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.

Gather all hair into a ponytail. Measure circumference with a tape measure: - Under 5 cm → low - 5–10 cm → medium - Over 10 cm → high

Hair Thickness vs Density: What's the Difference?

People use these words interchangeably, but they describe different things — and matter differently for your routine.

Two different measurements

Thickness (strand diameter): How thick each individual hair is.

Fine: Thinner than sewing thread
Medium: About sewing thread width
Coarse/thick: Thicker than sewing thread, may feel wiry

Density (hairs per square centimeter): How many hairs you have on your head.

Low: You can see scalp easily even when parted normally
Medium: Scalp visible only when parting directly
High: Scalp very hard to see even when parting

You can have any combination:

Fine + low density (looks "thin")
Fine + high density (lots of fine hairs, feels full)
Coarse + low density (few but thick strands)
Coarse + high density (the heaviest, thickest-looking hair)

Why it matters for products

Fine strands

Weigh down fast. Need:

Lightweight products
Avoid heavy butters, oils, silicones
Volume-building ingredients

Coarse strands

Can handle rich products. Need:

Heavier creams and butters
Penetrating oils
More slip for detangling

Low density

Scalp shows through. Styling matters more than products for visual volume:

Layered cuts
Root-lift spray
Dry shampoo for lift

High density

Lots of hair to manage. Products sit differently:

Need enough product (under-applying is common)
Section hair for application
Drying takes longer

How to test thickness

Take a single hair between your fingers:

Can't feel it → fine
Feel it faintly → medium
Feel it clearly like thread → coarse

Or compare to sewing thread — finer, similar, or thicker.

How to test density

Gather all hair into a ponytail. Measure circumference with a tape measure:

Under 5 cm → low
5–10 cm → medium
Over 10 cm → high

Or part your hair normally and look at how visible your scalp is.

Why people confuse them

"I have thick hair" usually means a lot of hair (density), not that each strand is thick. Conversely, "my hair is thin" often means few strands, not that strands are fine.

Stylists and most products don't distinguish — they lump both into "thick" or "thin." But they need different care.

The Mutaly quiz distinguishes

The Mutaly quiz asks about thickness and density separately to make sure product weight and routine match both.