Hair Analysis - More surprises and learning to do

[Sw33th34rt4my]

I just received my hair analysis from GoosefootPrints. I was shocked and overwhelmed by all the information provided to me. I hope I can learn how to take care of my hair now.

I found out that I have coarse hair! Shocking to me. I was always told my hair was fine.
I have normal elasticity, so that's a good thing.
My hair is low porosity at the roots, normal at mid-shaft and porous at the ends. So much so that some hairs have lost all cuticle scales! YIKES!

Priorities for my hair: maintaining hydration between washes and preventing dehydration, maintaining elasticity, and giving ends "porous hair care".

So, now I get to do some serious research on how to take care of my coarse, porous hair. I was provided with wonderful and very detailed information about ingredients and treatments/routines that my hair will benefit from. Hopefully I will have the time tonight after my little guy goes to bed to really dive into it. I'm still not sure if I would benefit from cutting off a few inches or if I should just keep trying to baby it and doing my micro-trims.

[lapushka]

Wow that is a surprise (C instead of F).

I'd stick to the micro-trims. You could go for a few months in which you snip all your growth off, instead of half of it.

[Arctic]

I think you are the 3rd person in short while who has thought they are F but have been analysed to be C, which leads me to think it might be pretty common. Combined with how disproportially huge percentage we have F members I suspect quite a few miscategorise their hair.

Anyway, very interesting to read about your analysis, I'd love to hear more! It would be great to sometimes be organised enough to send my own hair there too.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I have been wanting to do this myself but I feel odd collecting hair. I also have no clue how to save it the right way so that when its ready to be shampooed, I dont accidentally send the wrong sides up. I can never tell the difference between a root and an end.

[Arctic]

Can't you feel the difference when you glide a hair between your fingers? When I go "against the grain" (tip to root) on most of my hairs I can feel a bit of resistance and there might be a squeeky sound too. When I go along the grain (root to tip) there is no resistance or sound. Granted I also have hairs that have no resistance against the grain, those might be lower porosity.

[Sw33th34rt4my]

Wow that is a surprise (C instead of F).

I'd stick to the micro-trims. You could go for a few months in which you snip all your growth off, instead of half of it.
Thank for the advise! I think I'll try that. My hair grows fairly fast so that shouldn't be an issue. Hopefully just a few months will have it feeling better. :)

I have been wanting to do this myself but I feel odd collecting hair. I also have no clue how to save it the right way so that when its ready to be shampooed, I dont accidentally send the wrong sides up. I can never tell the difference between a root and an end.
I felt odd too but I needed to know more about my hair. It was worth every penny! I kept the loose hair in a folded sheet of paper with the root end labeled. She gives detail directions and is happy to help by email. I also only combed while I was collecting that way I could catch the loose hairs before they fell and know for sure which was the root end. I was surprised at how many the roots were still attached which made it very easy. It only took me a few days.

[summergame]

When reading your post I remembered my own analysis and it was just the same as yours :). I also have taught that my hair was fine typed but I came out coarse too! The trick is to use a lot of moisture in your hair. It will easily snap if you use too much protein in your products. You live in the USA so there you can find a lot of moisturizing products without proteins in it! Shea Moisture would maybe a good choice for you (the low porosity line).
HTH! :flower:

[Sw33th34rt4my]

When reading your post I remembered my own analysis and it was just the same as yours :). I also have taught that my hair was fine typed but I came out coarse too! The trick is to use a lot of moisture in your hair. It will easily snap if you use too much protein in your products. You live in the USA so there you can find a lot of moisturizing products without proteins in it! Shea Moisture would maybe a good choice for you (the low porosity line).
HTH! :flower:

I wish I could use those products. I'm allergic to shea butter and VERY sensitive to fragrances. The only thing I have found recently that I can use is V05 conditioners. I've been adding oil and honey to them to make them more moisturizing.

[summergame]

I wish I could use those products. I'm allergic to shea butter and VERY sensitive to fragrances. The only thing I have found recently that I can use is V05 conditioners. I've been adding oil and honey to them to make them more moisturizing.

I'm sorry to hear that! Oils are a very good choice indeed especially advocado oil! :)

[Moonfall]

I had that analysis done a year ago and I got the same results! She told me not to use shea butter though...

[littlestarface]

I dunno this seems fake to me, everyone always has the same result, even vamprii got almost identical results even her ends she said had no cuticle wth? and vamprii I dont even think used heat or dye just combed it and everyone always has C hair wth?. I dont believe this test unless im right there with someone and I see it for myself.

[Decoy24601]

I dunno this seems fake to me, everyone always has the same result, even vamprii got almost identical results even her ends she said had no cuticle wth? and vamprii I dont even think used heat or dye just combed it and everyone always has C hair wth?. I dont believe this test unless im right there with someone and I see it for myself.

To be fair, with hair at around TBL or longer there's a very good chance that everyone's ends are pretty much stripped of their cuticle for the last few inches or so. Even without heat or dye, hair still gets damaged through mechanical damage and hydral fatigue.

Also, I think a lot of what people think hair should look or behave like based on coarseness on here is false to begin with. I think a lot of people typed as F likely have M or C hair and vice versa. It's not exactly as if we can all measure it like our ponytail circumference, so we type coarseness based on what we think coarse or fine hair should look and act like, which can vary a lot. Some coarse hair is the stereotypical wirey mane that many people see it as, and some coarse hair (on the finer side of the spectrum usually) is very sleek and shiny. It just depends, everyone's hair is different.

ETA: I haven't seen any studies on it or anything, but it's also technically possible that coarse/M hair is more common than people think.

[littlestarface]

To be fair, with hair at around TBL or longer there's a very good chance that everyone's ends are pretty much stripped of their cuticle for the last few inches or so. Even without heat or dye, hair still gets damaged through mechanical damage and hydral fatigue.

Also, I think a lot of what people think hair should look or behave like based on coarseness on here is false to begin with. I think a lot of people typed as F likely have M or C hair and vice versa. It's not exactly as if we can all measure it like our ponytail circumference, so we type coarseness based on what we think coarse or fine hair should look and act like, which can vary a lot. Some coarse hair is the stereotypical wirey mane that many people see it as, and some coarse hair (on the finer side of the spectrum usually) is very sleek and shiny. It just depends, everyone's hair is different.

ETA: I haven't seen any studies on it or anything, but it's also technically possible that coarse/M hair is more common than people think.

Well according to her tests everyones hair is the same,as everyone gets almost identical results.

I'd want mirachan to do my tests lol

[nekosan]

It's not exactly as if we can all measure it like our ponytail circumference ...

Actually, yes, you can measure your individual strand thickness:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-your-hair-fine-medium-or-coarse-how.html
Just most people don't want to bother, since it is slightly more time consuming.

[Decoy24601]

Actually, yes, you can measure your individual strand thickness:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/is-your-hair-fine-medium-or-coarse-how.html
Just most people don't want to bother, since it is slightly more time consuming.

I'm aware of that method actually, but in terms of accuracy it's really not as accurate as measuring individual hair strands (assuming user error/inaccuracy, not the method itself), which is why I didn't mention it and I don't consider it to be in the same category as measuring ponytail circumference.

[diddiedaisy]

I keep threatening to do a hair analysis. I'll definately do one this year.

As for the fine/ course argument. I just think a lot of people misinterpret their hair type. I'm a finey, and there is no doubt about that. I was born blonde, and as a rule blondes do have fine hair, I can't feel it in my fingers and often can't even see it. I did find a shed hair a while ago which I only noticed because it felt like cotton thread. It was a really strong hair and took a lot of pulling to snap it. I wish all my hair was like that, it made me realise how fragile fine hair can be.

[MidnightMoon]

I don't think coarse hair is the most common either, specially in Europe. In Asia or South America, maybe, but here, definitely not. Medium could be. I mostly see fineys around me.

[Sw33th34rt4my]

To be fair, with hair at around TBL or longer there's a very good chance that everyone's ends are pretty much stripped of their cuticle for the last few inches or so. Even without heat or dye, hair still gets damaged through mechanical damage and hydral fatigue.

Also, I think a lot of what people think hair should look or behave like based on coarseness on here is false to begin with. I think a lot of people typed as F likely have M or C hair and vice versa. It's not exactly as if we can all measure it like our ponytail circumference, so we type coarseness based on what we think coarse or fine hair should look and act like, which can vary a lot. Some coarse hair is the stereotypical wirey mane that many people see it as, and some coarse hair (on the finer side of the spectrum usually) is very sleek and shiny. It just depends, everyone's hair is different.

ETA: I haven't seen any studies on it or anything, but it's also technically possible that coarse/M hair is more common than people think.

I agree. I think my hair was finer when I was younger and the more gray I get the coarser my hair gets. People just use to tell me how fine my hair was when I would get it cut years ago. It was never as fine as my sisters hair though. There are also 3 categories of coarse hair.
I also have virgin hair that I never use heat on. My ends are so tangly. It seems like nothing I do helps it.
There are also many other factors that she looks at and tells you about based on your hair or how to care for it. So, I doubt everyone's analysis is the same.
Like I always say, to each their own. I'm happy with my results and hope to be able to get my hair healthier and longer now.

[vpatt]

I have been going by the fact that I cannot feel single hairs if I roll them between my thumb and forefinger. I think I read that here (LHC ). Every so often there will be one I can feel. So I count mine as fine.

**but I think it's great if you are having fun with your hair analysis. I hope you will update on your results of changing some of your hair care practices.

[meteor]

I dunno this seems fake to me, everyone always has the same result [...]


Well according to her tests everyones hair is the same,as everyone gets almost identical results.

Not everyone gets the same results, though it's true that many people do get low porosity for roots, medium for length, high porosity for ends, which is very reasonable for long hair. If you are interested in different results people get, you could check out this thread where some folks shared the results they got: https://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/171228-goosefootprints-analysis.html
There is quite a bit of research that shows that cuticles do get damaged and porosity increases with length alone, since that hair has been weathered more. I think the issue here is calibration, in terms of what exactly would qualify as "high" or "low" porosity, but porosity does go up as function of more handling depending on how long the hair has been around.



To be fair, with hair at around TBL or longer there's a very good chance that everyone's ends are pretty much stripped of their cuticle for the last few inches or so. Even without heat or dye, hair still gets damaged through mechanical damage and hydral fatigue.

Also, I think a lot of what people think hair should look or behave like based on coarseness on here is false to begin with. I think a lot of people typed as F likely have M or C hair and vice versa. It's not exactly as if we can all measure it like our ponytail circumference, so we type coarseness based on what we think coarse or fine hair should look and act like, which can vary a lot. Some coarse hair is the stereotypical wirey mane that many people see it as, and some coarse hair (on the finer side of the spectrum usually) is very sleek and shiny. It just depends, everyone's hair is different. [...]

I agree. There are a few methods out there to help approximate strand thickness, for example, discussed in this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=136858
Interestingly, sleek and shiny hair is just not that unusual for coarse and very coarse hair, especially when it's straight, but I think it can help conceal the fact that the hair is "coarse" (i.e. large diameter), since it can feel so smooth.


I agree. I think my hair was finer when I was younger and the more gray I get the coarser my hair gets. People just use to tell me how fine my hair was when I would get it cut years ago. It was never as fine as my sisters hair though. [...]

It's actually really normal to experience much finer hair as a child vs. as an adult.

I can't link the whole book (Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair by Clarence R. Robbins) here, but I quoted the part where it talked about age vs. strand thickness here:

Oh, and while we are on the subject of fine vs. coarse hair, Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair (awesome book on hair, btw!) has a great table on it:

Human scalp hair and age:


Hair type
Approximate age (years)
Approximate maximum length (cm)
Approximate maximum diameter (microns)


Infant hair (lanugo)
< 1
15
20


Children's hair (primary terminal)
1 to 12
60
60


Adult hair (secondary terminal)
> 13
100
100


Vellus hair
> 30
0.1
4



Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=Xq7hBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=microns+robbins+cr+chemical+and+physical+behavi or+of+human+hair&source=bl&ots=XNYYhIJ7OX&sig=kHwj0E7rY9dUewvy9OkIn_k7xjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLreiO_M_LAhVJdz4KHQxLAdQQ6AEIQTAG#v=on epage&q&f=false

There is also a great compilation of 3 separate studies on hair fiber diameter and age in that book.
Summarizing it (these are approximations, because precise numbers weren't clear from the graph), the hair shaft diameters would be around:
Age 2 = ~ 55 - 63 microns
Age 7 = ~ 63 - 73 microns
Age 12 = ~ 68 - 78 microns
Age 17.5 = ~ 73 - 83 microns
Age 25 = ~ 68 - 80 microns
Age 40 = ~ 67 - 81 microns
Age 70 = ~ 77 microns

Link to pages (https://books.google.ca/books?id=Xq7hBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=microns+robbins+cr+chemical+and+physical+behavi or+of+human+hair&source=bl&ots=XNYYhIJ7OX&sig=kHwj0E7rY9dUewvy9OkIn_k7xjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLreiO_M_LAhVJdz4KHQxLAdQQ6AEIQTAG#v=on epage&q&f=false) in Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair by Clarence R. Robbins

[Sw33th34rt4my]

Thanks for the information Meteor!

[emptyque]

I'm curious if there is a different definition of coarse hair that I don't know. I always thought fine hair referred to the thickness of the individual strands, not the texture.

[Sw33th34rt4my]

I'm curious if there is a different definition of coarse hair that I don't know. I always thought fine hair referred to the thickness of the individual strands, not the texture.

It is done by the measurement of the width of individual hair strands. Here is the information I have.

Key for strand thickness:
Very fine hair: Less than or equal to 40 microns
Fine hair: 40-60 microns
Medium hair: 60-80 microns
Coarse hair: Greater than 80 microns (80-95: slightly coarse, 95-110: moderately coarse, 110+: very
coarse)
1 micron = 0.001 millimeters