Hair care is one of the most important routines to grasp and understand. When meeting new people, hair is one of the first features people notice. The way you present yourself dramatically affects both how others view you, but more importantly, how you perceive yourself. But how can you expect to take care of your hair if you don’t know what it requires?
Many people aimlessly buy products that are popular on the internet or recommended to them from a friend, but then experience disappointment when the products are not compatible with their hair. The three key pieces of information to know about your hair is porosity, density, and hair type/curl patter.
Porosity
One of the first steps to understanding your hair is determining how porous it is. Porosity, in simple terms, is your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. To begin, there are 3 different types of porosity: low, medium, and high. Low porosity means hair cuticles are close together, medium means that the cuticles are less tightly bound, and high means cuticles are very far spaced.
Low Porosity
Low Porosity hair has some difficult attributes to deal with. To begin, low porosity hair takes a while to absorb moisture or water. As a result, that means that it takes a lot longer to dry. Meaning, when styling low porosity hair, you should consider using lightweight products like serums, gels, or mousse, in smaller, more manageably sized amounts. Some good brands are PATTERN, Shea Moisture, Camille Rose, and Rizo’s Curls.
High Porosity
On the other side of the spectrum, however, there is high porosity hair. Like low porosity, high porosity hair has difficult attributes that can affect the styling process as well. To start, high porosity hair absorbs moisture and products very easily. Because of this, it is easily susceptible to frizz, dryness, breakage, and tangles. Highly porosity hair requires a lot more care and attentiveness, especially when styling. It’s sensitive to high heat and heavy chemicals like dyes. The best tips for high porosity hair are to make sure you don’t shampoo often to avoid hair breakage. It’s also important to receive regular hair trims, avoiding tight styles, deep conditioning weekly, and using products that are packed with protein. Hair masks and deep conditioners can be done using hair butters and oils, like castor, argon, olive, etc. These products help lock in moisture so that daily product application is unnecessary.
Alrighty, now that we know what each hair type needs, how can you figure out which porosity applies to you? Well, the best way to figure out your hair porosity is to conduct the “water test”. During this test, you fill up a cup with water, and drop a decent size piece of hair into it. If the piece of hair quickly sinks to the bottom of the cup, it’s high porosity. If it takes a while (several minutes) to sink, it’s low porosity. If you feel like it’s in between, then its most likely medium porosity. Keep in mind, however, that just because you have low, medium, or high porosity hair, doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it. The porosity of hair can be heavily affected by how you take care and interact with it. Meaning, porosity can change if it’s heat damaged, harsh chemicals, like dyes, are consistently interacting with it, or maybe it’s simply genetics.
Hair Type
The second step to understanding your hair is identifying your hair type. Your hair type explains the curl pattern of your hair, and the shape of your hair follicles determine what hair type category it is placed in. There are 4 different hair type categories: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Then, they are further split up into categories using the alphabet letters A, B, and C. This is used to further specify your curl pattern. Type 1 refers to straight hair, 2 is wavy, 3 is curly, and 4 is tight curls/coily. You can use this chart to zone in on all the details of your hair so that you can learn what is needed to get the most out of your hair.
Type 1 – Straight
Type 1 refers to the hair follicles on your head having no curl pattern. Meaning, the hair doesn’t have any definition or “bounce”. Type 1 hair typically needs to be washed regularly due to natural oil build up, which can attract dirt, dandruff, and prevent hair growth. Good ways to deal with this is making sure to brush from roots to ends in order to distribute oil throughout your hair to keep it shiny and healthy. Dry shampoo is also a great alternative to avoid having to wash your hair every single day. Dry shampoo refreshes the roots of your hair and can add slight volume for a “fuller” affect. Another important factor to keep in mind is to use only a small amount of product so that you can avoid causing product build-up. Also avoid leave-in conditions, oils, and heavy products. Textured sprays are very helpful.
Type 2 – Wavy
Unlike type 1, type 2 hair has a slight “wave” to it, hence the name, wavy hair. However, type 2’s hair routine is very similar to straight hair. People with wavy hair should wash their hair regularly to also avoid oily hair. Type 2 hair owners should use lightweight conditioners, and avoid heavy deep conditioners, and leave-in conditioners so that the curls are not being weighed down. Instead, use foams, like mousses, and gels. Unlike straight hair, however, consider using a pick or root lifter to achieve more volume with curls.
Type 3 – Curly & Type 4 – Coily
Unlike types 1 and 2, curly and coily hair require heavier, more intense treatment. For tighter curl patterns like 3 and 4, avoid shampooing often because it can strip away natural oils. The oils in curly and coily hair are necessary for moisturization since the hair and scalp tend to be drier than wavy and straight hair. Meaning, they also benefit well from deep conditioners, hot oil treatments, and leave-ins. For the drying process, air drying works well for avoiding frizz, and blow drying is best for definition. Like type 2, also consider using picks and root lifters to increase volume.
Density
Don’t mistake hair porosity or hair types 1-4 for hair density, however. Hair density is the number of hairs on one’s head, and is determined by stress hormones, genetics, and nutrition. Heavy hair products can flatten low density hair but can improve shine and control of high-density hair. Hair density is an important factor to consider when determining your hair process and routine, but it is not determined by hair type nor porosity. Someone with straight hair can have highly dense and porous hair, or curly hair could have low porous and dense hair.
Every factor of your hair is determined by genetics and health, not stereotypes. Curly hair is denser than straight hair, yes, but that does not mean they have highly porous or dense hair. Everyone’s hair characteristics are different and unique in their own special way and should be embraced and loved by their owners. Hair care is for you, so that you can feel like the most beautiful version of yourself every day. Do your research and conduct experiments with your hair. It’s never too late to start your hair-care journey!
