Hey Maicurlies,

One thing us naturals can agree on is (our hair needs moisture scratch that) OUR HAIR THRIVES ON MOISTURE. If you are able to get moisture to penetrate the cuticle of your hair, reach the core and (fingers crossed) retain the moisture then chances are your hair will be a happy camper.

I was recently asked to make a video showing what my hair looks like when it is product free after being freshly washed. The lovely lady who requested the video stated she was having issues with her hair and wanted to see what my hair looked like. I will have that video up soon.

First I want to point out I am not a hair expert nor am I professional I am however aware of what my hair likes/doesn’t like and can pretty much tell by the ingredients in a product if my hair will respond positively or negatively to it (most of the time not always).

Our ability to grow healthy hair has to do with knowing how our hair is structured such its porosity & width but also the ingredients in the products we use. Some of you might already be aware of this however, if you are newly natural or unsure then I hope this post will be helpful 🙂

I’ve previously mentioned that I wrote about porosity and hair width for Global Couture and have linked the two articles below: 

How to Find the RIGHT Products for Your hair (Part 1: Porosity)

How to determine the right products for your hair (Part 2: Hair Width)

I was able to identify that I have medium/high porosity with it leaning more towards high porosity and fine hair strands. If you are unsure of how to do the tests to determine your porosity and width there are simple testes you can do at home which you can read about here. 

Porosity – How your cuticle is laid. There are 3 main categorizes:

• Low Porosity – difficult to absorb moisture due to closed cuticle but once moisture is in the core it is well retained.
• Medium Porosity – easy to absorb and retain moisture due to optimum laid cuticles (lucky people!)
• High Porosity – easy to absorb moisture but also to lose it due to highly raised cuticles.

My Hair Porosity

I could not only tell from the results of the porosity test but also because of how quickly my hair absorbs anything I apply and how quickly it can become dry if I do not seal my hair properly. Moisturizing and sealing my hair during the week is necessary if I want it to remain moisturized and avoid breakage. After doing a deep condition I will dilute ACV & water run that over my hair and then do a final rinse with cool water (not always pleasant) but necessary.

In the past I have only ever used oils after moisturizing because I did not have access to butters however all that has changed now. 🙂 With that said, I also have to be careful of how I use my products and how much I use. If I am not careful I can weigh down my curls due to the fact that I have fine hair strands (will be covered below). 

It is all about layering products for me so I moisturize (water + leave-in) and the seal (oil and/or butter). 

Hair width – Identifying you hair’s width allows you to not only determine which products to use but can also help you with length retention and healthy hair growth. Hair width means finding out how thick or thin your individual hair strand is.  There are 3 main categories of hair width:

• Fine – The hair strands are thin and can be weighed down if a lot of heavy or thick products/ingredients are overly used. The hair is fragile and extremely susceptible to breakage if it is not handled with a gentle hand and care.
• Medium – The hair is neither thick nor thin and is able to handle both heavier and lighter products/ingredients but should still be used in moderation.
• Coarse -The hair strands are thick and might require you to “work in” products/ingredients in order for them to be dissipate in the hair. It is said to be “strong” but still requires a gentle hand when manipulating it in order to retain and grow your hair

My hair Width

As mentioned I have fine hair and yes a little too much of ANYTHING can weigh down my hair. I like to refer to it as “mousy” (when my hair is damp/wet). I literally look like a wet cat  and detest going out like that! So even “good ingredients” such as creams or butters can really make my hair look lifeless, flat and greasy. 

While I need to follow the steps of moisturize and seal, in the back of my mind I always have to remember too much of a good thing can be bad. This also applies for styling products.

When it comes to handling my hair I have to be extremely careful. Rushing through detangling is just screaming for breakage which, I have done more than I’d like to admit. So I also look to strengthen and thicken my hair with the help of my Henna treatments. 

How do you take care of your hair based on your porosity and hair width? I would love to hear from you.

Thanks