Hair care 101: beginner's guide
Having a healthy, growing hair routine can feel overwhelming at times, but the key lies in understanding both the order of products and what works best for your hair’s unique needs. The first step in crafting a successful routine is understanding your hair porosity. This crucial factor determines how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture, which directly affects the type of products and techniques you should use for optimal results.
Knowing your hair’s porosity is essential, as it helps tailor your routine to address your hair’s specific moisture needs. With the right products and care tailored to your porosity, achieving healthy and growing hair becomes far more manageable.
Hair porosity
Understanding your hair porosity is essential because it helps you choose the best oils and products for your hair, promoting growth and maintaining its health. It also indicates how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture, allowing you to tailor your hair care routine accordingly for optimal results.
To Determine Your Hair Porosity, Follow These Steps:
Cleanse Your Hair: Start by washing your hair thoroughly and ensuring it’s completely dry, with no product left on your strands. This ensures accurate results for the next steps.
Prepare a Glass or Bowl of Water: Fill a glass or bowl with water at room temperature.
Place a Strand of Hair in the Water: Take a clean strand of your hair and gently place it in the water.
Observe the Strand for 5 Minutes: Watch how the hair behaves in the water. Pay attention to whether it sinks, floats, or hovers in between. This will help determine your hair porosity.
This method provides a simple way to assess your hair’s porosity and understand how it absorbs moisture, guiding you in selecting the best products for your hair type.
Result
Identify Your Hair Porosity:
Low Porosity: If the strand of hair floats at the top of the water, it indicates that you have low porosity hair. This means your hair has a tightly sealed cuticle layer, making it resistant to moisture absorption.
Medium Porosity: If the strand rests in the middle of the water, your hair has medium porosity. This means your hair absorbs and retains moisture well, and generally doesn’t require too much maintenance or special products.
High Porosity: If the strand sinks quickly to the bottom of the glass, you likely have high porosity hair. This suggests that your hair has gaps or holes in the cuticle layer, allowing moisture to enter quickly but also escaping just as fast, which can lead to dryness.
By identifying your hair porosity, you can better understand your hair’s needs and choose products that will help maintain its health and moisture balance.
Routine
Now that you know your hair porosity, it’s time to tailor your hair care routine accordingly. Understanding your porosity helps you choose the right products and techniques to nourish your hair, promoting its health and growth.”
Step 1 : Oiling
Oiling is a crucial step in maintaining a healthy scalp and promoting hair growth. It helps to lock in moisture, nourish the hair follicles, and strengthen the strands from root to tip. Regular oiling not only keeps your hair hydrated but also improves its overall texture and shine. Choosing the right oil is key, as it ensures better absorption and effectiveness. For low porosity hair, lightweight oils like argan oil, almond oil, or olive oil are ideal, as they penetrate the scalp more easily and provide the necessary moisture without weighing the hair down. For more tips on selecting the right oils for your hair type, check out our article on the best oils for your hair porosity
Step 2: scalp massager
Using a scalp massager is an essential step in your hair care routine, as it promotes healthy hair growth by increasing blood circulation to the scalp. Improved blood flow helps deliver more nutrients to the hair follicles, which can lead to stronger and healthier hair. Additionally, a scalp massager gently exfoliates the scalp, removing product buildup, dead skin cells, and excess oils, which can clog hair follicles and hinder growth. You can incorporate a scalp massager both during your oiling routine or while shampooing to ensure a deep, cleansing massage. Regular use of a scalp massager not only supports scalp health but also enhances the absorption of oils and treatments, giving your hair the nourishment it deserves.
Step 3 : Hair mask
Typically, hair masks are applied after shampooing and before conditioning, but applying a hair mask before shampooing can offer even greater benefits, especially for damaged hair. When used before shampoo, the mask acts as a protective barrier, allowing the nourishing ingredients to deeply penetrate and hydrate your hair from within. This pre-shampoo treatment helps to lock in moisture, repair damage, and restore the natural shine and strength of your hair. It also reduces the stripping effect that shampoo can sometimes have, as your hair will be pre-conditioned and more resilient. For best results, leave the mask on for a little longer to allow the ingredients to truly work their magic, and then follow up with a gentle shampoo and conditioner to seal in the nourishment. This method helps give your hair the extra care and protection it needs for ultimate softness and health.
Step : Shampoo
Shampoo is essential for keeping your scalp clean, removing product buildup, and promoting hair growth by unclogging hair follicles. Choosing the right shampoo based on your scalp type is key. For dry scalps, moisturizing shampoos like GK Moisturizing Shampoo are perfect, as they hydrate and nourish the scalp without stripping away essential oils.
Note: Always apply shampoo only to your scalp, not the lengths of your hair. Shampoo is designed to cleanse the scalp, and when applied to the hair shafts, it can strip them of their natural oils, leading to dryness and damage. The shampoo will work its way down the hair during rinsing, effectively cleaning the lengths without over-drying them. By focusing shampoo on the scalp, you preserve the natural moisture of your hair, keeping it healthy, shiny, and manageable.
Step 5: Conditioner
Conditioner is essential for keeping your hair healthy, shiny, and smooth. It works by replenishing moisture, repairing damage, and helping to detangle the hair. Choosing the right conditioner for your hair type can make a big difference in the overall health of your hair. For dry hair, a moisturizing conditioner like GK Moisturizing Conditioner is perfect, as it deeply hydrates and nourishes, leaving your hair soft and manageable. For curly hair, conditioners like Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Conditioner are ideal, as they provide extra moisture and definition, helping to keep curls bouncy and frizz-free.
When applying conditioner, focus on the mid-lengths and ends of your hair, where it tends to be drier. This helps to lock in moisture without weighing down the roots. Leave the conditioner on for a few minutes to allow the nourishing ingredients to work their magic, and always rinse with cool water to seal the cuticle and enhance shine.
Step 6: leave in serum/ conditioner
To protect your hair from environmental damage, pollution, and daily wear, incorporating a leave-in serum or conditioner is a great addition to your routine. These products help shield your hair from external factors while providing extra hydration, smoothness, and shine. Leave-in serums and conditioners should only be applied to the lengths and ends of your hair, as this is where the most damage and dryness occur.
Some highly effective leave-in options include L’Oréal Professionnel Metal DX Serum, which helps protect hair from metal buildup and damage, and Schwarzkopf Moisture Leave-In Conditioner, which deeply nourishes and maintains moisture. These products can be used on either dry or damp hair, depending on your preference.
When using a leave-in product, focus on applying it evenly to your hair lengths, avoiding the roots to prevent weighing your hair down. You’ll not only protect your hair but also enhance its smoothness and manageability, leaving it looking healthy and vibrant throughout the day.
Step 7: heat protectant
A heat protectant is a must-have if you regularly use hairdryers, curling irons, straighteners, or any other heat styling tools. Heat can cause significant damage to your hair by drying it out, leading to split ends, breakage, and overall weakening of the hair structure. A good heat protectant creates a barrier between your hair and the heat, preventing moisture loss and protecting the integrity of your strands.
Heat protectants should be applied to damp hair before using any heat styling tools. Simply spray or apply the product evenly through the lengths of your hair, focusing on the areas that will be exposed to the most heat. It’s essential to allow the protectant to dry and settle before styling, ensuring it works effectively. Many heat protectants also offer added benefits like shine, frizz control, and smoothness, giving you an extra boost in your styling routine. By using a heat protectant, you can keep your hair looking healthy and shiny while still enjoying your favorite styling tools.
