Hair Analysis From Science-y Hair Blog

[Sharpened]

In addition, I will be getting a hair analysis by the blogger of Science-y Hair Blog who sells this service on etsy as "GoosefootPrints". The blog has very good hair care info, so I trust the source.

Did you get it done? How was it?

 

[nothidden]

Did you get it done? How was it?

No. Week after week I didn't have much shed hair to collect. And I was unwilling to cut my hair.

 

[LdyKamz]

@YvetteWithJoy did you also mention getting a hair analysis from etsy? Was that you or someone else? Was it this one?

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

@YvetteWithJoy did you also mention getting a hair analysis from etsy? Was that you or someone else? Was it this one?

That was me. Someone shared the GooseFootprints option with me because I'm not ready yet to drop $90 or so for Komaza. I was SO glad to see that the vendor is the Science-y Hair Blog author.

My issue is collecting the shed hairs: Mine never have roots/bulbs attached. I don't know which side is up (root) or down (tip) on my shed hairs. I'm wondering what would happen if I just sent in a ball of clean, shed hair.

ETA: I'm DEFINITELY trying GooseFootprints as soon as I get my shed hair collection. I'll report back.

 

[gn1g]

did anyone try this vendor?

 

[MileHighDiva]

did anyone try this vendor?

I tried Wendy a couple of years ago. I was pleased with the analysis.

 

[SAPNK]

I tried Wendy a couple of years ago. I was pleased with the analysis.

What did it tell you? If you don't mind sharing.

 

[MileHighDiva]

What did it tell you? If you don't mind sharing.

Hair Analysis Results For:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Curly hair (3B&C, 4A)
March 23, 2014
​

Hair strand thickness: Medium
16% of your hairs from this sample are fine, 42% are medium and 42% are coarse. The range
for your hairsʼ width is between 54 and 140 microns (140 was a single hair, most of your coarse
hairs are around 100 microns or less). The average is 76 microns. The typical adult hair is
around 80 microns.

Your hair feels soft and flexible overall, which are qualities usually attributed to fine hair - but
medium and slightly coarse hair can be soft, lightweight and flexible too.

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
1 micron = 0.001 millimeters

Hair elasticity dry: Normal
Hairs stretch an average of 30%.

Hair elasticity wet: Low-normal
Your hairs stretch an average of 30% when wet. Ideally, wet hair stretches more than dry hair.
So although your hair has good elasticity, it may improve as you maintain your hairʼs porosity.

Key for elasticity:
"Normal" dry elasticity is the ability to stretch 20-30% of original length
"Normal" wet elasticity is the ability to stretch 50% of original length (40% is normal for hair with kinking).

Porosity: Low at roots, normal mid-shaft, normal porosity and porous at the ends
The roots of your hairs are nearly all low porosity. The middle of your hair is mostly normal
porosity although from the middle, down to the ends your hair has kinking-associated porosity.
The ends of your hair are a mixture of normal porosity and porous hairs The ends of your hair
swell more in water than the roots. There are some splits on the ends, but not many. I did not
see mid-shaft splits

Porosity is determined visually.
Low porosity: Hair with cuticles intact when viewed face-on and with cuticles overlapping snugly when
viewed on the edge of the hair.
Normal porosity: Takes into account normal wear and tear. Viewed face-on there are chipped cuticles with
rare small gaps, rare cracks. Viewed from the edge, cuticles look like shingles on a roof with few flaring or
jagged ("raised") looking cuticle scales.
Porous: Many chipped, broken or missing cuticle scales. Cracks may be present and frequent. Viewed on
the edge, cuticles can be seen flaring out at the ends or standing away from the hair.

Kinking: Kinking is present
Your hair has macro kinking, both gradual and abrupt. This is widely spaced - in most hairs 1 to 2 centimeters apart or greater, occasionally closer together.

I see several types of kinking in peopleʼs hair. There can be twisting which is small (partial
twists) or slight narrowing or widening of the hair. This kinking may be felt with the fingers, but is
best viewed with a microscope (micro kinking). Larger magnitude kinking which I call “macro”
because it can be seen with the unaided eye consists of half or nearly full twists, areas that
seem to widen or narrow substantially, with or without twisting at the same time. Additionally, in
some peopleʼs hair kinking is very abrupt – a sudden narrowing or twist. In other peopleʼs hair
the kinking is gradual – a gradual widening, a gradual twist.
When hair bends or twists or narrows, those areas accumulate more stress and friction.
Additionally, the uneven surface of a kinking area does not always allow cuticles to lie flat. When
a cuticle does not lie flat, it is more likely to be broken off – that is how kinking increases
porosity. Macro kinking, especially abrupt kinking tends to make hair more vulnerable to
breakage because the forces on the hair are concentrated on a smaller or flatter or twisting
area.

Notes: I tested the normal porosity mid-shafts of your hair in a vinegar solution (15 ml vinegar
in 230 ml water or 1 tablespoon per cup). The pH of this is ~3.5. There were bubbles evolving
from the hair as acid moves into the hair, but it is not swelling severely. Your hair is somewhat
sensitive to this concentration of acid. It might be best for your hair to use vinegar infrequently. It is having a cuticle-lifting rather than cuticle-closing effect on your hair overall.

Your hair tends to be dehydrated at the ends, so the ends need extra care for their porosity.
Because you use henna, and because your hair is curly, and because you live in a dry climate
your hair will probably benefit from using extra lubrication (slip) because henna as well as the
porosity at the ends increases friction and tangling. Increased friction leads to increased
porosity because friction breaks cuticles and ultimately they are rubbed away.

Your hair may benefit from protein occasionally to help with porosity which doesnʼt close
cuticles, but it does temporarily patch them up and help hold moisture in your hair. Protein may give your hair a boost of strength so it feels less delicate.

If a protein treatment or protein-containing product seems too strong, it is either the wrong
protein for your hair, or it is too concentrated and needs to be diluted. Many people need to
follow up a protein treatment with a deep conditioning treatment, or add protein to deep
conditioning treatments to do both at once, or use an oil pre-shampoo treatment before protein treatments.

There are 2 results to look for to know if youʼve used too much protein. Hair can get too soft or it can become stiff and rough and tangly feeling. If a generous application of conditioner does not reverse a slightly rough after-feel of a protein treatment, then itʼs the wrong protein, or there was too much protein in the product, or your hair does not need protein right now.
Honey can also be a good addition to a protein treatment or a deep conditioning treatment. Start with a small amount. You can use up to half honey, half conditioner. Be sure to warm honey,before using it – but donʼt let it boil.

How to find out your waterʼs hardness: The easiest way is to contact your local water treatment or municipal water facility online or on the phone. They are required to release information about hardness, chlorine and so on to the public. Otherwise, you can buy test strips made for swimming pools or aquariums which will allow you to measure hardness, alkalinity and pH. You simply dunk them in a glass of room-temperature water, remove and then follow the instructions on the package for reading the results.

You noted that you thought your hair is fine. Based on the average width of your hairs, it is
medium - medium hair is delicate too! When you find the right protein and right amount of
protein for your hair, it should start feeling more like a strong fiber when wet (hair that needs
protein tends to feel like an old t-shirt when wet).

The hairs with fewer henna treatments showed a difference in color but not in porosity. The
more-recent hairs have a darker hue with a more reddish cast than the less-recent sample.
Youʼll see that in the photos - the hair near the roots does not have the red hue.

Low porosity area near the roots of
your hair. Cuticles form nearly entire
lines across the surface of the hair.

Low porosity area near the roots
of your hair viewed on the “edge.”
Cuticles lie tightly against the hair,
overlapping slightly.

Normal porosity area in your hair. Cuticle edges are
chipped and do not form lines across the hair. I
increased the color saturation to enhance the clarity of
this picture.

Normal porosity in your hair viewed on the “edge.”
Cuticles still lie close to hair, but the overlapping is less
smooth and tight to the hair shaft.

This is a porous area at
the ends of your hair
viewed on the “edge.”
The cuticles stand away
from the hair, easily
broken and allowing
moisture in and out more
readily.

Bubbles appear around your hair in vinegar as acid moves
into the hair and solutes in the hair move out.

This is a kinking area in your hair - it is
an abrupt, macro kink that has a break
near it. Good lubrication, hydration and
gentle handling may reduce this sort of
breakage.

This picture shows (at lower magnification than the
others) an abrupt kink in the hair at far left (blue
arrow), and a gradual kink in the hair at far right.

At right, color (henna-red?) and width variation in
your hairs.

Disclaimer: This analysis is based on physical measurements and visual examination. There is no guarantee that the suggested ingredients will work for your hair. Recommendations are based on ingredient manufacturerʼs specifications and testing, articles published in peer reviewed journals, and hair science texts.

GoosefootPrints:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/GoosefootPrints


@SAPNK , I'm trying to figure out how to extract the photos that she included in the analysis.

I hope that this helps everyone, regarding what to expect, if you get an analysis from Wendy.

I asked her for clarification about her measurements of my strands. She replied back that I feel that the majority of my hair is fine, because it's silky/soft.

There's not a phone consultation option like with Komaza. All communication is via e-mail. However, Wendy is less expensive. Also, she's very responsive.

ETA: Extracting the photos from this document is above my pay grade.

ETA2: She also e-mailed a second six page document with Hair Advice and Recipes etc.

 

[Autumn~Tint~Of~Gold]

@MileHighDiva how much was the analysis?

 

[MileHighDiva]

@MileHighDiva how much was the analysis?

I paid $25.00 via Paypal, plus an extra few dollars to mail her my clean shed hair samples. At that time, tracking wasn't included with all USPS mail. I paid a lil extra, so that'd I would know when my hair reached her P.O. Box.

ETA: This was three or so years ago, so her price may have went up.

 

[SAPNK]

@MileHighDiva , thak you for the reply. Was it helpful to you?