The emphasis has been on how long the hair is but the overall health of the hair matters. Is it strong enough? Does it thin out? Are you losing hair? These and more are questions to ask to know about your hair health.
There are other parameters to know if your hair is healthy and these include:
1. Is your hair full and unequal in length?
This is a major indicator of healthy hair. While some people naturally have black hair that is thin and lack fullness, others don’t. This goes beyond the type of their hair. When you have full hair of unequal length, you should know that your hair is not maintained properly. However, if without any product it shows fullness even though not as huge but is bouncy enough, then your hair is healthy enough.
2. Does your hair break easily?
When your hair is brittle, it can be uprooted easily. When this happens then there is something wrong with the root. You know a healthy black hair when it does not easily break but rather, shrinks back after you comb it. Healthy black hair is elastic. The elasticity is related to the keratin in the hair. Healthy hair does not break every time you comb it or pass your hands through it instead it stretches and shrinks back to its place.
3. Does its curl till the end?
Having stated that shrinkage is one way to know your black hair is healthy, it is important for you to also know that the ends of your hair should also curl and not straighten. If your hair is straight, that part of it is unhealthy and needs to be chopped off. Healthy black hair is curly till the tip of the strand. Splitting hair at the end is just a sign that that part is dead and needs to be cut off.
4. Does it achieve shine?
When your hair can easily achieve shine, this is a sign of healthy hair. Shiny hair normally is low in porosity and retains hydration better. Dull and lifeless hair is an indicator of unhealthy hair. You would have to work on so much to make it shiny and easy on the eyes.
5. Does your hair shrink?
One characteristic of African hair is that it shrinks no matter the type. While we all hate that, that is the natural stage and another way to know your hair is healthy. African hair can straighten under heat, but water makes it shrink. Hair shrinkage is not a bad thing, it simply means the curl structure of your hair is still intact, implying your hair is properly hydrated.