The at-home hair health tests everyone should know

A lot of people have hair loss and don’t even know it. In fact, most women don’t know they’re losing hair until they’ve lost up to 50 percent of it. And while the right products can help to reverse some of the impact of hair loss, acting early or even preventing the hair ageing process before it begins is your best bet for keeping your hair on your head.

Just like your skin, your hair ages. When your hair ages, your hair growth cycle can become disrupted resulting in hair loss, fewer hairs growing, and the growth of brittle, finer, dull hair. In the same way you can spot signs of skin ageing like wrinkles and loss of firmness, you can identify signs of age in your hair and treat it with targeted active haircare, like our hero scalp activators. 

But what do the signs of hair ageing look like? Excessive hair fall is one, but as explained it’s not always easy to notice until it’s too late. So try these easy at-home hair and follicle health tests for both men and women to find out if your hair needs some help to stay thick, full and youthful.

The pull test
Grasp 20-30 strands from the top of your head with your index finger, middle finger, and thumb. Pull gently, but firmly, along the hair shaft from the roots to ends. Look at the hairs left between your fingers. If more than 1 or 2 strands come loose from your head this could indicate that you have high numbers of inactive or resting follicles and your hair is not functioning or growing at its best. Be sure to do this test on dry hair about 12 hours after washing.

Evaluate your hairline
Examine the strands on your hairline near your forehead and around your face. If the hairs are growing in pairs or groups that’s a positive sign your hair is dense, and your follicles are happy, healthy and youthful. If you notice more single hairs growing on their own, especially finer ones, this could mean your follicle number is decreasing, resulting in a thinner coverage on top.

Check the width of your part
Have a look at where your hair naturally parts. If you have a head of healthy growing follicles, your part will be tight – even if your hair is fine your part should be narrow. If your part looks wide, that’s a sign that you’re losing more strands than you are growing.

Assess ponytail thickness
If you’ve noticed you’re looping your hair elastic around an extra time to secure your ponytail it may not be that your elastic is losing its stretch, it could be that your ponytail is getting thinner. Track our ponytail thickness by measuring the circumference with a tape measure, assessing it every three months.

Failed a test? This is what you can do:
If any of these tests have hinted that your hair is showing signs of age, then our scientifically validated REVERSE Activator should be your fist choice in your new hair care routine . Think of our Activators as potent anti-ageing serums for your scalp that you apply morning and night. Containing a proprietary blend of natural actives and antioxidants, the REVERSE Activator goes to work on the follicles to help strengthen and volumize brittle aging hair.

It’s good to note, that even if your hair isn’t showing significant signs of ageing, investing in a good quality anti-aging haircare regimen will keep your hair fuller, thicker and more youthful for longer. Our PREVENT activator encourages optimum follicle health, protects the scalp while maintaining healthy strands.