the science of hair, heat, and friction
Key figures
what heat does to hair.
Prolonged exposure to ambient heat — the kind you find in 95–105°F Pilates studios, infrared yoga rooms, and sauna sessions — lifts the cuticle of the hair shaft. A lifted cuticle scatters light, looks dull, loses moisture faster, and is more vulnerable to mechanical damage.
Color-treated hair is especially susceptible. Dye molecules sit inside the cortex; once moisture starts escaping, color fades in parallel. The $300 highlights you got two weeks ago are a casualty of the class you're paying to attend.
Friction makes it worse. A cotton headband or terry-cloth wrap drags against the cuticle as you move — every plank, every Down Dog, every drop into a bridge. Satin reduces that friction by roughly 43%. Less friction means a smoother cuticle, less moisture loss, and color that lasts the full six weeks instead of three.
Based on internal friction testing — bamboo satin lining vs. 100% cotton terry, equal normal force.
Hair doesn't experience irreversible heat damage until it reaches around 284°F — far above any heated-class temperature. lyá is positioned as a moisture-and-color preservation tool, not a heat-damage shield.