hair
• The slippery nature of the hair (how it slides over its neighboring hairs)
• The cohesiveness of the hair (how it sticks to other hairs)

This section looks at the ways changing your look with chemical products and processes can also change the composition of your hair — for better, for worse, and sometimes forever.