People often use hair texture1, color, and length to determine if it is healthy. Unfortunately, that’s not the right approach to knowing if your hair is healthy. That’s because various hair types differ in these regards.
That’s why finding healthy, short hair and vice versa is possible. Equally important, rough hair could be healthier than soft hair, depending on each type. Does that mean that determining if the hair is healthy is challenging?
Knowing if your hair is healthy can be pretty straightforward as long as you know what to look for. Interestingly, you may not need a professional to determine that. So, without much ado, let’s unveil how to know if your hair is healthy.
1. 7 Signs to Identify Healthy Hair
How to know if your hair is healthy is as simple as looking for the following signs:
1.1. Excellent Elasticity
As you brush your hair, be keen on how it behaves; as you do so, you can tell if the hair is healthy. Healthy hair can stretch fully as you comb it – without snapping, regardless of whether you use a brush or comb. After all, if your hair is healthy, it will have good elasticity.
1.2. Smooth, Shiny Texture
Knowing if your hair is healthy involves looking at how it looks. If your hair is shiny, there is an even and adequate distribution of the natural oil your scalp produces for every strand of your hair. These natural oils2 nourish your hair, thus making it grow well and remain healthy.
On the other hand, smoothness is also an indicator of healthy hair.3 Don’t assume that straight hair is healthier than curly hair. Your hair is healthy as long as the strands aren’t bumpy and rough.
Use your forefinger and thumb to assess its smoothness. Sliding the strands between these fingers should be easy if your hair is healthy.
1.3. Easy to Detangle
What’s your experience when combing your hair? Your hair is healthy if the brush doesn’t struggle to go through it. It means your cuticles are closed, thus reducing the chances of them getting caught up with hair strands and forming tangles.
Healthy hair lacks many knots and doesn’t tangle or get frizzy. In other words, free-flowing hair strands are one of the signs your hair is healthy.
1.4. Little Shedding and Breakage
Remember that the growth of your hair involves shedding the existing one for new hair to grow. So, reasonable shedding and breakage don’t necessarily mean your hair is unhealthy. It only becomes an issue if it is too much.
By too much, it means that the falling off of hair shouldn’t exceed about 100 strands daily. It can be as little as about 50 strands a day, depending on the hair type and how healthy it is. Keeping track of the hair strands you lose daily is vital, especially as you wash and groom it.
Remember, healthy hair can withstand frequent grooming. It would be best if you didn’t overdo it, though, since even healthy hair has its limit. Since healthy hair is strong and durable, only a few strands will fall daily.
1.5. Lack of Dandruff
No healthy hair will have dandruff, which results from the accumulation of fungus Malassezia globosa4, similar to yeast. So, if you don’t find dandruff around your hair follicles, it is healthy.
1.6. Response to Moisture
How your hair responds to moisture determines whether it is healthy. If it is unhealthy, expect it to frizz once you expose it to moisture. That’s because it is excessively porous and thus unable to withstand humidity.
On the other hand, healthy hair doesn’t change due to exposure to moisture. It will also retain its texture with curly hair remaining curly and straight hair remaining straight.
1.7. Repels Water Naturally
Placing a few strands in water is also a proven method for knowing if your hair is healthy. Healthy hair has closed cuticles, so it will float since it hardly absorbs water.
Equally important, hair that dries fast is healthy. On the other hand, over-processed and excessively porous hair takes a long time to dry. It is no secret that those are characteristics of healthy hair.
2. How to Fix Your Unhealthy Hair
2.1. How Can You Fix Damaged Hair
Unhealthy hair are often the damaged hair existing on your scalp. Some measures work on unhealthy hair; consider the following measures to take care of them:
- Enough research shows that rinsing your hair with rice water prevents damage.
- Rice water also ensures the hair retains its colour, thus staying long before turning grey.
- Consider the keratin treatment since it smoothens the hair, makes it shine, and eliminates frizz.
- You should also blow-dry, curl, and dye your hair in moderation
2.2. How to Fix Your Hair Elasticity
Elasticity illustrates the strength of the hair strands. If stretching of a strand of hair ( like a rubber) breaks it quickly, then it is considered that the elasticity of the hair is poor and that the strand is weak. Here are some measures to recover and maintain them:
- Moisturizing your hair strands with honey since it is an excellent natural conditioner.
- Avoid split ends, breakage, and dryness using jojoba oil since it is an effective moisturizer.
- Use oils that nourish your hair and remove dandruff.
- Avoid drying your hair using heat, and consider air drying it instead.
2.3. How to Fix Hair with High Porosity
Hair Porosity confirms the dryness of the hair. If your hair is frizzy, dry, brittle and absorbs too much water, then it is prone to high porosity, and you can fix it using the following tricks:
- Adjust its pH balance using Aloe Vera and apple cider vinegar.
- Remember to condition your hair every time you wash it.
- Your hair can also become less porous by applying hair oils and butter.
2.4. How to Fix Excess Hair Loss
Hair loss is normal. However, you shouldn’t be comfortable if it is in excess. If that’s the case, try out the following:
- Avoid ponytails and other tight hairstyles known for causing hair loss, especially if sleeping.
- Use special minerals and vitamins.
- Ensure your diet contains whole grains, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid a diet comprising processed foods, sweet beverages, and red meat.
Final Words
Besides beauty and confidence, your hair has other benefits. The most notable one is its significance in regulating body temperature. If it is cold, your hair keeps you warm. Once it gets hot, it wicks your sweat.
From shine to smoothness to elasticity to dandruff, there are various indicators to prove if your hair’s healthy or otherwise.
Fortunately, all isn’t lost if you realize your hair is unhealthy. There are various fixes for different issues, which are undoubtedly straightforward.
- Kim, Ju-Sub, and Ju-Sub Kim. “Effect of peanut oil on hair texture improvement.” Asian Journal of Beauty and Cosmetology 18.3 (2020): 331-340. ↩︎
- Sharma, Vinay, and Patit Paban Kundu. “Addition polymers from natural oils—A review.” Progress in polymer science 31.11 (2006): 983-1008. ↩︎
- Marsh, J. M., Gray, J., & Tosti, A. (2015). Healthy hair (No. 12380). New York: Springer International Publishing. ↩︎
- Gordon James, A., Abraham, K. H., Cox, D. S., Moore, A. E., & Pople, J. E. (2013). Metabolic analysis of the cutaneous fungi Malassezia globosa and M. restricta for insights on scalp condition and dandruff. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 35(2), 169-175. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi
