Porosity and Hair Typing

High Porosity Hair
Am I doomed?

One of the main issues with hair typing is that it can be used to segregate curly girls and too often encourages hair envy. What appears as admiration on the surface may actually be an inferiority complex. I’ve been there. I used to think that my hair wasn’t as good as someone whose curl pattern was looser than mine. Not only that, but hair typing lumps us into groups and suggests that everyone’s hair in group A, for example, is all the same when in actuality there are other factors at play. I used to believe that if I got a hair product that other girls with my hair type used then it would work the same for me.  This was until I learned about porosity and hair texture.

Not all strands are created equal. You could have type 4 hair which typically needs more moisture, but if it has lower porosity than it’ll have a difficult time soaking up that moisture. This is because hair that has low porosity can hold in the moisture it has, but once it looses it, can’t absorb more. This type of hair often feels like product is just sitting on top of the hair.  Highly porous hair can absorb moisture, but can’t hold onto it, leaving hair dry. Normal porosity means hair can maintain its moisture levels. 

Can we all agree that our hair can’t be lumped into these simple categorizes? It’s not so black and white. There are gray areas here, at least for me. I have at least two different hair types on my head. I know I’m not alone. I’ve been natural for seven years and transitioned by slowly trimming my hair every few months. My hair isn’t a newbie to this whole natural thing so what’s the deal? If you’re like me you’re thinking: Hey! I didn’t sign up for this! 

When I went natural I had no idea that there was an internet presence of girls going through the same thing as me. It’s like a lifestyle that continues to grow and evolve. I guess we’re still learning.

For more on Porosity and how to figure out where you fit on the spectrum click the link below. It's fun and easy to understand. 

The Purpose of Protective Styles

My go-to style during dry winter months. 

For me, the purpose of protective styling had nothing to do with reaching some sort of hair goal. From day one the only goal I had in mind was having healthy hair no matter what. Unfortunately idle hands are the devil’s playthings. I have dyed my hair and attempted to add highlights, all of which ended disastrously. It made my hair dry and brittle. I’d also succumbed to the flat iron demon, which I believed made my hair more manageable and attractive. Instead, it caused breakage and fragile hair strands. I have since gained more confidence and now accept my hair for what it is and for what it isn’t. Above all else it’s beautiful. Even on those days when I feel the most insecure I just try to fake it till I make it.

I think this is something we should all acknowledge. We all have those days when we feel ugly and poke and prod at ourselves in desperate attempts to find a flaw. When this happens we should all have a style in our back pocket that we pull out on those insecure days. For me, it’s a high bun. It works every time and takes less than five minutes to achieve. 

There’s been some discord amongst the natural community about whether or not protective styling is a good idea or a bad idea. I find that it’s a very personal choice and there’s no right or wrong answer to this. However, I would advise you to proceed with caution.  Protective styling has good intentions.  What you want to do, ideally, is to protect your ends and avoid too much manipulation to the hair. It’s all about hair retention or a much needed break from constant styling. 

What you need to keep in mind is that your hair still needs to be moisturized and cleansed. The main issues I’ve had with wearing braids for far too long is that I get so lazy that I don’t keep up with washing or moisturizing my hair. I take a two month vacation from doing anything. This is a recipe for disaster. You acquire lint and matting, product buildup, and dry hair. It’s like going to Las Vegas and throwing caution to the wind. Just think of any one of The Hangover movies. Do you really want to wake up with a tattoo on your face? Actually, instead of a tattoo what you’ll have to deal with is breakage. Either way you look at it it’s still horrifying.

Curly Pants Hair Frosting

My first attempt at making my own shea butter mixture didn’t pan out as well as I would have liked. I followed Curly Nikki’s recipe, modifying it to my liking. One of my biggest mistakes was hand mixing all the ingredients. The result was a hard, gritty mixture that made my twists look alright, but left my hair feeling heavy and gunky.  Where did I go wrong? After some much needed youtube research I discovered that using a mixer to blend the ingredients results in a fluffier product. Below is my new and improved recipe.

Curly Pants Hair Frosting

1 cup unrefined shea butter

5 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp rosemary oil

1 tsp jojoba  oil

 2 tbsp Aloe vera gel

2 tbsp Vanilla fragrance (optional)

Everyone’s mixture is different so feel free to play around with the ingredients. After measuring out your shea butter melt it either by putting it in a container and setting it in hot water or use the microwave. Make sure not to overheat it. If using the microwave try 30 second intervals. You’ll find out why in just a second.

Next, add your shea butter and all of your oils to a medium size bowl. Mix on low speed until well blended. Afterwards, put the bowl in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. To prevent crystallization, that grainy feel of shea butter, you have to cool it rather quickly. This is why we melted the shea butter and didn’t mix it as is.

When you take the bowl out of the freezer your mixture will have begun solidifying. Add the aloe vera gel. If you want to have a pleasant smelling product use less oils that give off a strong aroma, like rosemary oil, and add a fragrance of your choosing.

Now comes the part where you’ll need much patience and a strong arm. Mix everything well for a good 5 to ten minutes. What I did was add the aloe vera gel, mixed for 5 minutes, added the vanilla fragrance, and mixed again for another 5 minutes. All of this pays off in the end because what you end up with is a smooth mixture resembling cake batter. Once all of this is done, using a rubber spatula, scoop into a container (with a lid) of your choosing. This recipe will fill a 16 oz. container.

What you’re left with is a pudding-like substance. When I left my Curly Pants Frosting at room temperature it didn’t completely solidify. It’ll feel almost like butter when you scoop it out. Rub it a little between your fingers before applying. This is a great sealant because we’re using ingredients, like shea butter and coconut oil, to lock in moisture. With that said, make sure to spritz your hair first. This is not a moisturizer, despite how it feels. Remember, for a product to be a moisturizer one of its main ingredients needs to be water and this recipe's main ingredient is shea butter. 

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Shampoo can strip the hair of its natural oils. An alternative to using traditional shampoo is an apple cider vinegar rise or, as you will often see on hair care forums, ACV. It’ll rid your hair of product build up, restore the PH balance of your scalp, fight against dandruff causing bacteria, and close your cuticles. This protects the inside of the hair shaft and creates shiny, healthy strands. Here's the recipe I use:

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Aloe Vera Gel
3 drops rosemary essential oil
1 cup Purified or Distilled Water

This is a smaller solution fit for a 8 oz. spray bottle. This is for an easier application process and proves useful if you'd like to store it for a later date. Do keep in mind that although ACV on the PH scale is close to the acidic levels of hair, it is still an acid and should be treated accordingly. Overuse can degrade your hair shaft so pay close attention to how your hair reacts to these rinses. Like with most things in life, look before you leap. Start off with rinses once every month, using one or two tablespoon of ACV for every cup of water. Listen to your hair. You can always adjust these measurements depending upon your hair texture and porosity. 

 

Those with high porosity greatly benefit from these rinses because it’s closing the hair shaft so that you can lock in moisture. Those with low porosity hair may not benefit as much since their hair shaft is already closed. What low porosity peeps ought to try is a Cherry Lola Treatment which opens the hair cuticle so that it may absorb moisture.