Low Porosity Support Thread

[uofmpanther]

uofmpanther,

I might? I duno what bagging is haha ill get my hair as wet as possible put a shower cap, scarf and winter hat on and then go to bed. Should I mist my head instead of making it soaking wet?

You baggy . You might want to try misting. Although, I've never tried soaking wet, so I don't know if it works the same. I get my hair just damp enough that the conditioner spreads.

 

[McQuay30]

LolaRed

In my experience henna will only make low porosity hair worse b/c it coats the hair & is permanent! I didn't even know I had low porosity hair years ago when I first went natural so I tried everything under the sun that was recommended for natural hair (most of which only works for high porosity hair) - Henna was highly touted as the next best thing so I tried it mulptle times, multiple recipes - I even have a large bag of it still in my freezer! Anyway, each time I used it my hair felt extremely dry, hard, coated & wiry. No matter how much I deep conditioned afterward it remained dry.

Some people do use permanent color to raise their porosity b/c the chemical raises the cuticles (like chemical relaxers) which is the opposite of what henna does. But beware, semi-permanents only coat the hair and can make low porosity worse like henna.

I hope this helps

Thank you so much, last year i was using henna like weekly for the red tones n now i have stopped my roots and heading toward my ends is soo smooth feeling but my ends r like raggy even after trimming, i was wondering if the henna coated n is blocking moisture from getting in. Wow, more ends to cut off......

 

[divachyk]

Tried Roux PC for old time sake -- it's still a no go.

 

[CocoGlow]

Tried Roux PC for old time sake -- it's still a no go.

Yeah the first & LAST time I tried Roux Porosity Control I was shocked at how my hair felt compared to all the raves on the hair boards! I was expecting instant softness & got instant roughness instead .. no thanks!

It's ridiculous the amout of money I've spent on things that don't work for my hair based on raves on the hair boards ... this does makes me wonder ...

Is Low Porosity hair not common at all? Is high porosity hair the most common hair type amongst naturals and those with chemically treated hair (permanent color/relaxer)?

I kind of expect it with chemically treated hair (although my texlaxed hair still operates as Low Porosity), but it seems a lot of people with natural hair benefit from routines where they use a lot of protein & heavy sealing with butters, etc. hmmm

 

[classoohfive]

Yeah the first & LAST time I tried Roux Porosity Control I was shocked at how my hair felt compared to all the raves on the hair boards! I was expecting instant softness & got instant roughness instead .. no thanks!

It's ridiculous the amout of money I've spent on things that don't work for my hair based on raves on the hair boards ... this does makes me wonder ...

Before I started transitioning my hair was loving Roux. I didn't use it often, I purchased it for texlax time but it made my hair so happy. Now, not so much. I still use it 2x a month because I was told to during my hair analysis in order to keep my hair strong during the transition.

Is Low Porosity hair not common at all? Is high porosity hair the most common hair type amongst naturals and those with chemically treated hair (permanent color/relaxer)?

I kind of expect it with chemically treated hair (although my texlaxed hair still operates as Low Porosity), but it seems a lot of people with natural hair benefit from routines where they use a lot of protein & heavy sealing with butters, etc. hmmm

I don't know how common it is. Looking back at all of the advice I've read, it seems like a lot of people had normal or high porosity hair. I didn't understand it at the time, now that I know the porosity of my hair things make sense! A lot of the things people raved about, at least what I've read, were fine when I was fully relaxed (like henna: it was MAGIC on my chemically treated hair). Most of it's even okay with my texlaxed hair. My natural low porosity hair? Nah. I've been researching hair porosity, on and off LHCF, and it seems like most people both relaxed and natural are dealing with high porosity.

- - -

How far did you texlax your hair? Were you more on the natural side or the relaxed side? My texlaxed hair is obviously not straight, but it's closer to relaxed than natural. Last night I was wondering how far I would need to texlax my hair just enough to change the porosity without losing too much curl. I'm considering the idea of dying my hair, I've just never done it before so I'm considering the relaxer.

Fine strands + low PO + dryness = a nightmare! My daughter's strands are fine, yet keeping it moisturized is easy and that prevents the really tight knots that have to be cut out. I can't moisturize my hair right so even a little bit of shrinkage is giving me horrible knots that I can't remove without damaging my hair.

 

[divachyk]

I'm chemically treated but Roux and frequent use of protein doesn't work for me NappyRina. Didn't work then and doesn't work now. I was just trying it to see if anything changed before tossing Roux in the trash. My hair definitely isn't soft. It's coarse and tangly after using Roux. I'm skilled enough now to understand what is required to make my hair bounce back quickly from Roux unlike before so all is well with my hair. Way back when, my hair would be breaking and dry. Glad I learned my hair.

I use Ion Effective Care for protein with great success. faithVA has had success with it too. It's like one of the few protein products I can use without fearing protein overload.

 

[CocoGlow]

I don't know how common it is. Looking back at all of the advice I've read, it seems like a lot of people had normal or high porosity hair. I didn't understand it at the time, now that I know the porosity of my hair things make sense! A lot of the things people raved about, at least what I've read, were fine when I was fully relaxed (like henna: it was MAGIC on my chemically treated hair). Most of it's even okay with my texlaxed hair. My natural low porosity hair? Nah. I've been researching hair porosity, on and off LHCF, and it seems like most people both relaxed and natural are dealing with high porosity.

- - -

How far did you texlax your hair? Were you more on the natural side or the relaxed side? My texlaxed hair is obviously not straight, but it's closer to relaxed than natural. Last night I was wondering how far I would need to texlax my hair just enough to change the porosity without losing too much curl. I'm considering the idea of dying my hair, I've just never done it before so I'm considering the relaxer.

Fine strands + low PO + dryness = a nightmare! My daughter's strands are fine, yet keeping it moisturized is easy and that prevents the really tight knots that have to be cut out. I can't moisturize my hair right so even a little bit of shrinkage is giving me horrible knots that I can't remove without damaging my hair.

classoohfive

It's crazy - From the research they make it seem like High Porosity is essentially damaged hair resulting from overusage of heat, alkaline chemicals or manual stresses (like raking combs through the hair) which makes sense - but that does not explain why so many naturals have High Porosity hair! It's so weird. And why does just about EVERY product have protein in it?!! ... I mean, it takes some serious label reading to avoid protein - it's everywhere! And then we have to avoid other things that coat the hair (silicones, petroleum, henna, semi-permanent rinses, etc) I guess so many women are either coloring/relaxing/or blow drying their hair to excess that they need the extra protein - but why naturals???

I texlaxed my hair sooo many times to get it to loosen up - it doesn't make sense! Fortunately the relaxer I use (Linange Shea Butter Texturizer) is so mild that my hair has not fallen out! My hair still looks straight up natural! Only I can tell that the texture is looser because my shrinkage is not as drastic as before and my hair is easier to comb when wet but NO one else would think I put a chemical in my hair by just looking at it - it still defies gravity - granted it's only about 3-4 inches long/tall .

My natural texture is VERY tightly coiled/kinky and I wanted to keep the natural look but make my life easier. Certain sections that I allowed the relaxer to sit longer & comb through more thoroughly look like my natural hair when it was blow-dried & that's my end goal - (I want a thick kinky afro blow-out appearance & smooth feel) - not the excessive shrinkage & knots I naturally have - and not the relaxed look either. I don't want there to be a drastic difference between my newgrowth & my length so that I only have to touch-up every 4-6 months and I prefer the natural look/styles on me.

I notice that whenever I introduce protein to my texlaxed hair - once it dries, my hair seems to revert & shrink more! I truly wonder if my hair even needs protein at all which is weird b/c I assumed all chemically treated hair needed protein at some point. Maybe my texlax didn't change my porosity to the point that it would warrant a "need" for protein. I will keep an eye on my hair and keep some protein conditioners around just in case my strands get too stretchy. Also I've heard that as the weeks progress post the last touch-up, the line of demarcation gets weaker and may demand some protein to avoid breakage - we shall see.

So far since my touch up last week I have only used protein on the day of my touch-up after rinsing the relaxer out before Neutralizing. I've been using nothing but Protein-free conditioners & products since. I'm tempted to try one of my conditioners that has protein in it just to see what happens but I will be so mad if my hair reverts! I made the mistake of using a strong protein treatment (Soft Sheen Carson's Duo Tex) a week after my initial texlax back in January and my hair reverted - not all the way back to natural but enough for me to learn a lesson & get mad

I'm scared to change my porosity but I understand your curiosity - I'm scared I'll make things worse & have to buy even more products. I'm still getting a handle on what works for my hair - I've just realized that I have to think outside the box and not go by what is popular. I've learned so much from the ladies in this thread alone. Once I have it all figured out I think I will be content with my Low Porosity hair.

Have you tried the New Formula for S-Curl No Drip Activator? I found out recently that my hair stays soft if I apply it to DRY hair & then top it off with a light creamy leave-in. My hair absorbs the products better on DRY hair - but the products must be water-based to "open" the cuticle & the glycerin in the S-Curl keeps the moisture there. I try not to be too heavy handed to avoid white buidlup on my strands and I might have to really rub it in. This combo makes my hair very soft & maintains moisture (especially when it's humid outside) - I just figured this out so I don't know if it will work in the dry Winter yet.

I'm still trying to figure out a routine for my hair after washing & conditioning though. It seems that it does not matter whether or not I apply a leave-in conditioner or moisturizer on wet or damp freshly washed hair because once my hair air dries it's a bit dry either way. And I seem to be a bit more heavy handed when applying product to damp hair which leads to unnecessary buildup and a coated feeling. But if I apply my products to DRY hair like I stated above my hair softens instantly & remains this way.

It might just be that my hair needs to be moisturized 2x on wash day (1x when damp - then 1x again when dry) or only 1x when dry. It's crazy and most people would not suggest allowing hair to fully air dry without applying anything to it but I think that as long as you section longer hair into twists/braids or something to stretch it out before airdrying while it's still soft & damp from rinsing out the conditioner this can work without causing breakage when attempting to manipulate the hair later to moisturize ... it's a little theory that I am testing out now & will report back with my findings ... I'm rambling now but I hope this makes sense

 

[CocoGlow]

divachyk & faithVA

Hmm I noticed that the Ion Effective Care has Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein in it ... do you think this is the same as Hydrolyzed Soy Protein? Like which "vegetable protein" do you think they use?

This is only sold at Sally's right?

Here are the ingredients I found for it - is this the one you use?:

Ion Effective Care Treatment
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Stearamine Oxide, Peg-5 Soy Sterol, Lecithin, Fragrance, Laureth-12, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene

 

[classoohfive]

NappyRina

Yes! I used to think that high porosity = damaged hair but it seems like some people are naturally like that. Maybe they're just on the high end of normal so it's easy for them to slip into high through daily hair care practices?

My hair loved all of those things (except I have never tried a dye aside from henna). I thought transitioning was going to be easy since I had a regimen down. Nope. Everything I thought was right is now wrong. Things were so easy then. I assumed that not texlaxing or relaxing would make things even easier.

I texlaxed my hair sooo many times to get it to loosen up - it doesn't make sense! Fortunately the relaxer I use (Linange Shea Butter Texturizer) is so mild that my hair has not fallen out! My hair still looks straight up natural! Only I can tell that the texture is looser because my shrinkage is not as drastic as before and my hair is easier to comb when wet but NO one else would think I put a chemical in my hair by just looking at it - it still defies gravity - granted it's only about 3-4 inches long/tall .

My natural texture is VERY tightly coiled/kinky and I wanted to keep the natural look but make my life easier. Certain sections that I allowed the relaxer to sit longer & comb through more thoroughly look like my natural hair when it was blow-dried & that's my end goal - (I want a thick kinky afro blow-out appearance & smooth feel) - not the excessive shrinkage & knots I naturally have - and not the relaxed look either. I don't want there to be a drastic difference between my newgrowth & my length so that I only have to touch-up every 4-6 months and I prefer the natural look/styles on me.

When I was using regular strength relaxers for the full time and smoothing and my hair never became straight, even when I didn't use protein. I starting texlaxing on accident. I loved the curl and thickness so I kept doing it. I wonder if I add some oils or decrease the smoothing if I can achieve the bold. :scratchch It's exactly what I want. I'm going to keep trying some of the ideas in this thread for at least another month before I make my choice.

I notice that whenever I introduce protein to my texlaxed hair - once it dries, my hair seems to revert & shrink more! I truly wonder if my hair even needs protein at all which is weird b/c I assumed all chemically treated hair needed protein at some point. Maybe my texlax didn't change my porosity to the point that it would warrant a "need" for protein. I will keep an eye on my hair and keep some protein conditioners around just in case my strands get too stretchy. Also I've heard that as the weeks progress post the last touch-up, the line of demarcation gets weaker and may demand some protein to avoid breakage - we shall see.

Early on in my HHJ I was always reading that protein was vital for chemically treated hair. I ended up with protein overload more times than not. The only time my hair liked a lot of protein was when I was dealing with hair I overlapped. After that I would just use mild protein when my hair was limp and only used something harder when I felt that my hair needed it (maybe 3x a year). That seemed to work just fine.

The bold has always been true for me; realxed or texlaxed. The line between the chemically treated hair and natural hair is fragile, which is why I would usually end up only stretching for 6 months at the most. My hair got to the point where I couldn't stop the breakage. Moisture is also very important so the hair doesn't snap off, which is my issue now since I can't get my natural hair to easily accept it. I was told to use protein every two weeks so I can keep that line strong. She said that when I decide to BC and go all natural or if I decide to go back to texlaxing that I can use protein less often. Maybe you'll do better with a very light protein leave-in only used when your hair is starting to become over-moisturized?

So far since my touch up last week I have only used protein on the day of my touch-up after rinsing the relaxer out before Neutralizing. I've been using nothing but Protein-free conditioners & products since. I'm tempted to try one of my conditioners that has protein in it just to see what happens but I will be so mad if my hair reverts! I made the mistake of using a strong protein treatment (Soft Sheen Carson's Duo Tex) a week after my initial texlax back in January and my hair reverted - not all the way back to natural but enough for me to learn a lesson & get mad

I only did mild protein the week after my relaxer and then a very mild one right before neutralizing. I would never know the true outcome of my texlax until the week after.

I'm scared to change my porosity but I understand your curiosity - I'm scared I'll make things worse & have to buy even more products. I'm still getting a handle on what works for my hair - I've just realized that I have to think outside the box and not go by what is popular. I've learned so much from the ladies in this thread alone. Once I have it all figured out I think I will be content with my Low Porosity hair.

Oh, I already have to buy more products. If I can change my porosity I have a cabinet full I things I know work. Right now they're mostly useless on my natural hair. My texlaxed hair still loves them. Well, what's left of it. I'm concerned that I'll either cause more problems or end up killing my natural curl and making this transition and all of the breakage it caused a waste of time.


Sealing with oil doesn't work anymore. I was in the middle of doing my hair on Friday, went to pick my daughter up from school, and after being outside for less than 5 minutes my face was so shiny! The oil mostly sits on top of my hair and I guess it was hot enough to cause it to travel to my forehead and shoulders. I didn't use much. So now I can't DC right, I can't seal right, and I'm still looking for a moisturizing leave-in that works on dry hair. The only time DCing was okay on my low por. hair was when I fell asleep with it in. Even DCing under a dryer doesn't seem to help much.

Have you tried the New Formula for S-Curl No Drip Activator? I found out recently that my hair stays soft if I apply it to DRY hair & then top it off with a light creamy leave-in. My hair absorbs the products better on DRY hair - but the products must be water-based to "open" the cuticle & the glycerin in the S-Curl keeps the moisture there. I try not to be too heavy handed to avoid white buidlup on my strands and I might have to really rub it in. This combo makes my hair very soft & maintains moisture (especially when it's humid outside) - I just figured this out so I don't know if it will work in the dry Winter yet.

I'm still trying to figure out a routine for my hair after washing & conditioning though. It seems that it does not matter whether or not I apply a leave-in conditioner or moisturizer on wet or damp freshly washed hair because once my hair air dries it's a bit dry either way. And I seem to be a bit more heavy handed when applying product to damp hair which leads to unnecessary buildup and a coated feeling. But if I apply my products to DRY hair like I stated above my hair softens instantly & remains this way.

I haven't tried S-Curl yet, it's been on my wishlist since reading this thread! It seems like a lot of people here have had some success with it. I'm going to the BSS on Monday after school. I have plenty of creamy leave-ins, I'll try what you suggested.

Oh, the humidity! I forgot about that... This will be my first summer with this much natural hair. I could never get my texlaxed hair to act right during the summer unless I threw it in a bun or got braids, so I'm really scared now.

My hair feels awful when wet and applying leave-ins, then it dries nicely. Usually. It's the days following that are rough. I apply to dry hair and it doesn't seem to do anything but build up. I was told to mist my hair at night when doing my leave-ins.

It might just be that my hair needs to be moisturized 2x on wash day (1x when damp - then 1x again when dry) or only 1x when dry. It's crazy and most people would not suggest allowing hair to fully air dry without applying anything to it but I think that as long as you section longer hair into twists/braids or something to stretch it out before airdrying while it's still soft & damp from rinsing out the conditioner this can work without causing breakage when attempting to manipulate the hair later to moisturize ... it's a little theory that I am testing out now & will report back with my findings ... I'm rambling now but I hope this makes sense

Yes, your post made sense. It was very helpful, thank you. I'm afraid to let my hair dry without a leave-in. I do end up going back and moisturizing again when it's dry. It seems to work okay on wash day and sometimes the day after. I just can't get through the week moisturizing with a leave-in on dry hair.

 

[divachyk]

divachyk & faithVA

Hmm I noticed that the Ion Effective Care has Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein in it ... do you think this is the same as Hydrolyzed Soy Protein? Like which "vegetable protein" do you think they use?

This is only sold at Sally's right?

Here are the ingredients I found for it - is this the one you use?:

Ion Effective Care Treatment
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Stearamine Oxide, Peg-5 Soy Sterol, Lecithin, Fragrance, Laureth-12, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene

NappyRina, I purchased from Sally's. I haven't looked for it elsewhere but some BSS' and Amazon might have it. I like buying from Sally's because they allow returns. Plus, I'm a beauty club member and get a discount.

I'm not great at analyzing ingredients to compare the Vegetable vs. Soy protein. All I know is the product works really well for my hair. I don't have to increase moisture, baggy or cowash frequently after using Ion.

I think the one you posted is the right one. I use the red label Ion.

 

[Evolving78]

I'm chemically treated but Roux and frequent use of protein doesn't work for me NappyRina. Didn't work then and doesn't work now. I was just trying it to see if anything changed before tossing Roux in the trash. My hair definitely isn't soft. It's coarse and tangly after using Roux. I'm skilled enough now to understand what is required to make my hair bounce back quickly from Roux unlike before so all is well with my hair. Way back when, my hair would be breaking and dry. Glad I learned my hair.

I use Ion Effective Care for protein with great success. faithVA has had success with it too. It's like one of the few protein products I can use without fearing protein overload.

i am so backing away from the protein. my hair felt like crap before yesterday. when i used to go to a salon, i was never given a protein treatment and my hair thrived. i guess i just don't need it as long as i use a product that has balance.

 

[uofmpanther]

I got my Live Curly Live Free analysis back today; and it actually says that I'm normal on everything -- normal porosity, normal elasticity, and normal/medium density. It's just weird because I seem to have low porosity characteristics, and the low porosity tips & products mentioned in this thread work for me. I wonder if there is a low end to normal...lol.

I hope you ladies don't mind, but I'm going to stick around in here anyway because the tips seem to really be working for me.

 

[divachyk]

@shortdub78, my hair pretty much feels like crap after almost every protein treatment except Ion. It's seriously the only treatment that doesn't require me to do some meg moisture binge to restore balance. I've always received protein treatment post TU and I would always get some post-TU breakage and I never knew why --- yeah well, finally figured out that was protein overload. Now, I wash about 2 days after my TU and pump moisture, moisture, moisture. I'm talking frequent cowashing and o/n baggying for about a week. This revised post-TU technique has worked to restore moisture which keeps breakage at a minimum. ETA: Hope your hair feels better and try increasing cowashing and baggying, even if you just baggy for a couple hours each night.

 

[Evolving78]

@shortdub78, my hair pretty much feels like crap after almost every protein treatment except Ion. It's seriously the only treatment that doesn't require me to do some meg moisture binge to restore balance. I've always received protein treatment post TU and I would always get some post-TU breakage and I never knew why --- yeah well, finally figured out that was protein overload. Now, I wash about 2 days after my TU and pump moisture, moisture, moisture. I'm talking frequent cowashing and o/n baggying for about a week. This revised post-TU technique has worked to restore moisture which keeps breakage at a minimum. ETA: Hope your hair feels better and try increasing cowashing and baggying, even if you just baggy for a couple hours each night.

divachyk

my hair feels awesome now and i can comb my hair with no problems. it's not dry, hard feeling, etc.... and it is flowy and bouncy!

 

[gvin89]

Just came out of braids but didnt do a protein treatment...plan to do that next week. Moisture retention has increased and I am protective styling to ensure that I rarely manipulate it. I want to start cowashing more regularly to keep my moisture in check.

 

[mg1979]

Things I'd like to know: Have many people tried dying their hair to raise the Porosity Level? If so, have you noticed a difference? I really don't want to dye my hair unless there will be significant benefits to it. Also will Henna give you the same effect?

Thanks for the input. I guess dying will be the best option if I choose to go that route. I've never dyed my hair before, even when I was relaxed. A little of my hesitation is due to the chemical aspect, but the other is because I've never successfully pulled off color with wigs and weaves in the past. I just feel like my natural color works best.

I wonder if you can raise the porosity level even when your dying it a similar color to your natural shade...

LolaRed: I had the same hesitation, but after a lot of research I decided on a demi-permanent dye. I was really amazed by how well it worked! I think I did dye it similar to my natural color, so I don't think that's an issue if you're not really looking to change your look.

Tried Roux PC for old time sake -- it's still a no go.

Yeah the first & LAST time I tried Roux Porosity Control I was shocked at how my hair felt compared to all the raves on the hair boards! I was expecting instant softness & got instant roughness instead .. no thanks!

It's ridiculous the amout of money I've spent on things that don't work for my hair based on raves on the hair boards ... this does makes me wonder ...

Is Low Porosity hair not common at all? Is high porosity hair the most common hair type amongst naturals and those with chemically treated hair (permanent color/relaxer)?

I kind of expect it with chemically treated hair (although my texlaxed hair still operates as Low Porosity), but it seems a lot of people with natural hair benefit from routines where they use a lot of protein & heavy sealing with butters, etc. hmmm

I think Roux Porosity Control is meant for high porosity hair. Many of us have learned the hard way!

I do think there seems to be more high porosity heads in general. That's why I'm so glad faithVA started this thread so we can help each other out.

 

[CocoGlow]

Update:

As promised here's my update on my little experiment on when to moisturize my hair on wash day. I typically moisturize my hair daily or every other day on DRY hair using the New Formula S-Curl No Drip Activator Spray then I apply a creamy Leave-in Conditioner or Moisturizer, however after washing & conditioning, my wet/damp hair does not respond well to products.

So today I waited until my hair was about 90% dry (only damp near the scalp in some areas but pretty dry all over) and proceeded to apply the S-Curl + creamy Leave-in ... sure enough my hair soaked up the moisture instantly and now it is sooooo soft just like when I moisturize daily!

So this is going to be my new routine: Moisturize only on DRY hair - this is the only way the moisture will last for me. I make sure to rub it in really well so that it does not just sit on my hair. I make sure to use water-based products that are not too oily or thick so that they can actually penetrate my strands and I also make sure the the humectant glycerin in present is at least one of my moisturizers (S-Curl) if not present in my creamy leave-in to ensure the moisture lasts.

Once my hair gets longer I will have to section my hair into twists or braids after washing & conditioning while my hair is still wet to avoid excessive shrinking & matting while air drying - but for now with a 3inch TWA, I just let it air dry loose. So if you have longer hair and you want to try this out, please stretch your hair before allowing it to dry to avoid dealing with brittle tangles & knots from not moisturizing beforehand.

I'm trying to be as detailed as possible (aka long winded )...but I hope sharing this will help someone. Figuring out Low Porosity hair is truly trial & error and individualized for each person and I have no idea if this routine will work for anyone else or if it will even continue to work for me when it gets cold & dry outside but we shall see.

I'm still staying away from protein for the time being until I feel the need for it & I will update with any changes to my regimen

ETA: S-Curl really is the key to this working for me ... it's light enough to allow me to "wet" my dry hair before applying my creamy leave-in. I've tried applying a creamy leave-in or moisturizer to DRY hair before on it's own and it doesn't always work depending on the texture & ingredients. Ok I'm done writing this novel LOL

 

[ScorpioBeauty09]

My scalp's felt icky lately even after I've watched. Even after I've washed it only feels clean for a couple days and it's like my moisturizers don't penetrate so my hair and scalp are so dry and irritated in addition to dirty. I've been so busy I keep forgetting to get some baking soda before my was days. But I got some yesterday and I'm all ready to test my theory that my hair needs a BS mix when it's warmer and ACV mix when it's colder. I'm either going to wash my hair tonight or tomorrow (tonight hopefully) so we'll see.

 

[divachyk]

@mg1979, I tried Roux early on in my HHJ and it closed my cuticles tighter, thereby preventing moisture from getting in. As you mentioned, learning the hard way. I've been able to use HV's phinishing rinse (consists of ACV) without issues so I thought, let me try Roux again to see if my hair will accept it. The answer remains no. Thanks for the heads up though but yeah, I'm well aware of how Roux can take a low porosity head down a dry / tangly road.

 

[divachyk]

Has anyone used AO Island Naturals with success. faithVA?

 

[Evolving78]

@mg1979, I tried Roux early on in my HHJ and it closed my cuticles tighter, thereby preventing moisture from getting in. As you mentioned, learning the hard way. I've been able to use HV's phinishing rinse (consists of ACV) without issues so I thought, let me try Roux again to see if my hair will accept it. The answer remains no. Thanks for the heads up though but yeah, I'm well aware of how Roux can take a low porosity head down a dry / tangly road.

i should give mine away. no since in using it. never had to use anything like it in the past. no more protein treatments for me either. i got plenty of products that have protein in them to help balance the hair out. i'm washing my hair today. it still feels fine, but weighed down. trying to decide of i wanna wear it straight or roller set it.

 

[hnntrr]

Got avacado oil to to hot oil treatments with and I got a new conditioner. g.u.d moisturizing condi. Gonna try it tonight and see how it goes.

 

[uofmpanther]

Has anyone used AO Island Naturals with success. faithVA?

I have. It is the AO Conditioner that has worked for me so far. GPB made my hair hard and HSR was eh.

 

[faithVA]

divachyk[/USER];18523759]Has anyone used AO Island Naturals with success. @faithVA?

I have not. I want to try it but I have enough conditioners in my stash right now. Definitely plan on trying it in the future though.

 

[divachyk]

uofmpanther, do you consider IN more of a protein conditioner? I love WC and HSR.

shortdub78, I trashed my Roux the other day. I haven't worn my hair straight since my TU about 12 weeks ago.

 

[hnntrr]

Used a mix of avacado and jojoba oil to seal my hair last night. Feels pretty great, might see about mixing in some OV, it seems to seal the shea leave in, in pretty good.

I think wigging has helped too, Curl pattern is showing more, I think I still need to cut the damaged ends off so that my hair curls up fully though, gonna have my mom's friend cut it soon I think.

 

[uofmpanther]

uofmpanther, do you consider IN more of a protein conditioner? I love WC and HSR.

I know it has hydrolyzed sweet almond protein in it, but it doesn't feel like a protein conditioner to me. It feels more like a moisturizing one. Maybe it is a light protein?

 

[faithVA]

I tried the Giovanni Nutrafix protein conditioner today. It felt good going on and it spreads easy. I don't have a final verdict so will have to let you guys know. It wasn't a fail but I'm not sure how my hair felt. I think I was in too much of a rush. I am DCing with As I Am Deep Conditioner. So far it feels good. I am going to DC most of the day and rinse it out. I may apply heat later.

 

[Jobwright]

Has anyone found THE ANSWER for low porosity issues yet? Someone has to have figured it out.

 

[Blairx0]

Has anyone found THE ANSWER for low porosity issues yet? Someone has to have figured it out.

I don't know if there is an answer, but regular use of cassia has negated many of the issues I used to suffer from being lo po