What Is Hair Called When It Feels Smooth With a Compact Cuticle?

The answer is resistant. Milady defines resistant hair as having a tight, compact cuticle layer that resists penetration of chemical solutions.

This is the direct opposite of porous or overly porous hair, which the same chapter describes as having a raised cuticle layer that easily absorbs chemical solutions — one of the clearest before-and-after contrasts the exam draws on, since the two types need opposite chemical strengths to process safely.

Source

Milady Standard Barbering, 6th ed., Ch. 17 (Chemical Texture Services), p. 582: "Resistant hair has a tight, compact cuticle layer that resists penetration of chemical solutions."

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