Top 6 Signs Of Healthy Hair

With all the misleading information on the net now a days it can be difficult to differentiate the fact from the fiction. I've caught myself all the way confused when reading up on things which is why I wanted to make it clear for myself and you lovely TNT readers just what exactly you should be looking for when deeming your hair has healthy. Here are the clear cut 5 signs of healthy hair that you should be looking for on your head!!

Top 6 Signs Of Healthy Hair

1. Elasticity:  Elasticity is the ability of your hair to to be manipulated or stretched without breaking. If you are able to stretch your hair to about 50 percent of its length without causing any type of breakage then your hair is in good shape. Shrinkage is one of the key factors when testing the elasticity and overall health of your hair. When your strands are wet, take a few curls and stretch them out. Then observe what occurs after the curl has been stretched. If your hair returns to its normal shrunken state after you have released the strands that is a good sign of healthy hair. If your elasticity is out of whack (the curls don't spring back, or they break) you are going to have to focus on adding some moisture and protein treatments into your hair regimen to help balance out the keratin levels in your strands.

2. Strength: The strength of your hair makes it possible for you to manipulate the hair with out breakage. Minimal to no damage should occur during the manipulation/ styling of your hair. Pay more attention to your hair tools to see if you are seeing an increase in breakage during styling (check your combs and brushes for excess amounts of hair loss) When your hair becomes dry/brittle the strength of your hair is weakened and your hair will break off in larger amounts. Moisturizing and retaining moisture is a key factor in increasing/maintaining the strength of your strands.

3. Feels Soft: This sign can be a bit tricky to spot but your hair should "feel soft" in its healthiest state. Your healthy textured hair should feel soft to the touch. You can conduct a "feel" test on different strands of your hair to feel if it is rough or smooth all the way through. If your hair feels rough or dry then it is in a damaged state. While we have several different textures on our heads ( I know I certainly do) the strands should still feel smooth no matter what the texture is. Rough or brittle feelings need to be addressed with more moisture inducing products/ techniques in your natural hair regimen.

4. Retains moisture: I've mentioned this quite a few times in this article already but a moisture/protein balanced regimen will do/work wonders on your hair in order to assist in retaining moisture. Our hair has different porosity levels but healthy hair in general is able to absorb and retain moisture to prevent dry brittle hair that ultimately leads to breakage. Healthy hair is able to retain moisture. Special attention should be paid to moisturizing your hair and there are several different methods that should be able to work/ assist no matter what your porosity levels are. (They may require a few tweaks though to suit your hair). If your hair is unable to properly retain moisture or quickly loses moisture you may have damaged cuticles on the hair shaft that are incapable of properly covering the hair.

5. Little to no breakage/shedding: Healthy hair barely breaks/sheds. Yes some shedding is necessary/healthy but if you notice an increase in shedding it may very well be that you are experiencing an increase in breakage. Breakage is usually an issue related to moisture and lack of elasticity. You should not see huge patches of hair missing (that may be something more than just an unhealthy regimen... it may be a condition developing that you should speak to a doctor about). You should make a change to your hair regimen if you notice that there is an increase in breakage/ shedding.

6. Naturally Shiny: Again... this sign of healthy hair can be easily created with a great hair regimen but you are really just fooling yourself. Adding loads of oil to your hair to give it the appearance of "shine" or luster does not mean the hair is healthy. Healthy hair has a natural shine/luster to it (though it may be less noticeable in certain textures of hair that do not reflect the light as easily). To check the shine/luster of your hair naturally you must do it on a wash day when all product has been removed and your hair is in its natural state. Hair that is dull/lifeless is a sign of possible unhealthy damage.

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