Hair types

Problem hair

Look at your hair

Hair can be the 'make-or-break' feature of your appearance. It must look good if you are to look good. Correct care and styling will keep it that way. You'll know what care to give it and which styles to choose only if you really know your hair.

Type and condition

Recognising your hair type and condition will help you to determine the care it needs and the products you should use. Hair type is hereditary - yours may be dry, normal or greasy. Hair condition is the result of the treatment you give it, and the environment in which you live and work. Yours may be in good or poor condition or it may be severely damaged. If you haven't been giving your hair proper care then you may need to improve its condition before you can correctly assess its type.

As with discovering your skin type, the clues are: how it looks, how it feels and how it behaves.

How it looks

If your hair is dry you'll see:

□ no natural gloss or shine

□ a dull, lifeless look

□ split ends

If your hair is normal you'll see:

□ a good gloss and shine

□ a smooth surface with no split ends

If your hair is greasy you'll see:

□ a shiny, wet look

□ lank and lifeless style

□ a 'dirty' appearance

If your hair is in good condition you'll see:

□ a good gloss and shine

□ a smooth surface with no split ends

If your hair is in poor condition you'll see:

□ dull patches with no gloss or shine

□ split ends

If your hair is in damaged condition you'll see:

□ no gloss or shine

□ split ends

□ broken hair

How it feels

If your hair is dry it feels:

□ dry to the touch

□ brittle

□ rough rather than smooth

If your hair is normal it feels:

□ soft

□ silky

□ smooth

If your hair is greasy it feels:

□ tacky

□ slippery

□ very smooth

If your hair is in good condition it feels:

□ soft

□ silky

□ smooth

If your hair is in poor condition it feels:

□ dry at the ends

□ rather brittle

□ rough in patches

If your hair is in damaged condition it feels:

□ dry

□ brittle

□ rough

How it behaves

If your hair is dry it may:

□ be hard to style

□ be 'flyaway'

□ appear not to need washing for 7 to 10 days

If your hair is normal it:

□ usually holds a style well

□ has a good natural bounce

□ requires washing every 4 to 5 days

If your hair is greasy it:

□ won't hold a style well

□ is lank and separates into 'rat's tails'

□ requires washing every day or two

If your hair is in good condition it:

□ usually holds a style well

□ has a good natural bounce

If your hair is in poor condition it may be:

□ hard to style

□ 'flyaway'

If your hair is in damaged condition it:

□ is hard to style

□ may 'frizz' when you try to curl it

□ will not maintain a smooth, straight style

Remember that the condition of your hair may mask its true type.

Treatments and environment

These factors will also affect the condition of your hair so you must take them into account when assessing it. Has your hair, in the last 3 to 4 months, been:

□ coloured?

□ bleached?

□ permed? or

□ straightened?

If so it may be dry, in poor condition or damaged as a result of the treatment.

Overexposure to sun (or a sun-lamp), salt water or chlorine can also have a very drying and damaging effect on hair.

Has your hair been overexposed to any of these in the last 3-4 months?

□ sun (or a sun-lamp)

□ saltwater

□ chlorine

Texture

This is a quality of each individual hair, and yours may be:

□ fine - also thin, limp and lacking body. This is the weakest hair.

□ medium - i.e. of average thickness and strength or

□ coarse - thick and strong, often also wiry. If coarse hair is cut too short it will stand out from the head.

Body

This is a quality of the full head of hair, and yours may be:

□ thin -if you have little hair

□ medium -if you have neither thin nor thick hair

or

□ thick - if you have a lot of hair

It is possible to have any combination of texture and body - though coarse but thin hair is rare.

If you have difficulty in identifying your hair's texture or body your hairdresser should be able to help.

Pattern

This is another hereditary factor, determined by the shape of the hair follicles. Your hair's natural pattern may be:

□ curly

□ wavy or

□ straight Hair pattern can be changed temporarily by chemicals and/or heat through perming or straightening.

* Natural blonde hair is the finest.

* Natural black hair is the coarsest.

Shape

This can also help to determine the success or failure of any hairstyle you select. Shape, again, is hereditary but can be modified temporarily by heat and/or chemical treatments.Though hard to define, you can see the particular shape or line your hair assumes if, after shampooing, you let it dry and fall into place of its own accord.

Colour

Though colour in no way affects your choice of style, it is a very marked and important aspect of your hair's appearance. Your hair colour is of course hereditary and will change naturally during your lifetime, but you can alter it temporarily by varying degrees from a subtle highlight to a complete change of colour.

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