Observe & document

Observe your hair and keep a clear record of what you can see.

11 guides · Free to read

Choose your starting point

Choose the feature you want to describe: pattern, strands, wetting, shedding or a photograph. These checks help you record observations; they do not measure hair properties, identify a cause or diagnose a condition. Read each guide’s limits before interpreting what you see.

Compare the methods

Explore the methods below. Open a guide for when to use it, what you’ll need and the full steps.

Finger pads perform one ordinary scalp wash without a scrub, clarifier or medicated treatment.

8–15 min hands-on

Check for product residue before judging flakes

A residue check compares visible loose material before and after one ordinary wash without diagnosing its cause.

An adult holds a physical extension sample underneath dry mid-lengths beside a window.

3–8 min hands-on

Compare an extension color swatch

An extension swatch check holds a physical hair sample beneath your lengths and ends to compare the overall color blend.

Looking at a usual dry part with fingertips resting beside it.

2–4 min hands-on

Describe strands and scalp visibility

Strand appearance and visible scalp are separate observations made under clearly recorded viewing conditions.

Photographing the collected sample with a phone.

1–3 min hands-on

Document wash-day shedding

A wash-day shedding record notes what you happen to collect and the interval since the previous wash.

Supporting the ponytail while loosening its fabric tie.

15–60 sec hands-on

Loosen a hairstyle that pulls

Loosening a gathered hairstyle means taking out its tie or pins. Pulling installed braid roots need the installer to loosen or remove them.

An adult holds the soft tape at the front overlap after tracing around the head and nape.

3–7 min hands-on

Measure head circumference for a wig

Head circumference is the distance around your head. For a wig, a soft tape follows the supplier’s path from the front hairline, around the nape and back to the start.

Holding one wet shed hair loosely without pulling it tight.

1–3 min hands-on

Observe a wet shed strand

A wet-strand observation handles an already shed hair gently without pulling it to failure or diagnosing its composition.

Watching a reachable hair section wet under normal rinse water.

1–3 min hands-on

Observe how your hair wets and dries

A wetting-and-drying note records what happens during a normal wash without assigning a porosity class.

Looking at visible short-hair tips without plucking them.

1–3 min hands-on

Observe short-hair tips

A tip observation records the visible ends of short hairs without assigning why they are short.

Letting loose curls air-dry without stretching them.

2–5 min hands-on

Observe your air-dried pattern

An air-dried pattern observation describes the shapes your loose hair forms after your usual gentle wash and care.

Showing a reachable part to the supported phone camera.

3–5 min hands-on

Photograph your hair and scalp

A repeatable photo record uses clear light, a stable camera and consistent views to document visible hair and scalp.