My Top Five Tips for Low Porosity Hair

A while ago... and I do mean a while ago, I did a blog post on hair porosity (You can read it here). In this post, I discussed my own hair porosity, which you might have already guessed by the title, is low porosity. Being a low porosity girl is interesting. It definitely takes work--- mainly a lot of trial and error, but I have come across several tips that have made the difference in my low porosity hair. I figured I would share them with you whether you are newly natural or a natural hair veteran like me (Whoop! Whoop!).

Kurly Ken's Top Five Tips for Low Porosity Hair:

1. Clarify your hair. Low porosity hair typically accumulates product build up. Remember, low porosity hair can be stubborn in a sense that the hair shaft doesn't easily open up so there is an increased likelihood that products are sitting on top of hair causing build up. 

The best way to clarify your hair is to utilize a clarifying shampoo or treatment. Now, I love bentonite clay. It is a great clarifying treatment for your hair-- not to mention, it works well on your skin as a facial mask!!! Another common treatment is an apple cider vinegar rinse. And lastly, any shampoo that boasts "clarifying" properties is another great option when it comes to removing buildup. Remember, removing build up will allow the hair products to penetrate the hair shaft and do their job!

2. Deep condition with heat and/or steam to open up the hair cuticle. I just discussed how the hair cuticle of low porosity hair is a bit stubborn, and it takes more work for it to open. After removing any product build up with your clarifying product/treatment, you should use heat/steam to open the hair cuticle. The heat/steam will allow moisture to come in and work its magic!!! 

As a low po girl, you have a number of options you can use to incorporate heat into your wash day regimen. You can put your deep conditioner in a bowl and warm it up prior to applying it to your hair. You can also take a damp towel and warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds and apply it to your hair for additional heat. In addition to those methods, you can also place conditioner on your hair with a plastic cap and sit under a heated dryer. Many naturalistas are investing in a steamer as a means of incorporating heat into their regimen and can be quite effective at add wet heat to your hair regimen.

3. Add a little protein in your life. Some of the best proteins for low porosity hair are silk, wheat, and hydrolyzed protein. These proteins are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. Other proteins are too large and ultimately, they are unable to enter the hair shaft to strengthen the hair.

4. Warm water over cold water. Obviously, I have talked in length about the benefits of heat, and this is no different. Rinsing with warm water allows the hair shaft to stay open, further allowing the products to penetrate the hair. Cold water closes the cuticle, and I'll just stop right there. 

5. Apply products to damp hair- NOT wet hair! As a low po girl, putting products on WET hair is simply useless. Have you ever experienced that white product residue while doing your LCO method immediately after washing your hair? Then the next day you are stuck with horrible first day hair that resembles a greasy jherri curl!!! I know I have one too many times! It's like there is literally a layer of cream cheese looking products sitting on your hair---seriously! Well, that's low po hair for you, and low po hair has difficulty absorbing product when it is damp. Why so? Well, low porosity hair already has one moisturizer on it when it is wet, which is water!!! Therefore, allowing some of the water to evaporate provides room for other products to penetrate! 

Damp hair = faster product absorption; product penetration 

Wet hair = slower product absorbption; product build up

Alrighty low po peeps, do you feel more informed??? Do you have some new tips in your Arsenal? If these aren't new tips to you, were you reminded of some things you can add to regimen? I surely hope so. If there are some tips you have learned or even product suggestions, just leave them below. Lastly, be sure to check out my previous blog posts on...

Drink your Way to Healthy Hair Growth
Natural Hair: The Afro Puff

My Wash Day Regimen

My Current Natural Hair Regimen
Natural Hair: Tips for Hair Growth + Length Retention

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken  

My Natural Hair Wash Regimen

I thought I would dedicate today's post to discussing the details of my hair washing routine. So... Without further ado, the steps of my natural hair washing routine are as follows:

Numero Uno

Detangle: I detangle medium size sections of hair and place each section in twists. I spend a lot of time detangling my hair in the beginning because this makes the rest of my wash routine a breeze. 

Numero Dos

Prepoo: I go through each twist, smoothing coconut oil all over my strands. I then retwists the section. I repeat the same steps for each twisted section of my hair. Once my full head is complete, I place a plastic cap on my head for 30 minutes.

Numero Tres

ACV Mixture and Rinse: I create a spray bottle mixed with 1/3 apple cider and 2/3 water. After 30 minutes of pre-pooing, I unravel a twisted section and spray the ACV Mixture on my scalp, massaging my scalp to ensure the ACV is loosening any dirt and sweat in my scalp. I then retwists the section of hair and move to the next section. After I have gone through each section of my hair, I rinse my ACV Mixture out and typically repeat the process all over my head one more time. While I know this step may be time consuming, I walk away from this step knowing that my scalp is clean from the ACV Mixture and stimulated from the massaging. 

Numero Cuatro

Deep Condition: After I rinse the ACV Mixture out, I then place deep conditioner on each twisted section of hair with Creme of Natural Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment. I make sure to only apply the conditioner to my hair, avoiding my scalp. Additionally, I make sure I concentrate the deep conditioner on my ends since they are the oldest parts of hair and need the most moisture. The directions require you to leave this deep conditioner on for 10-15 minutes, but I always leave it on for longer than that out of sheer forgetfulness.

Numero Cinco

Rinse and Coat: After a while, I wash my deep conditioner out. I then untwist each section and coat it with my oil mixture (something I randomly made up). But honestly, any oil will do. I have also used pure olive oil to coat my hair with and this works just fine.

Numero Seis

Air Dry: I allow my hair to air dry and when it's fairly dry, I complete my LCO method. In the past, I would not allow my hair to air dry before applying the products in my LCO, and the next day my hair would be over saturated with product, resulting in a slight jherri curl type look! When I learned about my hair's porosity, I was able to understand more of the science behind the importance of allowing my hair to dry a bit before applying the products in my LCO method. Check out my last post on hair porosity when you have a chance. 

Once my hair is fairly dry, I apply my LCO products, which allows my hair to better absorb the product and I can stretch my hair a bit more for fluffy first day hair!! If you would like to know which products I use for my LCO method, check out this post on my entire natural hair regimen, which includes what I am doing internally and externally to promote healthy natural hair. 

Now, I'm sure you would like to see what my next day results were, right? 

Day 1 Hair

Day 1 hair was fluffy and fairly stretched. Now, day 3 hair was even better than day 1 hair. It was defined and shiny!

Day 3 Hair

So those are the deets on my natural hair washing routine. This routine is still in the works to identify the conditioner that works best for me, but I definitely have some great contenders for top products. If you have a great deep conditioner, please list it below. Also, if you have a bomb natural hair washing routine, list that as well. I'm always looking for insight!

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

So you just went natural, part 2

Hey Kurlies,

Hopefully, you have read the initial post to this series. If you haven't read it, read, So you just went natural, part 1. This second post is dedicated to providing my hair care tips for the newly natural. In the initial stages of being natural, it's very easy to become a product junkie, and I'm not judging. However, there are certain products/techniques that are staples to the newly natural, and I will discuss these products/ techniques below. Let's get right to it!

Hair Care Tips for the Newly Natural:

1. Moisturizing Conditioner. You need a moisturizing conditioner for co washing (conditioner washing) your hair. When I first went natural, my hair was very dry. Often times, I co-washed two to three times a week, and this was relatively easy since my hair was so short. Co-washing helps to restore the moisture levels of the hair. I used conditioners from Giovanni and Garnier mostly. While the Giovanni felt great on my hair, it did not sit well with my pocket book, especially since I co-washed so frequently.  I know other naturals who cowash with VO5 and Suave, which are less than $2 at most stores, and they still get the job done. 

2. Clarifying Treatment. A clarifying treatment will cleanse and remove scalp buildup, and this should be done at least once a month. When you are co washing frequently, it is very important to clarify your hair at least once a month to remove excess buildup from your pores. Some clarifying treatments can be found in the form of clarifying shampoos while others use apple cider vinegar (which I love) to clarify. 

3.  Deep conditioner. A great deep conditioner will allow you to nourish, moisturize and strengthen your hair. I used (and still use) Elasta QP-DPR and/ or Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise as my deep conditioner. There are so many deep conditioners out there, from Shea Moisture to Carol's Daughter to Oyin to Cantu Naturals. You get my drift! And if you can't find a deep conditioner you like, make one. Avocado with olive oil make a great deep conditioner! 

4. Styling Tools. Styling tools like a wide tooth comb, satin bonnet/cap/scarf/pillow case for night time and spray bottle for a moisturizing spray are staples when you first go natural. 

5. Items for the LOC method. The LOC method is the process of using a leave in/ liquid, oil, and cream (in that order) to moisturize your hair. This method is great for keeping your tresses moisturized and healthy. 

6. Hair Accessories. You hair will undergo a lot of changes within the initial months of being natural, and you may not always be fond of the changes. Keeping some cute hair accessories on deck, such as hats, bows, scarfs, and headbands, will help you get through those awkward hair moments and keep you from slipping back into creamy crackdom.

I dare add this next item to the list again, but this item is essential to being natural. Patience! Patience! Patience! Patience is truly a virtue that will be practiced throughout your natural hair journey. Be patient in how you handle your hair- no yanking, pulling, and other harsh measures with your hair. Also, be patient in your expectations for your hair. Don't expect your hair to go from shoulder length to bra strap length over night. In the end, your patience and care will pay off. We all have to start somewhere. Remember, with patience, comes growth.

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken