When should you perform a strand test for relaxing service?

Author: Shanna Schmitt  |  Last update: Monday, July 7, 2025

Just before performing a relaxer service, or on the day you perform the patch test, take a few strategic test strands to ensure the relaxer is the right strength, the hair remains in fairly good condition, and the hair relaxes as expected.

When should you do a strand test?

Strand tests are particularly important when switching to a new color, coloring for the first time, or lightening your hair. Doing a strand test for lightening your hair is a little more involved than for regular permanent hair color, but it's still relatively easy (and oh-so worth it).

Why should you do a strand test before a hydroxide relaxer service?

A strand test before a hydroxide relaxer service is vital for assessing hair health, determining processing time, and customizing the treatment to individual hair types. This precaution helps avoid damage and ensures optimal results. Conducting the test is essential for client safety and satisfaction.

When should you perform an elasticity test?

If your hair is feeling dry, brittle, or just generally unhealthy, it might be time to test your hair's elasticity. Elasticity is a measure of how well your hair can withstand damage and stress without breaking.

What is the reason for strand test?

First and foremost, a strand test allows you to assess the condition and texture of the client's hair, which can affect the outcome of the chemical service. Additionally, a strand test can help determine the appropriate processing time and ensure that the colour or texture change will be even throughout the hair.

Why You Need to Do a Strand Test, and How

What is an elasticity test for?

Modulus of elasticity testing is an efficient way to find out how resistant your materials are to elastic deformation. When subjected to force or stress, materials can deform, which can lead to faulty products, unnecessary waste, and unhappy customers.

Why is it important to perform a preliminary strand test curl before a permanent wave service?

The purpose of a Test Curl is to check the development of the curl pattern during the perm process and make sure it's complete before you move on to the next step. It is equally important NOT to Test Curl if the directions state NO TEST CURL REQUIRED.

What happens if you don't do an elasticity test?

The Hair Elasticity Test is a simple way to check your hair's moisture balance. Moisture balance is essential for healthy hair. If the balance becomes disrupted due to natural moisture loss or damage then the resulting loss of elasticity can leave hair difficult to style, dry and prone to breakage.

How to do a strand test for relaxer?

Select a strand at the back, and one on each side of the head. Separate each strand from the rest of the hair, apply the relaxer as directed, and monitor the relaxation process. Midway through the recommended processing time, lift each test strand, gently stretch and release the strand, and observe the curl reversion.

What are the three relaxer strengths?

The amount of active chemical (sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide) determines the strength of the relaxer. Regular is for most people with normal hair, super for very coarse or resistant hair and mild for fine, damaged or over-porous hair.

What three tests are necessary before providing a perm service?

The three necessary tests required before beginning a perm service are the patch test, the metallic salts test, and the preliminary curl test. Before a permanent wave service, it isn't necessary to perform a few test curls.

How far back does a strand test go?

The Timeline of Hair Follicle Testing

While a urine test typically has a detection time frame of 2-5 days, a hair follicle test can detect drug use as far back as 90 days. For this reason, it is considered a more reliable indicator of drug use than urine testing.

What is a strand exam?

Test strands allow you to see how your hair is going to react to lightener or dye before you apply products to a larger section of your hair. If this is your first time lightening your hair, or if you're trying to go from one shade to another, we always recommend performing a test strand.

When should you do a related t test?

When can I use the test? You can use the test when your data values are paired measurements. For example, you might have before-and-after measurements for a group of people. Also, the distribution of differences between the paired measurements should be normally distributed.

Why are test strands important?

It lets us know how long to leave the dye on & what developer to use. By performing a strand test we can see the limits of your hair, how long to leave the lightener on and what developer we can use. We would usually go for our main one, but in some cases, we can see from a strand test that other ones might work better ...

When should I do a pre perm test curl?

When handling fragile, porous hair or hair with a doubtful history or doubtful previous chemical treatments, it is advisable to perform a pre-perm test curl. The pre-perm test curl will help you determine if there will be any potential problems when carrying out the full perming service.

What is the difference between hydroxide relaxer and Thio relaxer?

Thio relaxers differ from hydroxide relaxers in a few ways. The pH of thio relaxers is typically around 10 whereas the pH of hydroxide relaxers is approximately 13. Also, an oxidizing agent like hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate is used to neutralize thio relaxers.

When to do an elasticity test?

When your hair becomes dry moisture is drawn away from the cortex, which can cause breakages and brittleness. Your hairs elasticity is reduced. It's therefore crucial to ensure your hair stays elastic.

What does it mean if elasticity is positive?

In the case of positive elasticity, an increase in price leads to an increase in volume. A real-world example of this could be luxury goods, where a high price can signal both quality and scarcity, driving up demand.

Why is it important to carry an elasticity test before having a perm?

Elasticity test

It is important to carry out this test before perming hair because weak hair can stretch and break off. If the hair is in good condition, it will stretch but return to the original length.

What is the ratio for the strand test?

For custom kits or mixtures, strand tests are always made with an approximate 1:1 ratio of the products being mixed.

Is Strand test free?

There are many kits being sold on the market today ( so called do it yourself methods ) but we highly recommend having a trained professional at Boardroom Hairstylists perform the STRAND TEST and we do it free of charge simply because we want to make sure working together you get it right the first time.

Can I use foil with an Arctic Fox?

Tips & Instructions

Select approximately 1 inch strands of hair in a hidden area of your hair. Evenly distribute the Arctic Fox hair color to the selected test strands until it becomes frothy. Wrap the test strands with tin foil to protect the surrounding hair and let the color process for at least 30 minutes.

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