In a separate article, I mentioned how to save hair from major haircuts or possible detangling sessions. I pulled some of the longest strands from my "sandwich bag" of hair. I then taped them down securely to a piece of cellophane. I use pre-cut cellophane "foil" for some of my haircoloring such as lighteners. You can use regular cellophane and this method for haircolor or relaxing or any other testing you want to do on your own hair without it being attached to your head at the time. Smile.
When relaxing, I lightly brushed the strands of hair. Honestly, it is hard to tell if you have the strands right side up or upside down. Upside down means the cuticles are going the outside direction. Actually, as you stretch out the longer pieces of hair to test, some strands can go either way as you tape them down. Hair color will be the best way to test using this "sampling" method. The direction of the cuticle would not matter. Also, smoothing will not be as important either.
