Beautiful Hair

Clean, conditioned hair is the best start for beautiful hair. Knowing your hair type will help you choose the best hair care products for your hair.

To find out what type of hair you have, take a tissue and dab it on your scalp, the second day after washing. Look at the tissue.

• No blot on tissue-dry hair
• A blot on tissue-balanced (normal) hair
• Hair strands stuck together-oily hair

Other factors in knowing the type of hair you have is:

• Texture-this is the circumference of hair. Course hair has the largest circumference and fine hair the smallest, with medium in between the two.
• Density-determined by the number of hair strands per square inch. Average is 2,200 strands per square inch for medium hair density. Thick or thin hair will have a count on either side of that.
• Porosity-how the hair absorbs moisture is determined by the scales of the hair shaft being compact (low porosity) to raised (high porosity) with normal in the middle. Feel hair when dry and when wet. If dry hair feels straw-like and rough, or if gummy or slightly rubbery when wet, then the hair is overly porous. Caution should be used with hair chemicals like coloring, strengtheners, and perms.
• Elasticity-when hair is wet take strands from four different areas on head. Stretch hair to determine its elasticity. If it returns to previous length then it has good elasticity, if it breaks or doesn’t return to its previous length then hair has low elasticity and is prone to breakage and damage.
• Wave pattern-hair can be straight, curly, very curly, or coiled.

Once hair type is determined then hair care products can be purchased to match the hair type so hair will look the most beautiful after washing and conditioning. Alternating a clarifying shampoo and conditioner with the usual hair care products will keep hair free of build up.