Moisture is a critical factor contributing to healthy hair growth, yet one of the biggest concerns we encounter at NAVA is trouble keeping those curly tresses moisturized. Without the right tools, it can be frustrating. In fact, it’s been something I have struggled with in the past as well, and after years of research and experimentation, I found out what works for my hair. This article will discuss hair types to understand how to moisturize your hair, some harmful habits that may be drying out your hair, and some solutions to help make your tresses luscious and soft. Keep reading, and you can find out what works for you as well.
The Importance of Moisture
Moisturizing is critical for keeping our hair strong and shiny, yet many forget to consistently apply it to our manes. The sun, hot showers, styling, and even certain hair products can dry our strands, and leaving them dry can lead to dreaded frizz, breakage, and dullness. There are many natural ways to moisturize your hair. Water helps to maintain moisture, but the optimal moisture is obtained from natural plant oils. Coconut oil, olive oil, and coconut milk help lock in the moisture we already produce. The key to obtaining and maintaining the right amount of moisture is to test and track your diet.
The Different Porosity Types
Hair porosity plays a considerable role in how you moisturize your hair. If you naturally have low or high hair porosity, you most likely struggle with moisture issues. Porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture, and there are three types of porosity.
Low Porosity
If your hair has low porosity, it usually means products don’t absorb easily, and they sit on your hair. It also means that air drying may take forever and a day. The cuticles on low porosity hair are packed very tightly, keeping moisture from penetrating the hair shaft.
Medium Porosity
Medium porosity, which is also normal porosity hair, is usually characterized by how easy your hair is to style, how easy it takes color, and how long styles can last. The cuticles are open enough to let moisture in and close enough to keep them in for extended periods.
High Porosity
High porosity hair easily takes in moisture, but it can’t keep it. People with high porosity hair tend to have frizzy hair that air dries quickly and breaks easily. This is due to how spaced apart the cuticles are.
Check out this video to find out how to test your hair porosity!
What Causes Dry Hair?
In addition to your hair porosity, several factors can cause dry hair, including, but not limited to: poor quality hair products, skipping regular hair appointments, air pollution, harsh styling methods, styling dry hair before you’ve adequately conditioned it, using heat styling tools frequently, eating processed foods, excessive product use, not drinking enough water, I mean the list could go on and on and on. Whatever the cause, if your hair is dry, you are doing yourself a disservice by ignoring the issue.
How to Keep Your Hair Moisturized
One major challenge with maintaining healthy hair is dealing with dryness. As a curly girl with thicker hair that can be difficult to work with and thin and fragile, I experience dryness regularly. As a curly girl with thicker hair that can be difficult to work with and thin and fragile, I experience dryness regularly. I deal with that issue by trying to keep my hair moisturized as much as possible. Let me tell you from experience; moisturizing can be one of the most challenging tasks you will ever undertake. That’s because the first thing you want to do is moisturize your hair, but it will dry your hair out in the process. Ouch! It’s almost impossible to keep your hair moisturized without using moisture.
Conclusion
Did you find something that helped your hair? Do you have a DIY or drugstore hair remedy you recommend?