Answer :
To determine which hair type will take the longest to process, we need to understand the effects of hair texture and porosity.
Hair Texture refers to the thickness or diameter of individual strands of hair. It can be classified as fine, medium, or coarse. Coarse hair is thicker and usually has a stronger structure, which can make it more resistant to chemical processing.
Hair Porosity refers to how well hair can absorb and hold moisture. It is categorized as low, medium, or high. Hair with high porosity quickly absorbs moisture and chemicals, while low porosity hair resists moisture absorption due to tightly closed cuticles.
Now, let's examine each option:
Coarse-textured with low porosity: Coarse hair is generally more resistant to processing due to its thicker strands, and when combined with low porosity, it makes it even harder for chemicals or moisture to penetrate. This combination would take the longest time to process.
Fine-textured with high porosity: Fine hair has thinner strands, allowing it to process faster. High porosity also means that the hair easily absorbs chemicals, so processing time would be shorter.
Coarse-textured with high porosity: While coarse, thick hair can resist processing, high porosity allows quick absorption of chemicals, potentially balancing the overall processing time.
Fine-textured with low porosity: Fine hair is easier to process due to its thinness, and although low porosity resists absorption, it still would not take as long as coarse, low porosity hair.
Conclusion: The hair type that will take the longest to process is coarse-textured with low porosity (Option a), as both characteristics combine to resist the penetration of chemicals needed for most hair processes such as dyeing or straightening.