Curly Hair

I have fine hair and am looking into trying more products. I'm a bit of a product junkie, always looking for a product that performs better than my current ones.

• Scrape test will show you all the buildup on your hair

Premise: scraping hair with scissors will show if there is "buildup" on the hair from silicone.

Experiment: wash two samples of hair twice each with a clarifying shampoo and use a conditioner with silicone on one sample and nothing to the other. Both strands were then scraped with scissors.

Result: lots of white residue came off the silicone treated hair and the sample with no conditioner.

The white residue is actually your cuticles being shredded and this act is super damaging to your strands.

• Drug store products buildup on hair, premium products don't

All conditioning products leave something behind to plug up the gaps and weaker spots in hair. Hair gets damaged everyday by brushing, washing, sun exposure, hair drying, straightening, and possibly bleach if you use it. So the hair strands initially grow out resistant with flat cuticles (not damaged) then become strands with raised cuticles with holes and gaps in them (damaged). To make the rough hair that has been damaged feel smooth again, conditioners plug up the gaps and some penetrate further inside the hair to make it smoother and stronger.

When hair is wet it gets negatively charged, the positive charge from cationic conditioners stick to the hair and reduces static and makes it smoother. Other conditioning ingredients include polyquaternium polymers, hydrolysed proteins, oils, and silicones. They work the same whether they're in luxury products or drugstore products.

• Product is bad if it weighs down hair

There are three main factors that determines how much conditioning ingredients will stick to your hair: what the ingredient is, how it's used on your hair (how you use it, how much is in the product, the formula), and what your hair is like. Don't use corase resistant products on fine porous hair, that will cause it to be greasy and stick together. It's like how a product for dry skin might be awful on oily skin.

• All silicones are the same

If you have enough silicone with a positive charge on your hair, extra silicones won't stick on anymore. Silicones can be heavier or lighter depending on its structure but still have the same name - e.g. dimethicone is a polymer that can be lots of different lengths and have different properties. Longer chains are heavier and thicker, shorter chains are more lightweight and spread more easily. There are lots of different grades, these grades do not mean higher and lower qualities.There's thousands of silicones. Just because you have a bad experience with one silicone doesn't mean that all silicones will react that way.

• What are your thoughts on these myths?

So sometimes my hair looks about how I want it, and I don't really want to disrupt it by scrunching. In this example I was happy with the crunchy result in terms of shape but IRL it did look kinda stringy. So instead of flipping and squishing it to break the cast, or leaving it alone to naturally soften, praying hands smoothed down the hair and rub at the roots released just enough of the stiffness without inducing more disorder than I was ready for.

Just a general tip - even though the phrase is "scrunch out the crunch" you can twist out the crunch or smooth out the crunch to leave the ends more defined and a calmer look.

(ETA: also shows that wavy hair can 'curl' from the root - that was one of the bizarre claims I saw on r/curlyhair, that curls always start at roots and waves always have straight roots. This person was classifying someone I'd have called at 3b as wavy because her curls started partway down the hair. Discussion got oddly heated. Root curl is independent of curl shape for sure.)

Don't use deep conditioner before shampoo. Use something cheap if you do because it is a waste. You should instead do an oil treatment.

Don't cowash if you are not washing more than 2 times a week

Smooth down conditioner rather than scrunching it in

Add water when detangling to help with slip

Deep condition when needed (mostly it is meant for not healthy hair)

Curl training while doing a treatment does not work, waste of time

Don't leave deep conditioner in for more than 30 minutes, waste of time

Use products for your texture and porosity

Prep with primer or leave in conditioner and then style with gel or foam, etc.

Save scrunching for the end

Add water (with spray bottle) before adding each product

Dry hair with (micro fiber) towel gently before air drying or diffusing, especially in high humidity

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq6AyDgIVk1

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtUo5W1I1OV

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtpOrbbLKMD

How porous or absorbent your hair is has a lot to do with how it looks and can help you decide what to use on your hair to help it look it’s best. A porosity is a hole or a gap – an opening.

Hair which is porous [aka high porosity] will take on water and other chemicals easily because of all the tiny openings in the cuticle. Water gets in and out easily.

Hair which is not very porous [aka low porosity] repels water and most other fluids and this is a good thing. Water doesn't get in or out easily.

It's fairly common to have hair that is porous on the ends, but not at the roots.

What causes porosity?

Weathering of hair, mechanical stress [combing, especially brushing, tieing up, rubbing, etc.], wetting and drying, shampooing, chemical treatments, and physical structure of hair. If your hair has waves, curls or (especially) kinks (and wavy hair can be kinky hair too), it is likely to have areas on the strand which are narrow, flattened, twisted or otherwise not as strong. Even the “cuticle armor” cannot protect these areas adequately. These are prone to breakage and damage and therefore become porous easily. Wavy and curly hair is also more prone to damage from daily life simply because it has bends in it.

How to Determine Your Hair's Porosity:

This is something you learn from studying your hair by running your fingers over a hair strand, observing shine or reflectivity, how hydrated your hair feels on a daily basis, and your hair's response to products.

Normal-porous hair: It shines, maybe not quite as much as not-porous hair. It perms and takes color as expected. Your hair can be normal-porous even if you use some heat on your hair (low-heat diffusers). Normal-porous hair does not become oily-looking with reasonable amounts of conditioners or oils. Normal-porous hair may have times when it feels a bit dry, or not dry at all and it is easy to make it feel "not dry" and soft with hair conditioner and gentle care. You perceive some "soaking in" of hair products. You probably have had some exposure to the full sun, possibly chlorinated swimming pools. Your hair may be not-porous near the roots and normal-porous further down and therefore respond differently to conditioners in those two areas, which is why many people condition their hair from the ears, down. If you run your fingers up and down an individual hair, it feels mostly smooth. This normal-porous hair has cuticle scales which look like shingles on a roof. They overlap and don't stick up much.

Porous hair: If you run your fingers up and down a hair strand, it may feel bumpy and uneven due to kinking, or to damage. Quite porous hair does not shine much and though it may have some gloss, it's not "reflective" or brightly shiny. It will seem to absorb hair products of any kind, tends to feel dry most of the time and you have a difficult time getting it to feel soft and pliable. Porous hair usually takes on dye, permanent waves and chemical straightening quickly. And loses dye quickly. Porous hair loses moisture easily.

Maintain Porosity:

Avoid too much handling, tight ponytail holders, excess heat (curling or straightening irons, blowdryers without a diffuser), prolonged exposure to sunlight, chemical treatments (permanent waves or chemical relaxers), and bleaching or permanent haircoloring. Don’t rub your hair roughly with towels, tie it up tightly every day, use metal barrettes with sharp edges. Avoid brushing or combing vigorously and with force. Do detangle with care, don’t wash hair every day, use dilute shampoos or mild shampoos.

Taken from:

https://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/porosity-in-hair.html

https://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/hair-porosity-how-to-measure-sort-of.html

I recommend using a chelating shampoo instead of the listed alternatives, it is easy to mess up hair if you don't have the proper pH. A chelating shampoo will be the proper pH and is effective.

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkZHgkDIM-6

The showerstik is the only shower head that can actually filter out the minerals that I know of, regular shower heads can help remove chlorine but will not make water soft.

Hardness prevents soap from lathering by causing the development of an insoluble curdy precipitate in the water; hardness typically causes the buildup of hardness scale (such as seen in cooking pans). Dissolved calcium and magnesium salts are primarily responsible for most scaling in pipes and water heaters and cause numerous problems in laundry, kitchen, and bath.

Symptoms of Hard Water include:

• Stiff, dingy laundry

• Mineral deposits on dishes and glassware

• High soap usage & need for fabric softeners

• Extra work to remove soap curd on bathtubs & shower stalls

• High energy costs, possibly due to scale build-up in pipes and on appliances

• Scale build up in sinks, tubs, faucets & appliances

Taken from:

https://wqa.org/Learn-About-Water/Perceptible-Issues/Scale-Deposits/

Map of Hard Water in the USA (USGS):

General guidelines for classification of waters are:

• 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft

• 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard

• 121 to 180 mg/L as hard

• More than 180 mg/L as very hard.

Taken from:

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water#overview

The enormous ponytail! I noticed it in a zoom call for work, it was a big round puff in the camera but when I got a better view it's just waves on waves.

My hair is fine, 2b/c, High porosity hair. It doesn’t curl for the first couple inches, but idk if that’s because of genetics or something I’m doing wrong. Either way, I have symptoms of not having enough of either protein or moisture. It’s dry and frizzy, and sometimes feels like hay, but also breaks easily and is stringy when it’s wet. All I do is shampoo and condition with shea moistures light blue hydrate and repair. I scrunch it damp and then diffuse on cool for a little but not fully dry. I need ideas for products, and I’m open for deep conditioners or hair masks or something, but I like to get out the door and try not to spend long styling it.

I just want to preface this one by saying everyone's hair is different, you may need to clarify more often or shampoo more often or maybe your hair is too fine to deep condition, etc. These are just general tips and not rules you have to follow. I think 4 and 5 apply to everyone better.

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqX6w7susJg

Artist is @cassandracalin

I am doing a very modified curly girl method, I'm not sure if I can still call it CGM at this point lol. I stay away from harsh shampoos and clarify regularly with Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate. I use products without silicones but it isn't a big deal to me if a product I want has silicone e.g. a heat protectant. I blow dry my hair with a diffuser on low heat, always using a heat protectant. I tend to stay away from products, like hairsprays, that have drying alcohols in them but I'm learning they may not be all that bad. I use wide tooth combs and a tangle teezer.

Ways to prevent or minimise split ends:

• Regular trims

• Be gentle when detangling and styling

• Don't overdo the dye or chemical treatments

• Go easy on the heat and, if you choose to use higher heat, use a heat protectant

• DO NOT apply extreme heat to wet hair (eg straightening)

• Use leave ins, gels, creams etc to protect the hair

• Sleep protect overnight

• Avoid over manipulation (accessories, constantly fiddling with the hair, etc.)

Any of you guys get frequent split ends? How do you tackle them? ❤

Graphics: created in canva and paint 3D by [welshiecurlgirl]

Sources: @therighthairstyles @philip_kingsley @marieclaireuk

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU_DAohoDKw

Hello curly gurls. After a decade of straightening my hair, I am embracing my natural hair texture and returning to the curly life. A lot of things are very new for me.

My question is, how do you put up your hair for things like the gym? I usually brush it (!) into a bun. This will obviously break up the curls and ruin them. But my hair is too heavy and hot to work out without putting it up. What do?

I wish mousse did this for me!

Artist is @cassandracalin on instagram.

What have you learned along the way you wish you would have known at the beginning?

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn-Mvu1I8DE

Where do you find more resources about curly hair?

Are there any youtube channels or blogs to learn more about taking care of it? A book maybe?

I use loads of conditioner, or else I couldn't detangle! Anyone else relate?

For me, I love kinky curly knot today. I don't need a lot and it gives me just enough moisture. If it had protein I think it would be perfect.

My favorite gel is Ouidad climate control (white bottle). It is a heat protectant as well and I feel like I don't need a whole lot of it. I'm currently experimenting with mousse/foams but it's hard to beat this gel.

I am really liking the Mop Top shampoos, most low-poos feel like they don't clean enough but these do.

Btw I have long, fine, low density hair that is mostly 3a/3b and is more on the high porosity side.

Also I snagged a dyson supersonic second-hand and it is so much better than my previous dryer I used with the deva diffuser. It feels kinda hot but it doesn't do heat damage (that I've noticed at least).

What is your summer routine, products and process?

I have thick coarse loosely but stubbornly curly hair (around 2c), mostly low porosity and having good success with:

Malibu C hard water shampoo

Innersense Hydrating Cream Conditioner (raked through in sections working up from nape, mostly left in, just a gentle rinse of the roots)

Jessicurl confident coils & Davines serum raked into sections, very wet hair (4 sections, each gets one pump of the lotion and one drop of the serum, mixed)

Squelch squelch scrunch then blot with a cloth. Sometimes wrap it in a plop arrangement, trying not to stretch it out.

Then Ouidad Climate Control Extreme gel. Patted through the length, and scrunched into the ends. Then if I have time, air dry an hour before diffusing. If I don't have time, hair dryer on high without diffuser for 5 minutes trying not to let it move around too much, then a quick scrunch with the diffuser on. It doesn't get all the way dry but any time with hair dryer cuts overall dry time by hours.

Taken from:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtZbW0qugyS