Just like in agriculture, where you create an alternate environment for a plant to thrive, with all required nutrients supplied and favorable weather available. The Greenhouse Method is basically creating a separate environment for your hair to thrive. The conditions are controlled to suit your hair regardless of the eternal state of the atmosphere.
Last week, I introduced the subject of natural hair porosity and provided resources to help you discover your hair's porosity levels because I believe it's a more efficient system than the hair typing system.
I also talked about how the knowledge of my hair's porosity has helped my understand and manage my natural hair better. Now, I'll like to talk about how I tweaked my regimen to cater to my highly porous 4A curls.
Before we move on, let's establish some characteristics of a high porous natural hair.
Any hair type can have a high porosity.
Highly porous hair absorbs too much moisture but is unable to retain it.
It tangles easily.
Curls often look and feel dry.
Curls are always frizzy.
to mention a few.
For a more in-depth analysis of highly porous hair, watch the video below.
Moving on,
Now, that I have understood this, here are the ways I have adjusted my regimen.
Regular pre-poos with penetrating oils. Now that I know that my hair has the tendency to absorb too much moisture, I do pre-poos before every wash including a cowash with penetrating oils such as Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Olive oil or Avocado Oil. These are the only four oils that are able to penetrate my shaft to protect my hair as well as prevent hydral fatigue.
Monthly Protein treatments. For the longest time, I never did protein treatments except for regular henna treatments which strengthened and thicken my strands. I didn't see the use for it but now that I have discovered my porosity, protein treatments have become a staple to fill in the gap that allows moisture to escape.
Rice Water rinses. Apparently, rice water contains about 16% of protein which is also great to patch up weak and damaged areas along my hair's cuticles. I'm currently trying the fermentation method and I'll be using it during my next wash.
Regular ACV rinses. Before now, I only did ACV rinses to clarify my scalp which isn't totally wrong but now, I have to do them regularly to relax my hair cuticles.
Moisturize with LOC/LCO method. This is actually a no-brainer because I do the LOC method already. I actually found out that it keeps my hair moisturized for a bit longer. The LOC method helps to create a layer that helps my hair hold on to moisture for a longer time.
Water/Glycerine Hair Mist. In my quest for moisture retention practices, I discovered that rather than using water alone as my liquid to moisturize, I mix some water with glycerine (which is an humectant that draws in moisture from the atmosphere) and mist my hair. When this is sealed in with oil and/or butter, it keeps my hair moisturized for the entire day, particularly in a humid environment. Best believe it's my holy grail mist.
A couple of weeks ago, I confirmed my one of my biggest fears by checking my hair porosity levels. Already, I had seen the signs but I just needed to be sure because it seems like I have reached a growth plateau where my hair is more or less stagnated. TRANSLATION: I wasn't retaining as much length as I would have loved to because no matter what happens, hair grows.
Anyway, the most major sign of my highly porous 4A curls was my inability to retain moisture. No matter what I did, I had to moisturize at least twice a day because my hair dried out easily. We all know natural hair does not thrive without moisture and protein. So, knowing my porosity helped me face the unique issues of my hair squarely. There was no need for trials and errors anymore because I knew EXACTLY what my hair needed.
I know a lot of us are struggling with our hair one way or the other and I sincerely believe that knowing your hair's porosity is a more efficient management system than the hair typing system.
Now, the concept of hair porosity might seem a bit technical but the good people at Green Beauty Channel have simplified the entire process for us.
So, are you ready to find out your natural hair's porosity levels? Watch the following short videos.
What is Porosity (Natural Hair Porosity 101)
3 Best Ways To Test Porosity
Types of products to use for your Hair Porosity.
I hope you enjoyed watching the highly educational and informative videos. I also hope that all the information will help you understand and take better care of your natural hair just as it did for me.
Now, that you know about hair porosity, which is yours?
