Friday, June 18, 2021

What I learned from 5+ years of hair analysis

 I did hair physical analysis for 5 years, handling somewhere around 500 analyses. It mirrored my work with plants, soils and microscopy - I know that sounds strange, but there are similar physical and chemical things going on. I may have waded too deeply into the weeds for some folks, but I tried to provide a useful result. I want to share some useful things I learned with you. One at a time, blogging can be time-intensive, so I'm easing back in, in small "bites." Meaning: This post will have sequels. 

What I learned that you can use


1) Every person's hair is different. This isn't some trite little feel-good saying. It's reality. As a scientist, I could be accused of tending to see infinite variation vs. being one of those people who wants to force everything into a neat little box with a label on it. But I appreciate diversity in nature and find usefulness in seeing it.

One day I had two hair samples with very similar measurements and yet they were very different in ways that measurement of things like width, elasticity etc. simply don't account for. That day was the perfect example of how there are always aspects of a system we're not measuring that can be very important - but they're harder to grasp. They're harder to describe. They're the sum of multiple physical properties.

Human hair is a protein-based substance. Those proteins are made from a "recipe" that is stored in your DNA. Your unique DNA. Even identical twins don't have exactly the same DNA, thanks to edits made to our genetic code (DNA) as we go through life. 

When you consider your hair, think of it like your personality. Your personality it not the same as somebody else's. It may be similar, but it's not the same. You can pick up useful things from other people, but you always need to translate that into something that works for your hair. And your budget, your climate, your lifestyle, etc. 

Take home message: Don't judge your hair. Don't compare it to others (except to the extent that might be useful). If something works for somebody else, and not for you, you might not be doing something wrong. It may not be right for your hair. Don't try to force your hair into a "box" it doesn't belong in. Just because somebody says "this works for curly hair" or "this is perfect for X or Y hairstyle," doesn't mean it will work for everybody. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on products or time styling your hair - or if you enjoy trying new things and find hairstyling enjoyable - own it and proceed with that in mind. I always appreciated when people took the time to tell me these things about themselves.

I'm not suggesting we "love our unique hair" because I think that's a pretty big ask for many of us. I'm recommending we pay attention to and have empathy for not only our hair, but our budgets, and our lifestyle. If we're looking to videos, vloggers, Instagram, for advice - take those things into consideration too. Consider role models who match our situation and our goals rather than or in addition to those who already have our ideal hair. Because that "ideal hair" is part genetics, part climate, tap water, etc. and only part styling technique and products. 


17 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I'm a scientist as well and I like to say that coils are like snowflakes: no one snowflake is the same! I love what you said about empathy - I'm v guilty of trying to tame/subdue my hair into a neat little box but in reality, my hair changes just as I do. I'm 9 years natural and this is still something I have to remind myself of!

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  2. Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of hair knowledge. I have learned so much over the years from both the blog and the comments.

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of hair knowledge. I have learned so much over the years from both the blog and the comments.

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  4. Welcome back-- and thanks for your posts, as always. You do a lot of research-intensive writing that takes a ton of time and effort, and I appreciate it so much. Getting deep in the weeds is how you learn to grow.

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  5. I received a hair analysis from you in 2017 and I still refer back it often and re-read it. Every time, I’m amazed at the amount of information in the report and it seems like, even today, I learn something new. You suggested I add a flax or marshmallow type of humectant gel to my hair routine which literally changed my life! My hair has been quite happy ever since. That is just one example. Today I’m back on your blog reading about different hair oils to try and I’m just amazed at the quality of information you provide. I’m so thankful for the great resource that is your blog! ~S

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  6. I received a hair analysis from you in 2017 and I still refer back it often and re-read it. Every time, I’m amazed at the amount of information in the report and it seems like, even today, I learn something new. You suggested I add a flax or marshmallow type of humectant gel to my hair routine which literally changed my life! My hair has been quite happy ever since. That is just one example. Today I’m back on your blog reading about different hair oils to try and I’m just amazed at the quality of information you provide. I’m so thankful for the great resource that is your blog! ~S

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  7. Great post! very well elaborated. I tell the very same thing to my customers/ clients all the time. Just because it looks like someone has the same hair type as your, doesn't mean the same products will work as they are many many things to take into consideration!

    On a separate note:
    Upon analyzing our web site traffic data, we've notice that have been some traffic from your site to ours. We are currently now Saffiyah Botanicals, formerly Botanical Spirits. The products you are referring your visitors to are still are the same, however with some name changes and the links no longer work.

    Magic Curls Puree is now Magnificent Curls Puree.

    If there are any of our new hair products you'd like to try and add to your list of referral, please visit our site at www.saffiyahbotanicals.com or send us an email. Thank you for you comprehensive work. From one hair scientist to another :)

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  8. Glad you are back. I keep referring to your blog when my hair goes wonky. Your blog is a fantastic resource. Thank you.

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  9. Hi there,you have such a wealth of information here! When someone is trying to marry all the information to care for their hair, what is the first step one should take? Do you start with a porosity test or move to deep conditioning or prepooing? I personally am having issues where the water beads on my hair, it takes ages to get wet and will even start to dry when while im in the shower if my hair isn't in the water. I suspect it is low porosity. I guess I'm trying to say that I actually don't know where to start with all your awesome information!

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  10. unrelated question: for someone who lives in an area with very hard water (350ppm, 7.7ph), do you think it would be better to use silicones or worse? since in a post of yours about hard water you said that hard water could make the hair harder to moisturize, and i think silicones somewhat coat the hair, therefore could make the problem worse. will it make the struggle worse? thank you!

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    1. Hello. The reason silicones are in hair products is to provide lubrication - reducing friction and tangling and possibly frizz. Those are helpful effects for hair experiencing hard water residue, because it often feels less flexible than is ideal. I'd encourage you to think of those two residues as somewhat different. Hard water minerals accumulate both on and in hair. It's not entirely unlike they accumulate on your faucets and shower-head, and that's a pretty reasonable mental image (just imagine it a lot smaller and less crusty). Silicones are included as part of a product that spreads over the surface of hair. If you were thinking of silicones alone (like a simple shine serum), silicones can be washed off with shampoo. You have a simple "reset" mechanism that way, so if silicones were making it harder to hydrate the hair, at least it's fixable. This is a really hard question to answer! I can see a silicone product (serum, conditioner) being good for some people's hair in hard-water areas to keep it flexible, maybe coarse hair in particular. But I can also imagine it causing flyaways or "flatness" for others because (as you mentioned) - the problem of mineral-stiffness plus excess product weight and lubrication. Sometimes hard water makes it difficult for hair to curl/wave and I can see silicones going either way for promoting *or* discouraging curl patterns.

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  11. I’ve had a lot of hair trouble after moving and listening to someone that, as you said, already has my ideal hair. It’s not been good for my mind, lol. I experienced buildup on my scalp to the point of hair fall trying to follow someone else’s advice. My hair’s broken off so much too. My water is so different from before. The most important thing for me is to be extremely gentle with my hair. I’m pretty rough with everything so this was really hard to realize. I have fine straight hair and have been experiencing strange coils, possibly from the slightest friction at night. I’m not really sure. But it’s very true- we need to have empathy for our follicles even if we don’t love them. And you don’t need to stress about how you can’t afford expensive products or feel inferior because of it. Affordable products may not be the same but they can still work. I’m really glad I found your blog today! :) It’s helping me feel like part of a group when I’ve been pretty alone through this.

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  12. I’ve had a lot of hair trouble after moving and listening to someone that, as you said, already has my ideal hair. It’s not been good for my mind, lol. I experienced buildup on my scalp to the point of hair fall trying to follow someone else’s advice. My hair’s broken off so much too. My water is so different from before. The most important thing for me is to be extremely gentle with my hair. I’m pretty rough with everything so this was really hard to realize. I have fine straight hair and have been experiencing strange coils, possibly from the slightest friction at night. I’m not really sure. But it’s very true- we need to have empathy for our follicles even if we don’t love them. And you don’t need to stress about how you can’t afford expensive products or feel inferior because of it. Affordable products may not be the same but they can still work. I’m really glad I found your blog today! :) It’s helping me feel like part of a group when I’ve been pretty alone through this.

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  13. Thank you for sharing all your experience!
    This blog has a lot of great information!

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