I've complained over and over about how long it takes for my hair to dry and how after a few days my hair feels dry, no matter how well I think I've moisturized it. I've done a bunch of research and I've come up with an answer -- I HAVE LOW POROSITY HAIR Y'ALL!!!!!!
WHAT IS POROSITY????
Glad you asked.. Hair porosity is essentially your hair's ability to soak up moisture. In my case, my hair shaft has overlapping scales that lay flat making it hard for moisture to get in or out (think of shingles on a roof) This explains why it takes so long for my hair to seem wet on wash day!
HOW DO I FIND OUT MY HAIR POROSITY????
The Float Test:
Take a few strands of shed hair from your scalp and place them into a clear bowl of room temperature water. Wait 5mins. If your hair floats, you have low porosity, If it sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity.
The Slip'n'Slide Test:
Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft
(toward the scalp). If you feel little bumps along the way, this means that
your cuticle is lifted and that you have high porosity. If your fingers slip
smoothly, then you have low porosity hair.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOW WHAT????
Now I adjust my regimen to meet my specific needs.. If I want to combat these overlapping scales and get as much moisture in as possible I need to temporarily raise my cuticle.
My new regimen will include:
My new regimen will include:
- The baggy method (forces the moisture into the hair shaft)
- Steaming (the steam heat raises the cuticle to allow moisture in)
- Cherry Lola treatments (an alkaline treatment -- baking soda -- that raises the cuticle)
Low porosity hair is still considered to be healthy hair. While it is a bit of a challenge to get moisture in; once its in it isn't that easy to lose either -- My hair shaft is just as stubborn as I am *shrugs* who knew?!
I will keep you dolls posted and expect new reviews on my revised regimen. The task at hand is to beat my low porosity hair with a bit of experimentation I think I can get it done.
DO YOU HAVE LOW/HIGH POROSITY???? ANY SUGGESTIONS????
Question, I did the float test on several clarified/chelated pieces of hair strands and my hair floated but when I rub my fingers up the hair shaft it's so bumby. Why is this? And when my hsir is wet it feels moisturizes but soon as it dries it feels like a birds nest. Also every time I condition my hair it just feels like the conditioner sits on top on straw like hair. My hair feels so hard I'm confused??
ReplyDeleteOK.. So it sounds like you could have a few things going on.. The bumps you feel when you run your fingers up the shaft of your hair suggest that the cuticle is raised -- this is an example of high porosity. Since i don't knw your particular hair regimen it is difficult to say for certain. Do you use heat? flat irons? Blow dryers? Raised cuticles could be the result of heat damage. I would suggest you google the "cherry lola treatment" and try that - it should help you with closing the cuticle after it has been moisturized. As far as the conditioner jst sitting on top of your hair and nvr really penetrating it could be the conditioner itself. R u using a silicone free conditioner? silicones ,while good for some things, create a barrier around the shaft and don't really allow moisture to get thru. If you aren't already using a silicone free conditioner I would say give it a try and hopefully that helps. Also, for me I deep condition using the baggy method -either overnight or while I'm at school at least once a week. Apply your deep conditioner of choice and cover your head with a plastic bag - the heat from your head and the bag basically forces the moisture into the strands of hair. The straw like feeling you mentioned could be from protein overload -- again I cant say for sure what u r using but if u r protein sensitive and your weekly routine has products with proteins in them your hair could be screaming out for help. check your products and b patient. You may not want to switch up your whole routine at once but try one new thing every few weeks to see if it helps you out any.
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