Health & Fitness

Important Things To Know About Hair!

Hey everyone! So, I just wanted to talk about some important things you may want to know about your hair! I have been natural for almost 3 years and trust me, I know the struggle of getting started when you have no idea what to do first. I know that it's extremely tempting to want to try EVERYTHING like a kid at a candy store. But unfortunately, that's not how our hair works. Everyone has different hair necessities. But I think that knowing the basic characteristics of your hair is the most important step prior to getting started so that you can understand what allows your hair to thrive! So, I will divide this Mytake into 3 sections: Hair Type, Hair Density & Thickness, and Hair Porosity.

HAIR TYPE:

Hair type chart
Hair type chart

This chart helps you to determine your hair texture. Keep in mind that this chart cannot help you determine what products you should use on your hair but it can give you an idea of ways you can style your hair.

1a hair tends to be soft, shiny, oily, poor at holding curls but difficult to damage.

1b hair is characterized by body and volume

1c hair tends to be bone-straight and difficult to curl.

2a hair has definite "S" pattern and is usually receptive to a variety of styles.

2b hair can tend to be frizzy and a little resistant to styling.

2c hair is frizzy with thicker waves; often more resistant to styling.

3a hair is curly hair that usually presents a definite "S" pattern and tends to combine thickness, fullness, body, and/or frizziness.

3b hair is curly and is as 3a but with curly like a spiral.

3c hair is curly with coils. It has well-defined tight coils with a lot of strands densely packed together.

4a kinky hair tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled can feature curly patterning.

4b hair is kinky and as 4a but with less visible curly patterning.

4c hair is as 4a and 4b hair but with almost no defined curly pattern.

Your hair can have a mixture of different hair textures. In fact, that is very common. I have a mixture of 3c and 4a hair!

Hair Density & Thickness

First 3 is density and the last 3 pertains to thickness
First 3 is density and the last 3 pertains to thickness

Hair density pretty much refers to how much hair is on your head. One way you can find out your hair density is by pulling your hair to the side and seeing how much of your scalp you can see through your hair. If you can't see any of your scalp, your hair density is thick. If you can see a lot of your scalp, your hair density is thin, and if you see a little bit of your scalp your hair density is medium.

If you were take a single strand of your hair, you may notice that your hair may feel like a very thin line, medium, or coarse. One simple way to find out your hair thickness is by taking a single strand of hair between your fingers and continuously rub it. If the strand feels like nothing between your fingers, it is possible that you have thin hair. If the strand feels like something between your fingers but if your were to take your mind off of it, you may forget it's there then your hair is medium in thickness. If you can clearly feel your hair strand and its difficult to not notice it as it's rubbing through your fingers, then you have thick hair.

The reason why knowing your hair density and thickness is important is because it helps you to figure out how gentle you need to be with your hair. If your hair is very thin, it is better to use light hands when handling your hair because you have less hair to lose.

Hair Porosity

Hair porosity chart
Hair porosity chart

Hair porosity is one of my favorite topics when dealing with hair because in my honest opinion, it is the most important thing to know about your hair. Understanding your hair porosity opens up your understanding and can change your life! My household is full of ladies and not every product works the same for each of our heads. I have high porosity hair, my younger sister has low porosity hair, and my older sister has medium hair porosity. So we have to all use different products. So lets get into the differences between these porosity types!

A simple way to find your hair porosity is by taking a cup of room temperature water and a strand of your hair. Make sure your hair is freshly washed with zero products on it because it may alter your results. If your hair falls to the bottom of the cup, you have high porosity. If your hair floats in the middle, you have medium hair porosity. If your hair stays at the top of the water, you have low hair porosity.

Low Porosity Hair

Hair does not easily allow moisture in or out. Strands have a tightly bound cuticle layer with overlapping scales and hair is more prone to product buildup. Hair may feel dry.

Tips:

- Limit protein products and heavy oils and butters which can cause build-up.

- Use warm water when washing hair to open cuticles.

- Use clarifying shampoo to help remove build-up.

- Use light, water-based products like light oils.

--Before moisturizing hair, use heat (such as a heating cap) to help open up cuticles.

Medium Porosity Hair

Hair allows the right amount of moisture in and out. This hair porosity needs the least amount of maintenance, holds styles better and usually doesn't suffer from dryness.

High Porosity Hair

Hair is usually damaged by chemicals like color, heat, or relaxers. Cuticle has gaps that make it easy to receive moisture but loses the moisture just as easy. Hair is more prone to frizz and usually does better with heavier products like.

Tips:

-Incorporate regular protein treatments in regimen.

- Do protective styles such as buns, braids, and twists with your own hair to help close cuticles and lock in moisture.

- Use heavier products like heavy oils, cream, and butters.

- Always wet hair with liquid (preferably water or aloe vera juice/gel) before applying moisturizer

-ALWAYS seal your hair. You can do this by using LOC method which is :liquid, oil, cream. There are other ways to seal but that is one of the most popular ways.

I hope this Mytake was beneficial for you! I will be doing a protein treatment using rice water for my hair. I was thinking about doing a mytake of my experience with pictures and advice after a couple of months of doing it. If you are interested in me doing a mytake like that, please let me know so I can remember to take pictures of everything :)

Important Things To Know About Hair!
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