What's My Type - Part Two

Alrighty, guys, so by now you've determined your Hair Texture, Porosity, Density and Diameter, right? If not, stick a pin in this post and go here to figure these out!

In Part Two of this series, we'll be discussing the best Cleansers, Conditioners and Stylers to use for your Hair Type. Doing the research for this post was super helpful - it really helped me put together various facts that I've learned throughout the years into a concise form. I'm so excited to share it with you guys!

In a nutshell, your hair Texture doesn't play much of a part when it comes to choosing the best products for your hair. It definitely doesn't link to the Cleansers and Conditioners that you might enjoy most. And when it comes to Stylers, this is more of a personal preference in regards to your Texture. Generally speaking, Type 2 textures prefer lighter products (or a lighter application of heavier products) and Type 3 and 4 prefer products with a bit more heft (or a heavier application of lighter products), but again this is all personal preference so I'm not going to spend much time here.

Porosity, however, is a different story. Remember that Porosity simply refers to how much the cuticle is raised and therefore how well your strands retain moisture. Because of this, high porosity hair, or hair with raised cuticles, don't require ingredients with small molecules - their hair strands can be easily penetrated. So, moderately penetrating oils like Olive, Castor, Avocado and Sweet Almond work well and even Grapefruit and Shea, which have larger molecules, are great to seal in moisture that could otherwise easily escape. Likewise, when you need a dose of protein, you have the luxury of choosing those with larger molecules like Keratin as well as smaller ones like Quinoa, Wheat and Oat.

Low porosity hair on the other hand, needs oils that can easily penetrate like Coconut, Palm, Babbasu and Sunflower but can usually handle slightly larger ones like Olive, Castor, Avocado and Sweet Almond. Grapeseed and Shea oil/butter might be a bit heavy for low porosity hair.

Let's talk Density. High density hair has strands that are closely packed together. For this reason, look out for cleansers, conditioners and stylers that have lots of slip to promote easy detangling. You might prefer cleansers and conditioners with a thinner consistency that allow you to work them through your strands with ease. Those with Medium or Low density hair probably will enjoy products with good slip as well although it's not as much of a necessity. Curlies with low density hair usually like to avoid heavy products so that they can achieve more volume. If this is the case for you, watch out for those low penetrating oils like Shea and Grapeseed since they will just sit on the hair shaft and weigh you down.

Finally, let's wrap up this conversation discussing the products that work best for your hair strand's diameter. This is where my research proved most enlightening! Here we go... Fine strands lack much structure - they are more pliable and prone to damage. Do you see where I'm going with this? Fine strands need more protein in their diet! On the contrary, coarse strands are more strong and rigid and require less protein. I think that this is where "protein sensitivity" comes into the conversation - my theory is that it directly relates to those with coarse strands. Now, remember that just because you have fine strands doesn't mean that you get to just slap any protein treatment onto your hair and expect it to get what it needs. If you are low porosity, you need to be giving your hair protein with smaller molecules so that they can actually penetrate the hair shaft, otherwise, it's just going to get washed away when you rinse the treatment off.

To help bring this all home, here's a table to summarize this information!

	Cleansers	Conditioners	Stylers
Texture
Type 2	n/a	n/a	Generally speaking, Light weight foams, creams and gels
Type 3	n/a	n/a	Generally speaking, Medium weight creams and gels
Type 4	n/a	n/a	Generally speaking, Heavy weight creams and gels
Porosity
High	Moderate and Low penetrating oils	Moderate and Low penetrating oils  Small or Large proteins	n/a
Medium	Easy and Moderate penetrating oils	Easy and Moderate penetrating oils Small proteins	n/a
Low	Easy penetrating oils	Easy penetrating oils Small proteins	n/a
Density
High	Allows for easy distribution and detangling	Allows for easy distribution and detangling	Allows for easy distribution
Medium	Allows for easy distribution and detangling	Allows for easy distribution and detangling	Allows for easy distribution
Low	n/a	n/a	n/a
Diameter
Fine	Consider protein	Consider protein	Consider protein
Medium	Consider protein	Consider protein	Consider protein
Coarse	Watch out for protein overload	Watch out for protein overload	Watch out for protein overload

 

I really hope that you guys found this post and the overall series helpful. Feel free to refer back to it when choosing products for your hair. Remember that your natural and curly journeys often take place on winding roads, so be patient with your hair and yourself and try to enjoy the trip!

XOXO,

Adria