Low porosity hair...WTF is goin' on?!

Howdy, Y'all!

Ya know, I have been natural for about ten years, and like I stated in a recent post, I JUST found out that my hair is low porosity. What, you ask, does this mean? Well, for starters, it means that:

*When I did the porosity test (placing a clean strand of hair in a clear glass of water)- My hair stayed on the surface of the water. OVERNIGHT.

*When I tried to use the LOC (liquid oil cream) method with water, oil mix, and shea butter, my hair turned every surface into an oil slick. *le sigh*

* It takes forever for Claudette (my hairs given name) to dry. Like, I dry her with a t-shirt, think she's d dry, then put her in a puff. Only to feel water sliding down my neck hours later. In public.

*Having leave in treatments form white balls on my  hair, or not getting my shampoo to rinse out completely, so I have random foamy spots.

So I would often finish up a wash session with my face lookin like this:

Grrrrr.......!

But, even though I have been natural for ten years, my Healthy Hair Journey only started at the beginning of this year, and HHJ's never end. So, I did some research and I learned that when it comes to low porosity hair, especially mine, that:

* I like butters. My hair doesn't need them, because they are too heavy. They sit on top of my hair. 

*When I'm done washing, my hair is filled with water, so it WILL NOT absorb any product. I have to get it about 70% dry so that I can cram a leave in in there. 

* My new LOC method consists of: 

• Cantu Shea butter leave in for my liquid
• olive/jojoba/avocado oil for the oil
• That is all, I don't need a cream, so I guess I just have a LO method. Ha!

 So, My new regimen is changed to reflect not my 4b/c hair type, but my porosity type. It's been three weeks and even the hubs has noticed how my hair looks better. ( which is sayin alot, since he usually doesn't notice that type of thing. I mean seriously. If his life depended on him knowing any Kind of hair slang, like LOC, APL, or EVOO, He'd be dead, God bless him.)

Soooo, my new regimen is this:

• Co-washand detangle weekly with TreSemme  Luxurious Moisture Conditioner, and once a month with either Aussie Moist shampoo, or my Queen Helene mint julep shampoo
• Dry with a t-shirt until damp
• Do the ol' LO method
• Twist or band to stretch
• Deep condition as needed

Will my regimen change again? Of course it will. I tried to swear off shampoo, but I LIKE shampoo. I tried whipped shea butter cream, and I like having it around, but I don't need it. I thought type 4 hair loved butters. Perhaps that's true for some, but MY 4b/c LOW POROSITY hair finds them unnecessary. Oh well. That's life!

Ciao!

How has your regimen changed?

And I'm Back......

So, I have been offline for a while, dealing with health issues. Fun, Right? Anyhoo, I am back, and i will try to keep my posts to about once a week, I think that may be all I can manage. No big changes here, just trying to adjust to growing my hair.

Yes, growing it.and knowing it. You see, I have been " natural" for the better part of 10 years but I never really knew my hair until quite recently, perhaps around 2010, when i did my second big chop. So i learned a few things"

*I have a LOT of hair. I mean thick, floofy hair. A lot. Yeesh.

* I have low porosity hair. I was thinking that because my hair is so thick, that it must need heavy butters right? And often, right? Wrong! I just found out that my hair likes a good water based leave in, and then a light oil. I now only use my whipped shea butter for when I do protective styles that keep me from playin' around in my hair too much. But even then I have to use a light touch, otherwise I will be leaving and oil slick on all walls, car windows, and leather/pleather upholstery.

*I am still clipping off heat damaged ends, almost 9 months later. a bit at a time. *sigh*. But its almost gone! Almost.

* I am back to using shampoo, whenever my scalp itches. I found the best shampoo ever, Queen Helene Mint Julep shampoo concentrate. It smells like spearmint gum, and you mix it yourself, it lasts forever! yay!

* I tweaked my regimen.(again). And now I know that it's okay to do that. I'll post on that later, trust me, I am neurotic. So now for your viewing pleasure, here are some recent pics ( Guess which style is my go-to-I-ain't-got-time-but-wanna-look-fierce-style is!):

Ciao for now! Talk at ya later!