Hair Typing Series Part 2(a) of 3 :-)

Hey There Guys!!!

:-)

Yeppers peppers! So here we are, on Part 2(a) of 3 of the Hair Typing Series.

In this post I'll be answering the following question…

Hair Typing - How does this affect how I go about building a Hair Care Regimen?

*Due to the length of the original post it was split into 2 parts, (a) and (b) so as to not BOMBARD the potential reader, :-D*

Goodie! So now that we have a fair idea of all that goes into Hair Typing, now what?

…

Over the past year of learning and information/tip gathering, I've been following a certain plan so-to-speak of Hair Regimen Basics. It’s kind of a shell that allows me to experiment with products or techniques in the future ONCE all of my basics are covered.

      My Hair Regimen Basics

·   Cleansing

·   Moisture Supply and Retention

·   Protein/Moisture Balancing
*will be covered in this post

·   Hair Manipulation & Protective Styling

·   Relaxing/Texlaxing & Relaxer/Texlaxer stretching

·   Heat vs No Heat
*will be covered in the next post: Hair Typing Series Part 2(b) of 3

Cleansing

Cleansing is very important!

We need to clean our hair strands - exposed to the elements (dust, air pollution sweat etc) - and our scalp to keep the environment that our follicles live in nice and healthy so that they feel so happy they feel like growing hair without abandon! Lol!

Now this can be done using Shampoo – Regular or Mild/Moisture based shampoos

&

It can also be done using a Cleansing Conditioner

CURL PATTERN:

I know someone somewhere out there is thinking: "But Rach, isn't your chemically treated? why are you taking curl pattern into account?"
This is true, my hair is Texlaxed, but my new growth is very much "natural hair" with different kinks and coils that I have to manage with love and tenderness,
and, my hair being texlaxed is much closer in texture to my natural hair kinks and coils than my relaxed ends are.

Plus I have found that there is A LOT to be learned from both natural and relaxed ladies in terms of hair care regimen tips and tricks,

So I've included the "curl pattern" discussion here.

In general, the kinkier or more coily that your individual strands are, the MORE PRONE they are to dryness. The straighter the strand is, the easier it is for the natural oils from the scalp to travel down the hair shaft, the more coily/kinkier the hair strand is, the less that said oils can travel down the entire shaft, thus rendering the hair strand more dryness-prone.

So, that being said,

• Often times the ladies with curl patterns closer to the 1 side of the spectrum can get away with/need a regular shampoo to cleanse their scalp and hair, from alternate daily to weekly.
• Those toward the middle of the spectrum would tend towards cleansing less often with a regular shampoo or using a more Moisture-based shampoo instead, and using either a Cleansing Conditioner or Co-Washing in between shampoo washes
• Those closer to the 4 side of the spectrum, like me :-), will be less likely to use regular shampoo and if they do it would be once every 2 weeks to once a month to give a thorough cleansing, Otherwise they would tend to need a Moisture based Shampoo for sure! Once a week to once a month, with Co-washing or Conditioner cleansing in between as needed (this can mean alternate daily to once or twice weekly depending on the individual).

*CURL PATTERN SUMMARY – The above is Just a GUIDE for those just starting out and are not sure where to start. As you go through your, journey you may find that your hair DEFIES the above “rule”, cool beans! Listen to your hair! Learning to listen comes with time, trial and error and practice. 

STRAND THICKNESS:

In general, 
The finer the hair strands are, the more prone to tangling and breakage during manipulation – 
in this case the process of washing,

The thicker/coarser the hair strands are the more likely they will be able to hold up to manipulation.

*Hair pin on the left, My hair strand on the right, really really fine!*

• So ladies with Fine strands would often benefit from washing hair in sections to avoid stress on the strands from aggressively trying to get shampoo or cleansing/ cowashing conditioner to the middle of the hair thus risking breakage to hair at the edges etc. The smaller the sections, the better.
• The coarser/thicker strand ladies are more likely to be able to get away with washing in larger sections e.g. just two (left and right) or not sectioning at all with no issues.

My hair is very very very FINE, so I wash in sections, ALWAYS, this has definitely helped reduce breakage in the shower.

*AGAIN this is a very GENERAL TIP meant as a guide, not as a hard and fast rule. If you are unsure, err on the side of caution and wash your hair in sections (2 or 3 or 4 to begin with) because both hair types stand to benefit from this technique anyway!
:-)

STRAND DENSITY:

• The more hair strands you have in total, the more product will required, and the more likely you will have to wash/co-wash in sections to make sure that you reach all the hair strands.
• The less dense your hair is, the less sections that you may be required to make, and quite often less product is required.

POROSITY:

• The more porous the hair is, the quicker it will be to GAIN as well as LOSE moisture! I would definitely suggest co-washing or sticking to a mild or moisturizing shampoo in this case.
• The less porous the hair is, the harder is it is for it to gain moisture from products, so they can be prone to PRODUCT BUILD UP, and so such people would benefit from clarifying their hair with a regular shampoo more frequently than their High Porosity counterparts.

Moisture Supply and Retention

Very IMPORTANT!!
In fact I found this to be the most important thing to start, a routine for adding and keeping the moisture in my hair strands!

My Hair was Chronically Dry Relaxed Hair before because I had no idea that moisture wasn't provided by oil, :-D, and that I was supposed to add moisture outside of relaxer day,
Can you imagine??? J sure you can ;-) I know I wasn't alone!

But I digress…

Ways to Gain Moisture:

1. Deep Condition regularly, at least once a week in the beginning.
2. Try adding heat to your Deep Conditioning Session - Use a plastic cap and sit under an over heat dryer or even a Steamer (without the plastic cap in this case).
3. MOISTURIZE & Seal your strands daily - switch to alternate daily or twice daily depending on what your hair needs
4. Baggying and GHE (Green House Effect Method) daily to every 3 days, or as needed.
5. Drink lots of water! This won't directly moisturize your hair but its great for the in the long run so I figured I'd insert that little tid bit here! :-)

Ways to Retain Moisture:

1. Moisturize & SEAL your strands daily switch to alternate daily or twice daily depending on your hairs needs.
2. Try Protective/Low Manipulation Styling - this helps to keep moisturized hair moisturized, often times free hair strands dry out faster.
3. Sealing cuticles after rinsing out your Moisturizing Deep Conditioner by: Rinsing with cold water or Apple Cider Vinegar Rinsing.
4. Protect hair at night with a Silk or Satin Scarf - helps to reduce loss of moisture.

Who needs to pay extra attention to Gaining and Retaining Moisture?
 Well, everyone should, but some ladies' hair is more prone to dryness than others...so they need to be a little EXTRA mindful...

CURL PATTERN:

• In general, the kinkier or more coily that your individual strands are, the MORE PRONE they are to dryness. 
• The straighter the strand is, the easier it is for the natural oils from the scalp to travel down the hair shaft, thus providing moisture. 
• The more coily/kinkier the hair strand is, the less that the said oils can travel down the entire shaft, thus rendering the hair strand more dryness-prone.

If you know that the latter is the case for you, pay extra special attention to both gaining & retaining :-) 

POROSITY:

• High Porosity Hair Strands gain moisture quite quickly. Gaining moisture is not too hard for this hair type, BUT, the problem comes when it tends to LOSE said moisture just as quickly! Talk about frustration! Lol.
• So High Porosity Haired Ladies must be especially mindful of techniques that help hair to Retain Moisture
• Low Porosity Hair Strands do not gain moisture as readily as Low porosity hair. But when they do gain moisture, they lose said moisture far less quickly than high porosity hair strands.
• So Low Porosity Haired Ladies must be especially mindful of techniques that help hair to Gain Moisture

Protein/Moisture Balance:

This is important for everyone regardless of hair type.

Healthy strong hair strands are in a harmonious protein-moisture balance.
:-)

Of all the categories of Hair Typing,
the one that matters most where addition of Protein to the regimen is concerned,
is Porosity.

POROSITY:

• High Porosity hair whether damaged (thermal, mechanical or chemical) or naturally so and regardless of the other Hair Typing components, often requires more protein in their regimen as discussed in previous post -  to seal the gaps in the individual strands making it easier for them to retain moisture as well as making them stronger and less prone to breakage.
• Protein is therefore an important addition to any High Porosity girls hair care regimen.
• Low porosity Haired girls may find they are "Protein Sensitive" i.e., their hair gets brittle or breaks sometimes when protein is applied.

If you are not sure what category you fall into,
What should you do?
Err on the side of MOISTURE! & try to incorporate a LIGHT protein treatment every 2 weeks or so and see how the hair feels.
Protein moisture balancing can be tricky,
It all comes down to listening to your hair.
Always start with MOISTURIZING treatment, and if you are still having breakage, THEN try a LIGHT Protein, and if that helps any at all then you can graduate all the way up to a strong protein treatment as dictated by your hair.
:-)

Yup yup! There's still much more to talk about,
But I figured it may be a bit too much to digest all in one sitting.

Part 2(b) will be coming very soon
which covers
 the following Hair Care Regimen Basics with respect to
 the different components of Hair Typing:

·   Hair Manipulation & Protective Styling

·   Relaxing/Texlaxing & Relaxer/Texlaxer Stretching

·   Heat vs No Heat

Sorry I couldn't have brought it to you earlier,Big Hugz!
See you guys again soon!

*Oh! Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert, the above information is what I have gathered and learned from reading, trial and error over the past year and a half. It is meant as a guide. No one regimen will suit everyone's hair needs, but it's easier for us to start out our healthy hair journeys with a basic guide, and knowing the REASONS WHY each aspect of our regimens is important.*

THANKS AGAIN FOR STOPPING BY!

Xoxo,

Rachie :-)