Free tools

Free tools for the bathroom-mirror question

The same scales, zones and verdicts the StrandScout app uses, written out so you can check by eye tonight. No sign-up, nothing uploaded.

• Norwood scale checker: nine diagrams seen from above, from a full hairline to the horseshoe. Pick the one that matches you and read the stage, what you see, and what to watch. Ludwig scale for women.
• Mature or receding hairline?: seven questions about the corners, the edge hairs, the crown and whether it is still moving. Ends in Looks stable, Keep watching or Changing, with the reasons.
• Hair shedding calculator: count what came out in the shower or the brush and see where it sits against the normal 50 to 100 hairs a day, allowing for wash days and long hair.
• Hairline photo guide: the four angles clinics use, and the checklist that makes photos months apart compare fairly.

Every result links the guide that explains it. If anything you see on this site worries you, a dermatologist can confirm what is going on; sudden heavy shedding, round bald patches, or a red, painful or itchy scalp are reasons to see one this week.