Masquing 101: Learn how to choose the right hair masque for your hair type and how to use it for maximum benefits.
With the recent release of our Rehab Hydrating Masque, you may be wondering which of our creamy, dreamy concoctions is right for your specific hair type. Hair masques are an excellent addition to your hair care routine because they seal the hair’s cuticle, preventing damage from entering the innermost layers of the follicles.
Sealing the cuticle also adds a smooth, soft, shiny finish to your hair!
One of the biggest determining factors for choosing a masque should be by first understanding your hair type and its specific needs.
But don’t worry, we will help you figure out what those are…
(We’ll also go in depth about how to use hair masques, so keep reading!)
Identifying your hair type is simple and is based on a combination of: density, strand diameter, porosity, greasiness, elasticity and texture.
Let’s break it down…
Density – refers to how much hair you have on your scalp. This is one of the most important factors in determining what type of hair masque, so we’ll start here.
You can determine the density of your hair by grabbing a handful and pulling to the side to reveal your scalp:
If your scalp is highly visible, then you have thin density hair.
If your scalp is only partially visible, then you have medium density hair.
If your scalp is hardly visible, then you have thick density hair.
Diameter – is the size of an individual strand of hair.
This can be determined by taking one strand between the pads of two fingers:
If you can barely feel it, your strands are thin/fine diameter.
If you can somewhat feel it, your strands are medium diameter.
If you can definitely feel it, your strands are thick diameter.
Porosity – is the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture (i.e. the products you use on it).
You can determine your hair’s porosity by placing one strand in a cup of water:
If the strand sinks, your hair has a high porosity, which means it’s more prone to damage and frizz.
If the strand balances somewhere between floating and sinking, you have normal or medium porosity. Your hair is generally less prone to damage and can hold its style better.
If the strand floats, you have low porosity. This means there are less holes or gaps in your cuticle, resulting in the hair being less absorptive and will often stay wet for hours after washing. Good news, your hair is pretty healthy!
Greasiness – this one’s pretty obvious, but it refers to the amount of oil production on your scalp.
The day after washing your hair, take a tissue and press it around your scalp:
If the tissue is saturated with oil, you have greasy hair.
If the tissue only has oil from specific areas on your scalp, you have combination hair.
If the tissue is oil-free, then you have dry hair and scalp.
Elasticity – is a great indicator of hair’s health. The more a strand of hair can stretch before returning to its original state (without breaking) refers to how elastic the strands are.
To determine this, pluck a wet strand of hair and stretch it as much as possible. (Think of it like stretching a rubber band.):
If it stretches a lot, your hair has high elasticity.
If it stretches a little bit before snapping, you have medium elasticity.
If it hardly stretches before snapping, you have low elasticity.
Texture – this you may be more familiar with. Determining your texture is as easy as looking in the mirror at your hair in its natural state. (This chart can help!)
Textures include straight, wavy, curly and coily (with many subcategories in each!).
Now that you’ve identified the different components of your hair type, let’s move on to hair masques!
