How StrandSense Works

Your hair has a three-bond integrity score.

A personalized estimate of the three bond types in your hair — and how to rebuild what is missing.

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90 seconds · Free · No email required
Section 01

What is a three-bond integrity score?

Your three-bond integrity score is a personalized estimate of the structural health of your hair across the three bond types every strand contains — disulfide, hydrogen, and ionic. The score is returned at the end of the 90-second StrandSense assessment, alongside your hair type, porosity, and a regimen built for your result.

Each bond receives its own integrity score on a 0–100 scale, with a corresponding level — Strong (75–100), Moderate (50–74), or Depleted (0–49). The three scores together give you the most useful single-page summary of your hair's structural state you will find anywhere.

Disulfide integrity
Moderate · Heat-styling and color treatment are the primary depletors
58
/ 100
Hydrogen integrity
Depleted · High humidity exposure and frequent daily washing
41
/ 100
Ionic integrity
Moderate · Sulfate shampoo is raising your hair's pH
67
/ 100

Above is what a sample scorecard looks like. Most hair has uneven integrity across the three bonds — that is exactly the point of measuring all three. A regimen built for disulfide repair alone will not address the hydrogen and ionic bonds your scorecard shows are depleted.

A note on honesty

This is an estimate, not a laboratory measurement.

A 90-second assessment cannot literally measure the tensile strength of your hair. What StrandSense does is calculate your bond loss risk across the three bond types using inputs you provide — your hair type, history, environment, and routine.

The same way a doctor's cardiovascular risk assessment estimates your heart health from your inputs without literally measuring every artery, StrandSense estimates bond integrity from the inputs that cosmetic chemistry has established as the strongest predictors of bond loss.

It is an estimate. It is also the most accurate one you can get without a trichology lab — and the only one designed to inform a regimen built around all three bond types.

Section 02

The three bonds, scored.

Each of the three bond types is broken by a different set of forces. The integrity score for each is calculated from a different cluster of inputs.

Bond 01

Disulfide.

The strongest · Permanent damage

Covalent bonds formed between cysteine amino acids. The structural backbone of your hair. The fewest in number but the strongest individually.

Color treatments Heat styling above 350°F Chemical processing Bleaching & lightening
Bond 02

Hydrogen.

The most numerous · Daily breakage

Weaker than disulfide bonds, but ten times more numerous. Responsible for daily shape, definition, and movement. Break and re-form constantly.

Humidity exposure Daily heat styling Frequent washing Lack of leave-in moisture
Bond 03

Ionic.

The pH dependent · Cuticle health

Bonds between charged amino acid groups. Sensitive to one variable above all others — pH. Determine how flat the cuticle lies.

Alkaline shampoo (pH 7+) Hard water exposure Chlorine exposure Frequent clarifying
Section 03

What StrandSense considers.

The assessment captures information across four categories. Each input is weighted differently for each of the three bond scores. Below is the input set in its entirety — full transparency about what feeds the calculation.

Hair characteristics

Hair type (1A–4C)
All bonds
Porosity (low / medium / high)
Hydrogen weighted
Density (fine / medium / coarse)
All bonds
Length
Hydrogen + ionic

Damage history

Color treatment frequency & type
Disulfide weighted
Bleaching or lightening history
Disulfide weighted
Chemical processing (relaxer, perm, keratin)
Disulfide weighted
Heat styling frequency & temperature
Disulfide + hydrogen
Time since last damage event
All bonds

Daily routine

Wash frequency
Ionic + hydrogen
Current shampoo type (sulfate / pH)
Ionic weighted
Leave-in moisture use
Hydrogen weighted
Daily heat use
Hydrogen + disulfide
Protective styling habits
All bonds
Sleep surface (silk vs cotton)
Hydrogen weighted

Environmental factors

Climate humidity
Hydrogen weighted
Sun exposure frequency
Disulfide + hydrogen
Pool / chlorine exposure
Ionic weighted
Hard water at home
Ionic weighted

Self-observed signals

Visible breakage (daily / weekly / rare)
Disulfide weighted
Frizz behavior
Hydrogen weighted
Curl definition / pattern hold
Hydrogen weighted
Manageability self-rating
All bonds

Each input contributes a weighted value to one or more of the three bond scores. The algorithm is calibrated against the bond-loss patterns observed in our clinical trial — which tested across every hair texture, with priority on Type 3 and Type 4 hair.

Section 04

Tracking improvement over time.

Your first scorecard is the baseline. Every assessment you take afterward is compared against it. You see exactly how your three-bond integrity is shifting as your regimen does its work.

Your bond integrity, over time.
12-week comparison · Sample
Disulfide integrity +24% ↑
Week 1
47
Week 12
71
Hydrogen integrity +38% ↑
Week 1
38
Week 12
76
Ionic integrity +17% ↑
Week 1
64
Week 12
81

After 12 weeks on a NUELE regimen built for your scorecard, the typical improvement curve looks like the one above — disulfide and hydrogen integrity climbing significantly, ionic integrity steadier and more dependent on continued use of pH-balanced shampoo. Your specific results will depend on your starting scorecard and how consistently you use the recommended regimen.

Your account dashboard shows your scorecard history in one place. Every retake adds a new column to the chart. Over a year, the trend lines tell the story your hair has been writing the whole time.

Section 05

When to retake the assessment.

The retake is the most important part of the StrandSense relationship. Your first scorecard tells you where you are. The retake tells you where you are going.

i
Today

Take your first assessment

Establish your baseline. Receive your scorecard and the recommended regimen for your three bond integrity scores. Begin the regimen consistently.

ii
12 weeks later

Your first retake

This is the primary retake moment. Twelve weeks matches the clinical-trial duration — the timeframe over which bond rebuild becomes measurable. Most customers see significant improvement in disulfide and hydrogen integrity. We will send you a reminder when the date arrives.

iii
Every quarter

Standing quarterly cadence

Once you have a baseline and a 12-week check-in, the rhythm becomes part of how you relate to your hair. Quarterly retakes let you see seasonal patterns and continue to refine your regimen as your hair evolves.

iv
Trigger events

After any major hair event

Retake the assessment after color, chemical processing, a big chop, transition, pregnancy, or a climate change. These are the moments your bond integrity profile shifts most dramatically — and your regimen often needs to shift with it.

Section 06

Common questions.

How accurate is my three-bond score?

Your score is a predictive estimate, not a laboratory measurement. It is calibrated against bond-loss patterns observed in our clinical trial and the published cosmetic chemistry of hair bond damage. For most people, it is significantly more accurate than any other haircare diagnostic available without lab access. It is most accurate when you answer the assessment honestly — including signals about damage history and daily routine that you might minimize elsewhere.

Why did my score change?

Three reasons. First, the inputs changed — if your routine, environment, or damage history has shifted, your bond integrity score reflects that. Second, the regimen is working — consistent use of bond-repair products genuinely improves the underlying integrity of your hair. Third, your self-observed signals (breakage, frizz, definition) have shifted, which the algorithm captures.

What if my score does not improve?

The most common reason is regimen inconsistency — using the Hair Mask once a month instead of weekly, or skipping the Hair Serum on busy days. The second most common reason is continued exposure to a damage source that is not addressed in the regimen — for example, heat styling at high temperatures, or hard water at home. If you have used your regimen consistently for 12 weeks and your scores have not improved, reach out — we will help you investigate.

Do I need a NUELE account to track over time?

No. You can take the assessment anonymously every time. However, if you create a free NUELE account, your scorecard history is saved automatically, and you can see your bond integrity changes side-by-side without needing to remember your past scores. The account also unlocks the 12-week reminder email and the progress dashboard.

Is there a perfect score?

No hair has 100 across all three bonds. Even healthy hair is constantly losing and reforming bonds — that is normal biology. The goal of the regimen is not perfection but the highest sustained integrity your hair can carry. Most NUELE customers achieve and maintain a 75-plus average across all three bonds after a year of consistent use.

Discover your hair

Take the StrandSense assessment.

Free. 90 seconds. Your three-bond integrity score, your hair type, and the regimen built for what your scorecard returns.

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