Principle of Moisturization-Part 2

Hair Type: All

Hair Porosity: All

Hair Sensitivities: All

Hair Goal: All

(Read the previous blog to catch-up!) Moisturized hair is hair that holds onto hydration for a long period of time. This is the first step to knowing if your hair is healthy or not. Chronically dry hair, meaning hair that is constantly dry, or hair that dries out fast, is not truly healthy. You need to teach your hair to hold onto moisture.

Low Porosity Moisture Essentials

To find out what your goal is, you need to find out what porosity your hair is. If you have low porosity, your hair has issues obtaining hydration. You may struggle with constantly dry hair. Your hair feels hard, feels like hay, or feels stripped. Even when you put product in your hair, your hair does not soften or smooth out. It still feels hard underneath the product. This leads to constant breakage, split ends, frayed ends, and uneven ends. Your goal is to OBTAIN moisture. To get the moisture in your hair. Once the moisture is in low porosity hair, it will stay. Low porosity hair retains moisture extremely well.

The Basics for the LP Community

Basics Products	Basic Methods
hair lotions-these are thin, lightweight leave-ins that do NOT feel watery or goopy hair moisturizers (the product must say moisturizer)-like hair lotions, these are lightweight products that are not watery, but more smooth and greasy; smooth and thin consistency lightweight hair cremes-souffle-like, whipped like consistency; leave-ins that have a light, smooth feeling	massaging the product into your hair (using prayer hands or just pulling and smoothing the hair) using a heating cap and/or hooded dryer to open up cuticles so product can absorb/penetrate into the hair strands using a shower cap to trap heat (greenhouse method) and open up cuticles for product to absorb/penetrate into the hair strands

Low porosity hair should stay away from: hair spritz (water/conditioner spray), hair milks (basically fancy water/conditioner spray), leave-in conditioners, and heavy hair creams (yes, I spelled it differently). Creams are more watery and heavy. Cremes are more lightweight and oily. Low porosity hair hates water. So anything that feels like water is not going to make your hair the happiest.

Stick to finding products that are thin, lightweight, and feel like an actual skin lotion. These products do not feel wet but will be able to go underneath your flattened cuticles and help moisturize your hair strands.

High Porosity Hair Essentials

High porosity hair has no issue obtaining moisture. High porosity hair absorbs product so much and gains hydration faster than low porosity hair. Due to the nature of high porosity hair, the goal is to RETAIN moisture. High porosity hair loses water as quickly as it gains. If you notice that you are spritzing your hair throughout the day, replenishing your hair every day, or your hair dries quickly after you wash--you may have high porosity hair. Moisture retention is your true struggle.

The Basics for the HP Community

Basic Products	Basic Methods
hair spritz-water and conditioner mixed together in a spray bottle leave-in conditioners- heavier creams that feel wet, watery, and goopy. High amounts of water and less oil thick creams-even heavier leave-in conditioners that are less wet or more solid, but still have a degree of water in it	to retain the moisture-you need oils/butters to seal in the moisture. This will slow down the water from evaporating from your hair strands if you do not use oils/butters-you can use gel/mousse (but these also have oils in them) to seal in the hair. High porosity hair is more receptive to gels and mousse than low porosity hair

Notice that I did not talk about physical methods for high porosity hair. High porosity hair can definitely benefit from a low porosity method or two, but it is not needed. Remember, your hair porosity determines your hair goal. High porosity hair needs to focus on keeping moisture in the hair. Using heavy creams helps to force moisture deep into the hair strand. Using oil helps to slow down the evaporation process.

Remember this...

As the blog progresses, we will be going into detail about different porosities, different products, and different methods. But for now, we just need the basics. This is a hair journey. Everything in due time.

🌸Make Sure to Subscribe

Part 2 of the Moisture series is done! Take a screenshot. You'll need this info when it comes to working out your hair routine. Make sure to comment, like, and subscribe for upcoming blog posts! You really do not want to miss the rest of these blogs. Healthy hair starts with a healthy amount of information. This is the one-stop-shop for ALL your hair needs, hair secrets, and hair woes. Follow us on Instagram or Tik Tok @africanhaircarescience for updates and more! We cannot wait to make you a part of our African HairCare Community