How to Tell If Your Hair Is Damaged
Most of us would probably love to put a few strands of our hair underneath a microscope every once in a while to see how it's doing, but that's a little too complex. Fortunately there are easier ways to tell if your hair is damaged, like by taking a porosity test. "One experiment that potentially shows hair damage is to apply a droplet or two of water (spraying water will physically drive the water into the hair) to your dry hair without product," Riley said. The droplet will sit on your hair longer if it's healthy, but if it's damaged, the droplet will absorb quicker. Since the results of this test can be swayed if anything is sitting on the surface of your hair, make sure it's clean before you test it out.
Frizz is another good indicator, though not all frizz is an indicator of damage. "Newly growing hair fibres can look like 'flyaways' before they have enough length to lay down with the rest of your hair," Riley said.
Image Source: Getty / Phatcharee Saetoen