With today’s changing trends, most women alter the natural style of their hair by straightening, applying hair dyes, streaking, smoothing, etc. These may cause damage to natural healthy hair. Healthy looking hair enhances your physical appearance and may even play a role in boosting your confidence.
So, how do you know you have healthy hair? Look out for the following seven signs that will help you decide if you’re taking care of your hair well enough or not.
Signs That Indicate You Have Healthy Hair
Whether you have straight, wavy, or curly hair, you will be able to recognize healthy hair from dull hair by looking out for these seven signs.
1. Your Hair Appears Shiny
Healthy hair, in its natural state, will have a shine to it. That is what you call lustrous hair. This shine is dependent on the outer layer of your hair called the cuticle. If the cuticle lies flat, it means that light can be reflected off from your hair. This is what gives your hair that shine. Damaged hair, on the other hand, appears dull and lifeless.
2. You Do Not Have Dramatic Hair Fall
No matter how healthy your hair is, every day you will observe some hair fall while brushing your hair or while showering, which is normal. However, if this goes overboard – noticing hair on the chair you were seated, never ending hair fall while brushing your hair, hair stuck to the clothes you wear, hair on the floor – then, you should be worried.
3. Your Hair Has A Smooth Texture
The texture of healthy hair will be smooth and silky. When you run your fingers through your hair and it does not get tangled, it means you have healthy hair. Running your fingers through damaged hair is not that simple because your fingers get caught while running through it. You may feel it brittle and dry. The reason why healthy hair has a smooth texture is because there is enough moisture locked within the strands.
4. Your Hair Doesn’t Frizz In Moisture
If you’re a Friends fan, you’d remember how Monica’s hair got all poofy in Barbados. This is definitely not a sign of healthy hair. Healthy hair responds well to moisture or humidity present in the atmosphere. When you step out in a humid environment and if you have healthy straight hair or curly hair, it will remain the same and will not turn into frizzy hair. Damaged hair, on the other hand, is porous and can absorb moisture, causing your hair to stand up.
5. You Experience Less Breakage
If you’ve noticed some strands of hair shorter than the rest, it indicates breakage. If you observe the ends of your hair and notice that they’re split, it means you have split ends. These are not signs of healthy hair. Split ends or breakage may be due to dull hair or even excessive styling. This also indicates that your hair lacks moisture and elasticity.
Healthy hair does not break easily. This is because healthy hair has enough moisture and does not experience breakage because it has enough elasticity.
6. You Do Not Have Scalp Problems
If you have a healthy scalp, it means your hair is healthy, too. How do you know you have a healthy scalp? A healthy scalp does not have dandruff – the white, flaky dry bits of dead skin that may cause an itchy scalp. A healthy scalp does not have any redness or irritation. This means you are taking care of your scalp well enough, allowing the growth of healthy hair.
7. Your Hair Floats On Water
There is an easy water test to find out if you have healthy hair. Place a few strands of hair in a bowl of water. If your hair floats on the surface of the water, then it’s healthy hair; if the strands sink, it means your hair is damaged.
This happens because healthy hair is nonporous and does not absorb the water, therefore, it floats. Dull or poor hair is porous and absorbs the water in the bowl, making it heavier and eventually sinks.
So, if you got these signs from your hair, don’t hesitate to flip your hair when someone you like passes by to grab their attention because it’s healthy and you know it, too!
