
As curlies, we are in a constant battle to keep our hair moisturized.
Some of us even go on quests to find the perfect regimen and holy grail
products that will keep our tresses happy for days on end. But having
coily hair that is well hydrated doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s as
simple as understanding your hair’s porosity and knowing what to use for your curl pattern.
Porosity
Your hair’s porosity is the measure of its ability to absorb and hold
onto moisture and thus is the best indicator for how you should
moisturize it. In order to find out your hair’s porosity, take one of
your shed hairs and place it in a glass of water. If it floats quickly
to the bottom then your hair has high porosity. If it takes forever and a
day to sink, then you have low porosity hair. Lastly, if it sinks at a
pace that is neither too fast nor slow, then you have normal porosity
hair.
Low Porosity
Low porosity hair is usually harder to moisturize since it is more
difficult to get the moisture into your strands. In order to moisturize
your hair, you should use more water based, liquid products that will
moisturize your hair without coating it and making it greasy. Also, use a
light oil like jojoba ro grapeseed oil to seal your hair since heavier
oils like castor oil or olive oil will be harder for your hair to
absorb and will simply sit on top of it and weigh it down.
Also, if you really have an issue with your hair absorbing products,
try to apply them to damp or dry hair since the strands will have
released the water and will therefore be able to absorb the product. A
temporary way to open up your cuticles so your strands can better absorb
product is to do a baking soda treatment on your hair. Because baking
soda is alkaline in nature, it will cause the cuticles of your hair to
raise. Simply mix baking soda and water until it forms an aerated paste,
apply it to the hair and leave it on for 15 minutes then rinse.
Medium Porosity
If you have medium porosity hair then you’re one lucky natural. This
means that you have quite a few options for moisturizing your hair.
However, there is a new method of moisturizing the hair called the
L.O.C. (liquid, oil and cream) method that many women swear by. This
method works so well because each layer of product seals the layer
before it (i.e. the cream seals the oil which seals in the liquid). To
do this method, apply a liquid leave in or moisturizer, then a light oil
to seal it in and finish with your favorite creamy moisturizer or
styler on top and your hair should be happy for at least a couple of
days.
High Porosity
If you have high porosity hair, it probably has a difficult time
holding onto moisture because of its raised cuticles that allow moisture
to be lost to the atmosphere. In order to keep your tresses happy,
apply heavy products to your hair in layers. Try applying a leave in,
then a thick moisturizer then a heavy butter to seal all the moisture
in. To keep your hair moisturized throughout the week, mix your favorite
liquid moisturizer or leave in with water in a spray bottle with a few
drops of oil and spray it on your hair at nights then seal with a
butter.
To help close your cuticles temporarily to better hold onto moisture, try doing apple cider vinegar rinses
when you cleanse your hair. Apple cider vinegar is acidic and will
temporarily help to close your cuticles. Mix 1-2 tablespoons of apple
cider vinegar with 2 cups of water and pour it over your hair after
cleansing it, then dry it and style as normal. You can also try adding
more aloe vera gel or juice to your regimen.
Final Thoughts
The key to moisturized hair is healthy hair so keep a running
appointment with your jar of deep conditioner, go easy on the heat and
treat it gently. As always remember to have love peace and curly haired
bliss.
My hair just sat on TOP of the water! Guess that explains a lot. Thanks for this article.
The L.O.C. method really works for my hair. I just use a liquid (Taliah Waajid's Protective Mist Bodifier), evoo, and some thick leave-in (Shea Moisture CES) and my hair is super moisturized. It's magical!
I still haven't mastered how to moisturize my hair. I will try the baking soda and water. Thanks for the suggestion!
This was a good read! (Still waiting for my strand of hair to float down to the bottom of the cup lol) I've been using castor oil but I now see I need to switch to coconut or jojoba oil.
I ment to say Sink!
I did the glass water test & it took so long for my strand to shrink that I shoved it down with my finger, lol. Go figure I have Low Porosity 🙂
sealing with nature's blessing pomade. not shampooing as often and not with a harsh shampoo. I haven't tried the porosity test yet. I twisted my dry hair with….wait for it….S-curl spray mixed with water and nature's blessing pomade. feels soft 3 days later.
hmmm….I've heard about that water/glycerin mix before. Let me google that right now.
I've tried quite a few things. I've always been mixed up about the porosity. I am going to try the shed hair in water thingie again to see how fast or slow it goes down. Thanks for the reminder!
I heard about the Castile soap as well! I need to get some aloe Vera juice…
I so needed this right now! I BC'D about two weeks ago and learned I have low porosity hair. I read a previous article on here about low porosity but I didn't know I should be using light oils instead of heavy ones…
My hair like liquids, creams and oils I need to stop being a scary cat and try some butters 🙂 the name butter just sounds yummy lol!
I wash my hair and seal in that moisture with a butter and some olive oil.
I read this article about low porosity hair and thought it was interesting. It mentions adding a small amount of castile soap to your conditioner. Castile soap (atleast Dr. Bronner's) is alkaline in nature and will help lift the cuticles so that the conditioner can be more easily absorbed into the hair. Then do a final rinse with acv or avj to close them.
I am still looking for a product that will keep my hair moisturized for at least one full day!!!
I spritz my hair every other night with a water/glycerin mix. It makes my hair really soft.