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Do You Know Your Hair Type?

April 23, 2026

Do You Know Your Hair Type?

It’s almost certainly a combination. You won’t have one hair type, in the same way that you’re unlikely to have one skin type on your face. Treating your eye area like your T-zone will cause problems.

Apart from your hair type and textures being different to your fellow man, woman, or non-specific, it will also be different around the scalp, and very different between the roots and the ends unless your hair is only a few inches long. Understanding your hair type is the basis of getting better results. You’ll need more targeted attention to reach hair nirvana, so here’s a break down.

 

Density

Hair density is the amount of hair strands per square cm of scalp.

 

Texture

Textures are often referred to as fine, medium or thick/coarse.

 

Colour

Blonde – from Nordic platinum to very dark mouse. Average 150,000 hairs of fine to medium thickness. Just a few percent of the world population are naturally blonde and it mostly turns darker with age.

Dark – from brown to black. – Average 110,000 hairs usually medium to thick

Red – from pale strawberry blonde through ginger to dark auburn. Average 90,000 hairs usually thicker and coarser. Less than 2% of the world population have naturally red hair.

White Hair – Loss of melanin pigment turns hair from coloured to white. Dark hair turns white the soonest and notices the most. Blondes turn white slower and notice the least. Red heads turn white slowest of all. The switch off in melanin production is mostly genetic but affected by diet and toxins too.

 

Straight or Wavy

Straight hair has a round hair shaft. Wavy hair has a more ovular cross section. The flatter the oval the curlier the hair. Hair isn’t normally one type all over the scalp. Parts are likely to have more wave or kinks even on visibly straight hair. This can also change through life with hormonal fluctuations or drug treatments.

 

Surface texture - smooth cuticle or lifted cuticle

Whilst God created everyone equally beautiful, humans trend towards their own fashions. In hair texture that style is, thick, shiny, supple, bouncy - whether straight, curly or wavy. A sense that your hair is vibrant and pulsating with energy. Your joie de vivre. A signal to the outer world that you’ve still got it. But don’t worry if you think you’re losing it. Were here to help. Skills and products can move hair towards your ideal whether that be fuller and bouncier or smoother and sleeker. But always healthy, shiny, vibrant and alive.

Hair is always thinner, drier, and more textured at the ends. The lifted surface cuticle will make the hair feel rougher and it will also be less shiny as the open cuticle traps more light, so reflects less back. Depending on the length and degree of variation from roots to ends, it will need a different approach with products and styling.

 

Choosing Your Products

If you have silky floppy roots but coarse textured ends, you’ll have a problem if you use a smoothing solution all over. It may make the roots too soft and heavy. Likewise, texturising everything because of soft floppy roots can make ends feel even rougher.

LifeSaver

For all hair types because everyone wants stronger vibrant flexible hair that shines with life.

This non-oily pre-wash treatment slows down the ageing process so you keep more of your fresh flexible root hair further down. Less thinning, less breakage. More shine, more flexibility.

 

Shampoos & Conditioners

Choose your shampoo based on the root hair type or scalp condition, and choose the conditioner based on the mid-lengths and ends.

 

Styling Products

Choosing the right products to match the hair type and texture will make home styling a joy. All our products are designed to move the hair towards healthy shiny flexible natural feeling hair.


LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment
To defrizz and define waves for natural drying. Gives heat protection and hydration for smooth blowdrying.


Magic Oil
De-frizzes and gives smoother, looser, silky, swingy hair.


Ten Second Transformation
Instantly smoothes, thickens, bodifies and defines short or long textured hair, whilst feeding suppleness and protection.

Thicker Quicker
Maximises volume by giving thicker texture and grip to soft floppy root hair.


Volumising Mousse
Smoothes and thickens more textured mid-lengths and ends.

These are the professional products used in our Beaumont Street salon, backstage at the glamorous catwalks around the world, and for those front-cover photo shoots. We simply couldn’t do our work without them.

 


 Michael Van Clarke


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