SAVE your shedding!

[katfemme89]

I don't know about anyone else, but I have always been very curious as to how much hair I lose per day (I've always been a big shedder my entire life). So I decided to start saving the shed in my brush, and even the fallout in the hair catcher in the shower (if you're long haired and don't have one of these things yet, GO GET IT they're $3.00 at walmart and they'll save your drainpipes from being clogged!) and put it in a bag. After one day, I sorted all the strands (QUITE a tedious process, but worth it!) and it was interesting to see a whole lock of hair made out of the fallen hairs. Then, I saved the hair for a week and made another lock. Now I'm going for a month of fallout... Have any of you tried this before? What were your results? Here are my results (and a reminder about that hair catcher for your drain ;-) )

(And yes, I have too much free time, lol)

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/418852_3755636605672_84555305_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/556592_3755610645023_1485004476_n.jpg

[MintChocChip]

I'd be quite tempted to do this but I'm a bit scared about what the result might be! :o

It's a good idea though! :)

[Jorja]

I have one of those in my shower. After having to dig around in the plug hole and pulling out a huge slimy clump of smelly hair, I thought it might be a good idea.

I love that you're saving it. You could make an album lol. Have you counted them?

[hellucy]

I love the idea of collecting a 'ponytail' of shed hair. I do collect up my shed hairs in the shower just to keep a rough count of them but then throw them away....I think SO might think I had finally lost the plot if I made a ponytail with them

[jasper]

I saved sheds from my brush for about 6 months and tried straightening them and taping them to post-it notes. I have fine hair so even though I collected a lot, it didn't add up to a sizable lock very quickly. About a weeks worth of mine looked like your one day collection. After a month I had about what you show for one week.

I probably only managed to straighten out and keep about half the strands, but still, seeing it add up over time made me wonder why I am not bald. it seems strange that my head keeps up with the amount of hair that comes out.

It got difficult to keep the collection because it needed to hang vertically out of any air current to stay unsnarled, and a collection of shed hair is a strange thing to have hanging around. I made a braid of what I could salvage, and have it sitting on a shelf.

[katfemme89]

@ Jorja: Yes when I had waist length hair back when I was 17, my parents got REALLY tired of unclogging the drain... One time they made me do it just to see what I pain it was and I almost ralphed up my dinner, lol. Thank goodness I found this thing!

I tried to count the days worth of shedding but I kinda kept losing track and it was straining my eyes so I gave up. I think it's somewhere around 70. Making an album out of them is a great idea!

@ hellucy: yeah when my husband saw me taking a big wad of hair out of my brush and stuffing it into a ziplock bag, he had kind of an "I'm scared of this woman" look on his face. But after I explained it he pretended to think it was interesting LOL

@ jasper: yeah it's crazy to see how much hair we lose every day. Our bodies are such unique and interesting things. And yes, a collection of shed hair is a very strange collector's item LOL I hope no voodoo practicioners find this, I'll be in a world of hurt! lol

[Rufflebutt]

D: Thinking about that many hairs leaving my head a day would make my skin crawl. This hobby isn't for me..

[akilina]

This would be very depressing to me :'(

[Lady Neeva]

I've failed at that. My mother cannot stand shed hairs, therefore they end up in the waste can.
I'm picky about the particular length of the sheds. They have to be even.

[petali]

Well, I already am combing my hair over a black desk and counting them, it wouldn't be hard to put them in a ziplock bag instead of the garbage...

[lapushka]

It's bad enough that shed hairs make me want to gag, but this takes the cake!

[afu]

great idea :) thanks for posting the pictures. I'm kinda interested in trying this but with curls I can't imagine id get a tiny little lock like you did! At one point i did collect shed hairs with the aim of making some hair rats for bulking up updos but i ended up throwing it out when i moved house

[katfemme89]

Well, I already am combing my hair over a black desk and counting them, it wouldn't be hard to put them in a ziplock bag instead of the garbage...

Do it!!!! It's so cool to save them.

Also, I noticed that today I barely shedded any hair at all, probably about 25 at most... I think I am coming out of my shedding phase. Saving the hair will help me understand my hair cycles and how long they take to come and go.

[katfemme89]

It's bad enough that shed hairs make me want to gag, but this takes the cake!

LOL! The only time it grosses me out is when the shed hairs get tangled between my fingers when I'm washing.....EEEUUUUUGHHH! :thud:

[petali]

Do it!!!! It's so cool to save them.

Also, I noticed that today I barely shedded any hair at all, probably about 25 at most... I think I am coming out of my shedding phase. Saving the hair will help me understand my hair cycles and how long they take to come and go.


My hair is so fine, I can barely see them in my bag! But I lose around 50-70 everyday. So I'll have some hair in my bag in no time! Yay!

[sun-kissed]

I should do this, since it seems that I'm shedding way too much right now, anyways. One day of your shedding is a week's worth of mine, though! How do you still have hair on your head? :p

It's just such a pain to untangle them all, tape the roots, and keep them straight..

[Kat]

I tend to detangle my hair at the computer... so I pull out all the shed hairs and ball them up. And forget to toss them. So next time I add to the ball... every so often I have to throw away big gross clumps of hair just sitting on my computer desk. It's a wonder my partner puts up with me, lol. (And then I have to go to the floor around my hair and start picking up all the shed hair that fell and I get another big hairballs' worth...)

[katfemme89]

I should do this, since it seems that I'm shedding way too much right now, anyways. One day of your shedding is a week's worth of mine, though! How do you still have hair on your head? :p

It's just such a pain to untangle them all, tape the roots, and keep them straight..

I dunno other people have asked me that too... but my ponytail is 4 1/2 inches in circumference and it grows about an inch a month.... my hair is just "large and in charge" I guess! lol

But yeah it is definitely tedious to untangle them all, but at the same time kind of fun, and a good way to pass the time on a rainy day, or just a generally boring day.

@ Kat: go ahead and save it! And then take pics for us to see!

[LadyLongLocks]

I have been saving hairs for years. Not all of them but only the long ones. The problem is that if they are not all going the same direction, they tangle very easily. In other words the root end at the top and then some the other way. I usually end up trimming the tails I collect. I have a bag of mixed up hair from a massive shed in 2005. It all started when I simply wanted to see my shedding rate. I throw half away though.

[Kat]

I can just see all the people who are always pushing Locks of Love donation at us:

"Actually, I donate on a regular basis."
"Really? Your hair is still so long."
"Well, I don't CUT it, you see..."

(If I wanted the pain in the arse of straightening them all out and bundling them, I'd consider trying it just once! Hair is hair, right? :) )

[katfemme89]

I have been saving hairs for years. Not all of them but only the long ones. The problem is that if they are not all going the same direction, they tangle very easily. In other words the root end at the top and then some the other way. I usually end up trimming the tails I collect. I have a bag of mixed up hair from a massive shed in 2005. It all started when I simply wanted to see my shedding rate. I throw half away though.

Omg I can't believe you actually replied to my thread... You're like my #1 Hair Celebrity on youtube!!! *hyperventilate*

But yeah I would imagine trying to organize your super long hairs would be quite a bit more difficult.

@ Kat: Yeah! Hahahaha! You know what would be funny is to just get a BIG wad of hair (maybe like a year's worth of shed) and send it to LOL all balled up and tangled with a note that says "I've been harassed enough about donating to you people. So here's my donation. DEAL WITH IT."

[petali]

I did it!
I collected 1 day's worth of hair. I taped them together. I know I didn't catch them all, I probably lost 10 more hairs or so. It is a lot of hairs, but very fine. If I collect enough, I can sell them as extensions lol! My hair is wavier than I thought. And they all look very healthy, which I'm glad about.
I'll post the picture soon :)

[petali]

ok: So the first two are my hair when dry. The third one is when it's wet.
http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r600/petalieirene/002.jpg
http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r600/petalieirene/001.jpg
http://i1173.photobucket.com/albums/r600/petalieirene/0013.jpg

[katfemme89]

Cool! Thanks for posting pictures! i combined all of my hairs last night and tied them with a clear silicone hair tie... and strange thing is, it looks like there's less hair there now... I dunno if I somehow lost some when I was combining them and straightening them out but yeah.

I think i'm going to continue saving my shed hairs until I get a lock as thick as my ponytail. I wonder how long that will take? Maybe a year? Anyone wanna go on this mission with me?

[petali]

Cool! Thanks for posting pictures! i combined all of my hairs last night and tied them with a clear silicone hair tie... and strange thing is, it looks like there's less hair there now... I dunno if I somehow lost some when I was combining them and straightening them out but yeah.

I think i'm going to continue saving my shed hairs until I get a lock as thick as my ponytail. I wonder how long that will take? Maybe a year? Anyone wanna go on this mission with me?


I think that would take even longer. Since you have thick hair, you probably have around 100,000 hairs. If you lose 100 hairs a day, it would take over a year to have a ponytail of hair! The only gross part about the hair was the roots, they looked so yucky!

[katfemme89]

I think that would take even longer. Since you have thick hair, you probably have around 100,000 hairs. If you lose 100 hairs a day, it would take over a year to have a ponytail of hair! The only gross part about the hair was the roots, they looked so yucky!

Yeah! The roots I found a bit disgusting as well. Looked like I had a bouquet of whiteheads in my hand, lmao!

[petali]

I'm probably not going to do this too long, maybe a week, since school is starting :(

[katfemme89]

I'm probably not going to do this too long, maybe a week, since school is starting :(

You could probably just pull the hair out of your brush and stick it in a ziplock bag quickly. Then when you get a break from school you can straighten them all out. Or just save them indefinitely! Send em to me I'll straighten them out and add them with my hairs hahaha!

[petali]

You could probably just pull the hair out of your brush and stick it in a ziplock bag quickly. Then when you get a break from school you can straighten them all out. Or just save them indefinitely! Send em to me I'll straighten them out and add them with my hairs hahaha!

Yes, I'll do that. When you collect a bunch of shed hairs, you can sell them as extensions or even a wig :D

[katfemme89]

Yes, I'll do that. When you collect a bunch of shed hairs, you can sell them as extensions or even a wig :D

Yeah! That would be cool! I think more long hairs should do this, 'cause theoretically when we get a ponytail big enough we can sell it & make big bucks without losing any length! Yay!

[petali]

Yes! Why throw away that beautiful hair?

[Asprettyasme]

#error

#An error occurred.

[Tisiloves]

I'm collecting mine for a hair rat. So I don't straighten it out, I loosely ball it. I'm planning to make the rat using the crochet hook method for dreads, I figure it should form a rat pretty well.

[Avital88]

this is an acute depression trigger for me! but i could maybe make my own extensions of it and just clip it back in my hair, lol

[salisem]

You can always create some interesting works of art!

http://www.oddee.com/item_98142.aspx

[MissPetite2010]

Sounds interesting, but I don't think I'd be able to handle knowing how many strands of hair I lose in a day or week. I shed alot, with my hair being so thick, I guess the thought if it, just scares me, and kinda chicken I guess. Lol It would be nice to know. Sometimes I feel like I see a month's worth in the shower. Just paranoid I guess. Haha

[katfemme89]

Whoa, your shedded hair is amazing. Is that weird to say that? Anyways i wonder could you donate that to those in need? Like you know how they cut off people pony tails to make wigs from, could that be done with people shedded hair or is that a completely crazy thought? Anywho I shed like crazy too. But instead mines look like huge bush balls and cotton balls but black. Its nice and soft like a pillow but ew, I would never think of saving them. Its just to messy and it wouldn't look as neat as yours even if I did stretch them out and try to be neat with them they would still just move slowly back into bush ball form ;/

I know what you mean, I have some very curly hairs in amongst my straight ones and they're very difficult to make behave. However, you could still use your hairs... just use them for a "rat" which is basically a big ball of your own hair that you can add to updos to make more volume (almost like the "bumpit" they used to advertise on tv to make that little poof at the back of your head when your hair is in a ponytail or whatever.

[Silverbrumby]

this is an acute depression trigger for me! but i could maybe make my own extensions of it and just clip it back in my hair, lol

Ditto on the acute depression trigger. ;)

[katfemme89]

You can always create some interesting works of art!

http://www.oddee.com/item_98142.aspx

whoah. WHOAH. That stuff is incredibly cool and incredibly creepy at the same time. Lol.

[salisem]

whoah. WHOAH. That stuff is incredibly cool and incredibly creepy at the same time. Lol.

That's exactly what I thought! The maple leaves were my favorite, but I have no idea what I'd do with them!

[MintChocChip]

Actually, on second thoughts I think I will do this after all. Be interesting to see just how much I shed, in terms of normal shedding and increased shedding.

[Ocelan]

I've been in the process of assorting my 4 months of shed hairs into a small ponytail. I collected my hairs from about beginning of april to end of july. I've sorted about half of them now and surprisingly my two months of shed is only like 3 times your daily shed. :O So my whole 4 months will look something like your one weeks' shed!

[coneyisland]

I can just see all the people who are always pushing Locks of Love donation at us:

"Actually, I donate on a regular basis."
"Really? Your hair is still so long."
"Well, I don't CUT it, you see..."


:rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin: :rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin:

[coneyisland]

:rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin: :rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin::rollin:

[Arakazi]

I will give it a go today. :D I will either post a photo tonight or I would have failed at it and I will post my lame excuse later. :p

[katfemme89]

I will give it a go today. :D I will either post a photo tonight or I would have failed at it and I will post my lame excuse later. :p

LOL! I'm looking forward to pics (or the lame excuse, lol)

[Asprettyasme]

#error

#An error occurred.

[Arakazi]

Ok I actually did it! I didn't wash my hair today so there are no shower sheds (lol). But I brushed my hair into the sink about four times over the day.
http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r529/Arakazi/LHCShedhairthread.jpg

I'm not bothered by this amount of shed but I was very surprised to the amount of broken hairs in my sink :( I counted at least 40+ all ranging between smaller then 1cm to about 10cm.
It's not news to me that my hair is quite damaged from bleach (and all the other bad things I was doing to my hair) but I was so surprised by how much was there. Waaaah!:wail:

[MintChocChip]

Ok I actually did it! I didn't wash my hair today so there are no shower sheds (lol). But I brushed my hair into the sink about four times over the day.
http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r529/Arakazi/LHCShedhairthread.jpg

I'm not bothered by this amount of shed but I was very surprised to the amount of broken hairs in my sink :( I counted at least 40+ all ranging between smaller then 1cm to about 10cm.
It's not news to me that my hair is quite damaged from bleach (and all the other bad things I was doing to my hair) but I was so surprised by how much was there. Waaaah!:wail:

Ooh, what a nice teeny tiny daily shed! :) Lucky thing. :p

[katfemme89]

Yeah in the past few days my sheds have been getting less and less, they look about like yours now, arakazi. I guess I'm over my huge shedding phase? lol

[Arakazi]

Maybe it was just a phase your hair was going through.
It was quite an interesting experiment actually. I will have to do it again. Also its winter here in NZ so it will probably be a larger shed in summer(?) :shrug:

[evb]

I have a bookmark a friend made by braiding together her hair then stitching it to a piece of velvet. She used to be a redhead and dyed her hair black so there are both red and black strands. You know I am the sort to discard things left and right hating clutter etc but I have held onto that bookmark for about 18 yrs now.

People used to do hairwork and although most of it freaks me out I have seen nice pieces.

[Arakazi]

:google: hairwork.
:D

[katfemme89]

:google: hairwork.
:D

:agape: That stuff is so cool! My mom used to be a museum curator and she told me about this kind of stuff, but I've never seen it before, I thought it was kind of a lost art. Cool!

[katfemme89]

Here's my updated lock of shed:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/546514_3768419565238_70047039_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/422277_3768339243230_234226054_n.jpg

[thatcrazychick]

:google: hairwork.
:D

There's some company that people like to send their horses' hair to, and makes bracelets out of it for you. Of course, horse hair is much thicker and longer than human hair (my bay's black tail was like CORD it was so thick!), but if you sent them a good bit they could still use it - just don't get it attached to velcro!

Also, if you save hair 12" or longer, why not donate it? Waste not, want not.

[katfemme89]

There's some company that people like to send their horses' hair to, and makes bracelets out of it for you. Of course, horse hair is much thicker and longer than human hair (my bay's black tail was like CORD it was so thick!), but if you sent them a good bit they could still use it - just don't get it attached to velcro!

Also, if you save hair 12" or longer, why not donate it? Waste not, want not.

I was actually going to try and sell it and give half the money to St. Jude children's hospital and spend the rest on hair stuff! lol

[Arakazi]

katfemme89 you little braid is so cute!! :D

[missannie]

That would totally drive me insane, and make me worry about how much hair I was losing!

[katfemme89]

katfemme89 you little braid is so cute!! :D

Hehehe thank you! Yeah I thought the hair looked much nicer braided... Since I have some waves in my hair, the loose hair looked like a big frizz ball lol but the braid makes it look much nicer.

I posted this pic on my facebook and several of my friends have commented on how weird this is/why am I doing this...

People just don't understand how dedicated us LHCers are... lol!

[curlyhair]

I started saving my shedding 3 Months ago but not to count my shedded hair but to test differnt products on like new routines also i'm intending to use it to test bleaching followed by henna trying to acheive Burgundy color and i hope it work as i really want to have this color

[katfemme89]

Burgundy is definitely a pretty color for hair... If your hair has been bleached then you might need to put a darker henna (such as dark plum or even mix some black in) on it to achieve it, but I could be wrong.

[DeTerminator]

Hi!

I'm a guy that started growing my hair out about three years ago...and now it's about 14 inches long and going strong! I don't plan on even getting a trim for a long, long time.

I started saving my hair a few days ago after reading this posting to see what I get. I wish that I had seen this a long time ago!

I don't really seem to shed much at all. I guess the average amount lost per day for most people is around 100 strands, at least, that's what I read somewhere. Maybe I shed 25% of that.

Thanks for the idea!

Kerry

[curlyhair]

Burgundy is definitely a pretty color for hair... If your hair has been bleached then you might need to put a darker henna (such as dark plum or even mix some black in) on it to achieve it, but I could be wrong.
No i didn't bleach my naturally black hair yet but because i want that burgundy color very much and my hair never been bleached or even dyed with synthetic dyes i'm afraid to do this henna over bleaching directly to my hair so i thought about trying this first on my shedding hair until i master it and know the perfect recipe then apply it safly to my full head

[katfemme89]

Ohhhh I see what you mean, you mean your hair is too dark to show up the burgundy henna so you're going to use bleach to lighten it a bit and then apply the henna? Sounds like a plan. Let me know how it turns out, I think it will look beautiful and the strand test is a great plan.

[Fairlight63]

I want to try to save up my shed hair to make a braid.
I have some questions:
I was wondering what is the best way to hold the ends together?
Do you just use - save the longest length?
What do you use to put the shed hair into until you get around to using them? or do you separate them at the time that you shed them?

[rtree721]

This is a great idea for many reasons, like seeing if changing your routine changes your shedding, tracking when your heavy shed times are, and testing products on your shedded bunches. But alas, I won't do it because I don't know if I shed a lot or not. I am blissfull in my ignorance.

[Rish]

there is some impressive sheds on here.

[katfemme89]

I want to try to save up my shed hair to make a braid.
I have some questions:
I was wondering what is the best way to hold the ends together?
Do you just use - save the longest length?
What do you use to put the shed hair into until you get around to using them? or do you separate them at the time that you shed them?

I find that the best way to hold the ends together is to use a clear elastic ponytail holder (the silicone kind) and I had to get my mom to help me hold the hair while I put the elastic on, lol.

I tend to use any hair that is longer than 4 or 5 inches.

I use a ziplock bag to put the shed hairs into. I sort them out every day into a small strand, tie a small knot (not super tight just enough to hold them together) and then coil the strand up and save it for the next day, where I will add the next bunch of hair to. And then when I get enough together, I add the clear elastic to the whole strand, and put it in a drawer for safe keeping.

[katfemme89]

there is some impressive sheds on here.

I LOVE your avatar!!!!

[jasper]

Did anyone post a link to Dianyla's album yet? A must see: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12

[katfemme89]

Did anyone post a link to Dianyla's album yet? A must see: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12

Thanks for posting that, it is really inspiring! I hope I can have such nice locks as that in a couple years!

[katfemme89]

Update: I have two braided strands now!
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/579920_3826260851234_2014980365_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/556591_3826262011263_1860380648_n.jpg

[HylianGirl]

That's actually an awesome idea! I gotta try it, although since I don't brush my hair it might be a little harder.



I started saving my shedding 3 Months ago but not to count my shedded hair but to test differnt products on like new routines also i'm intending to use it to test bleaching followed by henna trying to acheive Burgundy color and i hope it work as i really want to have this color

Anoether great idea ^-^

[Dorothy]

I am saving to make a hair rat. I saved last year and my rat turned out unusable, so I'm going to need to look for better instructions. I tried to felt the hair like wool, but the process was very difficult to control. I was trying to make a donut shaped rat, that did not work, and my hair is long enough now that it wouldn't even be useful. I'm going to try for 2 pillows next time. My hair is not thick at all, so it takes a long time to save enough. Last year I also had access to my ex's fabulous thick curly hair, but even though we're good friends now, I don't think she'd save it for me. I pull them off my comb, curl them gently around my finger, and stuff them into a cloth bag so whatever moisture they contain can evaporate.

[katfemme89]

I am saving to make a hair rat. I saved last year and my rat turned out unusable, so I'm going to need to look for better instructions. I tried to felt the hair like wool, but the process was very difficult to control. I was trying to make a donut shaped rat, that did not work, and my hair is long enough now that it wouldn't even be useful. I'm going to try for 2 pillows next time. My hair is not thick at all, so it takes a long time to save enough. Last year I also had access to my ex's fabulous thick curly hair, but even though we're good friends now, I don't think she'd save it for me. I pull them off my comb, curl them gently around my finger, and stuff them into a cloth bag so whatever moisture they contain can evaporate.

Did you try teasing the rat? I would think that would help? I have never tried to make a rat before though, so I'm not sure :shrug:

[spidermom]

No - the thought makes me a little sick, actually. Shed hairs are a waste product to me, like shed skin cells.

[jacqueline101]

I shed about 20 a day I'm doing this for a week. I'm wondering if my recent shed is too much monday and today I've shed 20 both days.

[DayDreamerDani]

D: Thinking about that many hairs leaving my head a day would make my skin crawl. This hobby isn't for me..

This exactly. I don't want to know how much hair I shed!!!

[Dorothy]

Well, KatFemme, I decided to do it your nutty way because I have today off, and I did my roots with Henna. I saved the ones from my combout afterwards, and learned interesting things, which I thought I would share.

Though my hair is 33 inches long by LHC standard measurement (forehead to tip over the part) the longest strand was 26".

There were 17 of them I stuck on the tape, and they all had roots attached, and thus were shed hairs. I only had 2 shorter pieces without roots. I would have expected more breakage than that.

They range from spiral curl to relatively straight, after being wetted and dried, with a lot of random kinks in between, no wonder my straight hair doesn't lie flat.

There were no split ends! Although there are still quite a few on my head. I did have an inch trim a month ago, so maybe that helped.

So I think you could learn about your hair's health and characteristics this way. I may try it again and see if it's the same on a nonhenna day.

[katfemme89]

No - the thought makes me a little sick, actually. Shed hairs are a waste product to me, like shed skin cells.

But but but you put so much work into those little hairs! It's a shame to just throw them away. That's just the way I see it. They tried so hard and served you well :( lol,


Well, KatFemme, I decided to do it your nutty way because I have today off, and I did my roots with Henna. I saved the ones from my combout afterwards, and learned interesting things, which I thought I would share.

Though my hair is 33 inches long by LHC standard measurement (forehead to tip over the part) the longest strand was 26".

There were 17 of them I stuck on the tape, and they all had roots attached, and thus were shed hairs. I only had 2 shorter pieces without roots. I would have expected more breakage than that.

They range from spiral curl to relatively straight, after being wetted and dried, with a lot of random kinks in between, no wonder my straight hair doesn't lie flat.

There were no split ends! Although there are still quite a few on my head. I did have an inch trim a month ago, so maybe that helped.

So I think you could learn about your hair's health and characteristics this way. I may try it again and see if it's the same on a nonhenna day.

That's cool! Great idea. Yeah measuring from the hairline to the bottom of the hair isn't really indicative of how long the longest hair is, it's just the best controlled method of measuring because (barring a receding hairline) the hairline is a continually stable place to put the measuring tape each time the hair is measured. The hairline under the hair isn't as easily accessible and you can't see it to make sure the tape goes in the same place every time. (I know you probably already knew that, I just thought I'd throw that info out there for any lurkers on the thread :D

I think a lock of shed hairs is the absolute best way to do any kind of strand test for a product or color... you don't have to cut anything and we all know that's great for us on LHC lol