Hair, Hair Products (Bought), Hair Products (DIY)

Now I Know My Hair…

I have a greater understanding of my hair now, after some tests I am pretty sure I have fine hair, low to medium density hair and low porosity hair. This a new world to me and I need to learn what all of it means. The main thing I am focusing on at the moment is the low porosity and making sure I am using the right kinds of products to keep my hair healthy, soft and moisturised. The low porosity of my hair means that the cuticles are laying flat making it much harder for moisture to penetrate, hence the feeling of dry hair almost all the time. Oils are great for sealing in moisture making them a key part of your regime.

A comment was left for me stating that I possibly had too many oils in my current hair oil mix. Considering I have everything but the kitchen sink in it, this is possibly a very good point. How would I know what works for me? Am I wasting money adding things I don’t need to? Now I know more about my hair, am I even using the right products? Let’s see what I figured out!

So in the mix now is –

Grapeseed Oil – This a very good source of vitamin E which is great for hair (and skin). It is very lightweight, helps hair to look shiny, fights dandruff. It is also a brilliant carrier oil  to be paired with essential oils. I’d definitely heard of this oil before but would never have thought to put it in my hair. I do find it very runny but I suppose that is one of the characteristics of lighter oils. Verdict: Good for low porosity hair.

Almond Oil – This is really good if you want shiny hair and can soothe inflammation. It has very similar properties to Grapeseed Oil. Again it is a lighter oil. I came across this one via my mother, the product junkie, as she was having a clear out. Verdict: Good for low porosity hair.

Argan Oil – This light oil is great for softening hair. When I started using oils for my daughter, we started with Macadamia Oil which was great but quite thick. I then moved onto an Argan Oil mix and the difference was amazing, her hair felt so good after a spritz of some water and then rubbing this in. However, I have never actually got my hands on pure Argan Oil so that might be even better. Verdict: Good for low porosity hair.

Olive Oil – Helps to eliminate dandruff, gives softness and shine. Also if you struggle with frizz, this is excellent. Oh, and it’s a carrier oil and because it’s Olive Oil and not something exotic, you can buy it from the local supermarket. Yay! Verdict: Nay! Unfortunately, it is too thick and will just sit on the hair strands. I was so disappointed to learn that as I have been using olive oil for a while and it could possibly have been doing more harm than good. Although, I was using a mix of Ginger Oil and Olive Oil to massage my broken edges for months and saw positive results. But technically, this oil is a no go.

Castor Oil – Having an afro, I have used products containing castor oil all my life but I don’t remember just using castor oil on its own. It’s the oil of choice for many as it helps with your dry scalp, another one for eliminating dandruff, aids in thickening hair, improves scalp circulation, great for sealing in moisture and it’s thought to reverse hair loss so you’d think that would be great for a hair growth journey. Verdict: Sadly it is too thick for low porosity hair and can cause buildup.  Therefore, it might not be an oil of choice in this instance but considering all of the positives, I may try using diluted Castor Oil mixed in with lighter weight oils and see how I go. There are people with low porosity hair that like to use heavier oils.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil – Well, it’s pretty much the same as above but even thicker. Some would say it doesn’t smell too good, I would describe it as an earthy aroma which doesn’t bother me. Some claim that it repairs damage such as split ends but as far as I know this is impossible, maybe they mean that it can help prevent damage? Verdict: From what I’m reading it would seem it is too thick for my porosity, I currently only use it at night as a massage oil but going forward I may need to mix it with something else rather than using it neat. I’d be crazy to not be using something with all those great attributes but maybe it just isn’t for me anymore. Thing is, I think it is working…

Flaxseed Oil – I came across this in the supermarket, I think it must have been the end of the line as they were selling it so cheap. I learnt about the positive properties of this oil and at the give away prices,  had to give it a go. So it can eliminate dandruff, gives shine and combats that flaky scalp. Verdict: As it can penetrate the hair shaft it’s good for low porosity.

Tea Tree Oil – So this has antibacterial and antiseptic properties. It is supposedly good for dry and itchy scalp but I’m either immune or have the itchiest scalp in the northern hemisphere because nothing seems to stop that. Aids in reducing dandruff. I’ve always thought, as an essential oil it must be mixed with other oils, but I did read on one site that it is considered safe to use undiluted. This goes against almost everything else I’ve read, I might ignore that, plus it’s quite expensive so maybe that’s reason enough to dilute it. Verdict: It should be good for low porosity hair and all hair in general. Before I would have used Olive Oil as a carrier but now I know what I know, will probably use Grapeseed Oil or Almond Oil in the future.

Peppermint Oil – This oil helps eradicate dandruff, dry scalp and is a powerful antiseptic. As a side note, apparently rodents hate the smell and it can be used as a deterrent to them so a very good reason to use it…on everything! Verdict: Good for low porosity.

The positive from all this research is – I should never get dandruff again!

I’ve decided the new mix will be Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil and Peppermint Oil. I’ll keep it nice and simple but from what I’ve learnt I could try any number of combinations. It’s a bit runnier than I would normally like a hair product to be but if it’s better for my hair then I’ll give it a go. I would say though that Peppermint is a very strong scent I happen to like but I know that not everybody does, I’m not sure if the scent fades or if you just get used to it. This is by no means an exhaustive list of hair oils or hair oils for low porosity hair but just me looking through my cupboards and making the most of what I already have at home. With Christmas coming up, I need to hold those purse strings tight and buy smarter if I need more products but do I really need more…

Let’s keep growing together!

xx Lee xx

Comments welcome below. What’s your hair’s porosity and what do you use for it?

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3 thoughts on “Now I Know My Hair…

  1. I like this educative post! I also have low porosity hair but it may have changed since my hair broke so much the last year ?. Always good to know the condition of your hair so you can take better care of it ?

    1. I hope mine doesn’t change, I’m struggling with all this knowledge and to have to learn more ? would end me! Trying my best to be informed and be informative!

      1. That’s a good thing to do staying up to date in this industry. I’ve struggled with so much hair loss that I just try to take care of it more these days with protective styles and whenever I don’t have a protective style I just do chunky twist outs that I leave for days ?. The adventure is nice though love reading things about our beautiful natural hair ??☺️

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