Hair and Scalp Analysis and Treatment
What to know
Before any service, analyze both hair and scalp. Hair analysis covers texture (fine, medium, coarse), density, porosity (low, normal, high), elasticity, and growth pattern. Scalp analysis looks for normal conditions versus disorders: dandruff (pityriasis), seborrheic dermatitis, tinea (ringworm, a fungal infection), and pediculosis (lice). Know which conditions are treatable in the salon (cosmetic dandruff, dry scalp) versus which require a physician referral (ringworm, lice, open sores, unexplained hair loss).
Traps to expect
Stems test whether you can distinguish a contagious disorder from a cosmetic one. Ringworm and lice are contagious and mean no service. Another trap is porosity: high-porosity hair absorbs and releases moisture quickly and needs gentler, lower-pH products; low-porosity hair resists moisture. Elasticity tests whether wet hair stretches and returns; poor elasticity means fragile hair that should not get chemical services.
Rule of thumb
"Analyze before you act." If wet hair does not stretch and return, do not process it. If the scalp shows redness, lesions, or pests, refer out.
Worked example
A client has flaking and an itchy, inflamed scalp with circular patches. That pattern suggests ringworm, a contagious fungal infection, so the correct action is to decline the service and refer to a physician, not to apply a dandruff shampoo.