**Analyzing Your Hair**

Hair type systems are one of the primary ways that describe how our hair looks (wave pattern).  Hair typing is something that can be very beneficial in aiding with the selection of hair products, how to manage your hair and creating a hair regimen.  Most products now are made specifically for various hair types.

Learning my daughters' hair types have helped my learn what products may work best.  I also look for tutorials with similar hair types to get a feel for desired outcomes of styles or products.  Some people choose not to use the hair typing system because they feel it makes one hair type "superior" over the other.  I don't think its that deep!  I think it is simply a guide!

My girls hair is very different in many ways and therefore require the use of different hair products.  What works on one does not work on another!  It took some research and trail and error before understanding this concept.

There are also many other factors to consider when attempting to describe our hair.  Other hair factors to be considered are hair's density, elasticity, texture, porosity.

Density
Hair density is the amount of hair strands on the head. Generally, it is measured by counting the number of hair strands found in one square inch (2.5cm) of scalp. When a stylist tells you that you have thick hair, it is high density he/she is describing.

Generally, the classifications of hair density are thin, medium, and thick, and are unrelated to the texture of the hair. The average head has approximately 2,200 strands of hair per square inch, and a total of approximately 100,000 hairs.
Elasticity
The hair's elasticity is the measure of how much the hair will stretch (and return to a normal state). Healthy hair, when wet, will stretch up to 50% of its original length and return to its normal shape without breaking, while dry hair will only stretch about 20%.

Elasticity is rated as being low, normal, or high. Hair's elasticity comes from the side bonds in the hair shaft. Hair with normal and high elasticity is easily styled with wet-roller sets, thermal styling tools, etc., while hair with low elasticity may prove hard to curl, or lose its curl quickly.  Hair with low elasticity is highly susceptible to breakage, will be hard to curl.
Texture
Hair texture is the measure of the circumference of the hair strand itself. Professionals classify the texture of hair as being "coarse", "fine", or "medium".  Coarse hair has the largest circumference, and fine hair has the smallest. Medium texture indicates a middle-range of the size of the hair shaft, it's considered normal and poses no special considerations regarding processing and chemical services

Hair texture varies from individual to individual, and can be different in separate areas of the same head. You may have coarse hair on the top of the head and fine hair at the nape of the neck. Race and ethnicity are irrelevant in determining hair texture, as coarse, medium and fine hair can be found among all racial and ethnic groups.

PorosityPorosity is the measure of the hair's ability to absorb moisture. This is determined by the condition of the hair's cuticle layer (the overlapping scales of the hair shaft), and is rated as low, normal, and high. In normal, healthy hair, the cuticle is compact and inhibits the penetration of the hair shaft by moisture - both moisture going in, and moisture coming out. When the cuticle is overly compact and prevents the penetration of the hair by moisture it has low porosity.

Credit: Hairfinder.com

You get additional information here:

NaturallyCurly.com

Hair Porosity -Yea, It's Kind of a Big Deal