Hair Loss & Hair Care Quiz

People too often assume that our hair styling practices are benign, and that our hair can take a battery of heat, chemicals, pulling, and tugging and con tinue to grow and look healthy. But as a dermatologist and a Black woman, I know this is all too often not the case. We also forget that our hair is ever changing and what it was able to once tolerate, may now cause severe damage and loss. Take this quiz to assess your hair care "intelligence quotient."

1. How often do you relax your hair (including touch-up.s)?

a. Eight or more times a year
b. Six times a year
c. Four times a year or less
d. I don't relax my hair

2. When your hair is being relaxed, you have the stylist wash out the relaxer when
the scalp feels:

a. like it's burning
b. like it's tingling severely and you can't take it anymore
c. like it's tingling slightly
d. I don't relax my hair

3. When you have your hair cornrowed or braided, how does your scalp feel?

a. I have a headache for days afterward and I am unable to move or wrinkle
my forehead for a few days
b. It feels uncomfortably tight for a few hours or days
c. It feels fine (no tightness or pulling)
d. I don't braid my hair

4. To style your hair straight, you or your stylist:

a. use a handheld blow dryer followed by a curling iron
b. use a handheld blow dryer and pull the hair straighter with a comb or
brush
c. use a hooded d,ryer with rollers or a wrap
d. I gently smooth my hair back into a ponytail and air-dry

5. When you add a weave to your hair, it:

a. falls past the shoulders and adds noticeable weight to the hair
b. is bonded (glued) to your scalp
c. is light and/or falls to shoulder length or shorter
d. I don't use weaves

6. When you pull your hair back into a ponytail(s), the skin at your hairline:

a. feels tight and appears pulled
b. feels a little tight
c. feels comfortable
d. I gently smooth my hair into a loose ponytail

7. Your locks are

a. long, thick, and heavy
b. halfway down your back or past your shoulders
c. relatively short or ear length, thin to medium diameter, and of uniform size
d. I don't wear locks

Hair Care Quiz Analysis

You've probably figured out that if your answers were mostly ds, you're not treating your hair very harsWy and your hair care IQ is high. If you checked mostly cs, you're probably styling your hair responsibly. Mostly a and b answers are an indication that your hair-styling habits are harmful to your hair and scalp, and may someday lead to damage and hair thinning, if not hair loss. To improve your hair-care IQ, see chapter 4 for advice on styling your hair the way you like without destroying it in the process. Remember that pain and discomfort-whether from chemicals, heat, or pulling the hair-are not normal! It's worth it to learn to treat your hair and scalp more gently.