Hair Synthesis

The natural state of your hair can be characterized in three main ways: moisture, texture and thickness. Your hair may defined by one of each of these categories.

For example, you might have dry, wavy, thick hair. Or maybe you’ve got oily, straight, fine hair. There are a lot of ways hair can be characterized – and a variety of ways to manage it – but let’s define each to help you determine what kind of hair you have.

Moisture Types

Dry hair.

Like the rest of your skin, your scalp contains sebaceous glands that secrete a type of oil called sebum. This oil is important for the scalp and hair because it provides essential moisturizing qualities and protects the scalp from environmental ele- ments. Similar to the way it affects the skin on

However, washing oily hair too frequently will strip the outer layer – or cuticle – which is what makes the hair look shiny. So people with truly oily often have dried out ends.

Normal or combination hair.

The majority of people have characteristics of both oily and dry hair. While their scalp may be oily, the ends may be frayed. People with healthy, normal hair have strands that have fluid-like movement, are shiny and do not split at the ends.

To determine your hair moisture type, wash your hair and wait a day. The next day, take a piece of tissue paper and blot (but don’t rub) the top of your head and the sides of your head behind your ears. If the tissue does not pick up any oil, you have oilier hair. If it is laden with oil, you have oily hair. If the tissue is mostly dry and your hair has a shine to it, you’re one of the lucky ones who have normal, healthy hair. Your hair’s ability to absorb moisture will also play a role in how your hair looks.

The outer “cuticle” of your hair’s structure may be tight or loose, which will deter- mine how much moisture goes in and out of your hair. A cuticle that is very com- pact is hard to process and style, while very porous hair is the opposite