How does Mutaly's hair care quiz work?

Mutaly's quiz has 5 sections covering hair type, scalp condition, hair characteristics (porosity, density, thickness), current condition, and treatments. The algorithm analyzes your moisture, lipid, and protein balance to generate a personalized care routine with specific product type recommendations.

What is hair porosity and why does it matter?

Hair porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. Low porosity hair has tightly closed cuticles and resists moisture. High porosity hair (often from damage) absorbs quickly but loses moisture fast. Knowing your porosity helps choose the right products — low porosity needs lightweight products and heat to open cuticles, while high porosity benefits from heavier oils and butters to seal moisture in.

What is the moisture-protein balance in hair?

Healthy hair needs a balance of moisture (water, humectants) and protein (keratin, amino acids). Too much moisture makes hair limp, mushy, and overly stretchy. Too much protein makes it stiff, brittle, and prone to snapping. Mutaly detects imbalances and adjusts care recommendations to restore equilibrium.

Is the Mutaly hair quiz free?

Yes, the hair care quiz and your personalized hair profile are completely free. Product recommendations, INCI ingredient analyzer, and the hair diary are available with a premium subscription.

What languages does Mutaly support?

Mutaly is available in 7 languages: English, Russian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Are the recommended hair products safe?

All recommended products are screened against EU cosmetics regulations. Products containing ingredients banned in the EU — such as Lilial, Lyral, MI/MCI in leave-on products, Glyoxal, and formaldehyde releasers — are excluded from all recommendations.

Hair's Lipid Layer (F-Layer): What It Does and How to Protect It

The F-layer is a thin waxy coating on every healthy strand. It's crucial for shine, moisture retention, and tangle resistance.

What it is

The F-layer (technical name: 18-methyleicosanoic acid, or 18-MEA) is a thin waxy coating bonded to the outermost cuticle cells of your hair.

In healthy virgin hair, the F-layer:

Makes hair smooth and shiny
Repels water (hydrophobic)
Prevents tangling
Protects internal proteins from degradation
Gives hair its characteristic feel

Lose it, and hair becomes dull, rough, and prone to damage — even if the internal structure is intact.

How it gets damaged

The F-layer is surprisingly fragile. It degrades from:

Bleaching — completely destroys it
Permanent color with lift — significantly damages
Sulfate shampoos daily — gradual stripping
Alkaline products (high pH) — breaks bonds
UV exposure — oxidation
Heat above 150°C — degrades
Chlorine — oxidation

Once gone, the F-layer doesn't regenerate. It has to be replaced with external products that mimic its function.

Signs your F-layer is damaged

Hair feels rough even when "clean"
Dullness despite conditioning
Frizz in normal humidity
Tangles constantly
Water absorbs too fast into hair (high porosity)
Color fades quickly

Mimicking the F-layer

Fatty alcohols

Behenyl Alcohol
Fatty alcohol, conditioning. NOT drying.">Cetearyl Alcohol
Stearyl Alcohol

These create a similar waxy layer when applied via conditioner.

Natural oils

Jojoba (closest structurally)
Argan
sebum.">Squalane
Sunflower (low molecular weight, penetrates)

Silicones

Dimethicone.">Amodimethicone — binds to cuticle (long-lasting)
Dimethicone — sits on top (washes out)

Specific F-layer replacements

Some products claim to replace the 18-MEA specifically — technology exists (look for "quaternized fatty acids" or similar terminology).

Routine for F-layer recovery

Daily

Leave-in with fatty alcohols
Light oil on ends (squalane, argan)

Weekly

Oil pre-wash treatment (jojoba, squalane, 30 min before shampoo)
Deep condition with ceramides

Monthly

Check progress — does hair feel smoother? Less frizz?

Long-term

Avoid anything that damages the layer further (sulfates, bleach, high pH)
Accept that once damaged, external products mimic rather than restore

Internal support

Omega-3 fatty acids (from fish, flax, walnuts) support the body's production of the lipids that form the F-layer. Over 2–3 months, this can improve the quality of new hair growth.

F-layer and hair type

Fine hair: Less F-layer to begin with, shows damage fast
Coarse hair: More F-layer, takes more to strip
Curly/coily hair: The F-layer is crucial for preventing tangling
Color-treated: F-layer is compromised — need external mimicry daily

Why Mutaly tracks this

The Mutaly quiz asks about shine, tangling, and water behavior — all indicators of F-layer health — and adjusts recommendations to include ceramides, fatty alcohols, and sealing ingredients.