While beach-y, slightly fried hair was in style for summer, glossy, healthy hair reigns queen for fall. It's time to repair the damage you've inflicted from all the outdoor activities and heat-styling tools you used to get those cute summer hairstyles. But before you can do that, you need to answer this crucial question: Just how damaged is your hair? The health of your hair depends on a delicate balance of protein and moisture. The protein in hair provides structure to the follicle, while moisture gives hair elasticity. Too much of either leads to breakage. To figure out what your hair is deficient in, let's assess the damage now.
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Test your follicle health
Pluck a strand of hair and look at the root of it. Does it have a bulb? If there is a bulb, that means your hair is healthy. If there isn�t a bulb, you may be struggling with thinning or balding hair.
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Look for dryness
With the same strand of hair, hold one end of it with your thumb and finger. Use your other hand to run a thumbnail and finger along the strand, going quickly, kind of like how you would curl a ribbon with scissors. Your strand of hair should form into a curl. Pull the hair taut for a few seconds, then release it. What happens?
If your hair springs back into a curl shape, it's in good condition. If it stays loose, or if it doesn't curl at all, your hair is dry.
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Test for protein
Pluck another strand of hair. Hold one end in each hand, then give it a tug. What happens? If it stretches like a rubberband, your hair is lacking in protein. If it snaps immediately, your hair is lacking moisture.
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What's your hair's structure?
If that strand of hair you just tugged snapped, pull another strand and drop it into a bowl of water. (We promise this is the last strand of hair we'll make you pluck!) Gently poke the strand with your finger. What happens? If it sinks that means the integrity of the follicle's structure has been compromised by becoming porous from UV ray damage or from excess chemical processes, like hair coloring. The holes in the follicle allows water to seep in, resulting in the hair sinking. If the strand floats it means your hair is healthy.
While beach-y, slightly fried hair was in style for summer, glossy, healthy hair reigns queen for fall. It's time to repair the damage you've inflicted from all the outdoor activities and heat-styling tools you used to get those cute summer hairstyles. But before you can do that, you need to answer this crucial question: Just how damaged is your hair? The health of your hair depends on a delicate balance of protein and moisture. The protein in hair provides structure to the follicle, while moisture gives hair elasticity. Too much of either leads to breakage. To figure out what your hair is deficient in, let's assess the damage now.
