Hair Porosity

Hair porosity is a measure of your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. Knowing your porosity can help explain why following someone's directions to a T can still result in dry, brittle, dull hair.

(For those who know what hair looks like under a microscope, you may skip this paragraph. For everyone else, let's draw a picture. Imagine a snake or even a fish. The scales all go in one direction. If you feel along that direction, it feels smooth. Going in the opposite direction feels rough. Same thing with your hair. It has scales called cuticles.)

Porosity can be measured as low, medium, and high with medium being the normal. To find out your porosity, you can perform these two tests:

1) Gently pinch your hair and run your fingers up the hair from ends to roots. If you feel any texture or bumps, you probably got high porosity because the cuticles are raised and are causing that textured feeling.

2) Find hair from your comb or brush and drop them into a cup of water. If the hair sinks to the bottom within a minute or two, you've got high porosity. If it never sinks, you've got yourself some low porosity, girl!

Low Porosity

This hair type is super smooth because the cuticles are flat against the shaft of the hair giving it a shine. But moisture and chemicals have a hard time getting inside the hair resulting in longer wait times. Product buildup can also be a problem.

Low porosity girls need to always shampoo well because of possible buildup. Use a good clarifying shampoo and lather twice. When applying any products, make sure the hair is damp and not wet. Wet hair will leave no room for the products or anything else to be absorbed. Always use products that are light like olive oil and coconut oil. And always use heat to help open the cuticles. This can be a hood dryer or body heat using a plastic cap.

Medium Porosity

This hair type is considered normal so as long as you continue to keep your hair healthy, you are good to go. Just remember that porosity can change over time with continued use of chemicals and heat. So moderation is key to staying normal.

High Porosity

This hair type is the exact opposite of low porosity. The cuticles are wide open. Light bounces around rather than bouncing back so the hair tends to look dull. Moisture and chemicals just flow into the hair. Chemical processes like relaxing and coloring work quickly.

High porosity girls need to always be watchful when around moisture. We all know wet hair is heavier than dry hair. So breakage can even occur while bathing or swimming. Avoid heat when possible to keep the cuticles from opening up.

After washing, you need to use leave-in conditioners, butters, heavier oils, and protein treatments to plug up those holes. I'd also recommend trying Roux Porosity Control to help lay the cuticles down.

Once you know your porosity level, you will see why following some instructions won't yield the results claimed by the writer. They may have a different porosity than you, but now you can make the right adjustments and get those results you desire!

Have a blessed week!

-Aly

Poetic Justice Inspired Box Braids

Summer's over. Are box braids still in? I say yes! We all know the box braids craze started with the Knowles sisters, Beyonce and Solange. But did you know this natural hair protective style works great during the winter too?

The cold, frigid air outside plus the dry, hot air inside makes everyday a possible bad hair day. By keeping your natural hair in box braids, you can keep a low maintenance hair style with minimal upkeep. But first, we need to assess your hair's healthiness. Healthy hair is a balance of moisture and protein. Too little or too much of one or the other will result in breakage when put in box braids.

If your hair is in need of moisture, apply a good deep conditioner or leave-in moisturizer. If your hair is in need of protein, use a good protein treatment, but never ever over-protein your hair.

Poetic Justice movie poster. Copyright / Fair use

For the most versatile styles, I suggest using Kanekalon braiding hair (around $2 per pack) because you can manipulate the synthetic fibers with hot water when adding waves or curls. For even longer box braids, look for the Poetic Justice inspired 84" Kanekalon braiding hair (around $5 per pack).

After getting your braids done, be sure to keep your scalp clean using a dry shampoo, and your scalp and hair oiled using any natural oils like shea butter or coconut oil. Follow up with a good braid sheen for healthy looking box braids.

Have a blessed weekend!

-Aly

Returning Items While Avoid Irritation, Aggravation, Frustration

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

— Acts 20:35

Gift giving is upon us with less than 4 weeks left until Christmas. After spending all that time and money choosing, buying, wrapping, and giving those gifts, something will be too big, too small, the wrong color, or just the wrong thing. Then those same gifts will need to be returned to the store bringing us to the second phase of gift giving: irritation, aggravation, and frustration.

Store return policies will vary so knowing the differences may help you when preparing for the trip back to the store.

Refunds usually require the original receipt or the gift receipt. This is to make sure the returned  item was actually purchased from the store. Some stores may require that the item be in a resellable condition with original packaging so it can be quickly sold to the next customer with no delay. Many stores will include a window of 30 to 90 days after the purchase date to make the return. This is to prevent use-and-returners and accepting items that have been discontinued.

After refunds, come store credit. Some stores may only give store credit which will require the same conditions as a refund. This is to prevent customers from getting the cash and spending it somewhere else thus dropping the profit level of the store. This can be very, very frustrating to the customer so know ahead of time if stores give refunds or only store credit.

After store credit, comes exchange. If the item was the wrong size or came damaged, the store will usually exchange it for the right, working item. Some stores may let you exchange it for a different item in a different department. But again only frustration for the customer who needs the money back to buy somewhere else.

After exchange, comes no deal. That means you are stuck with the item especially if it was purchased as a sale or clearance item and was marked as final.

Before you become frustrated and take it out on the sales clerk, remember that unfair store return policies are not their fault. So yelling at them will only give them more reason to not help you and call the police.

Instead, be positive, polite, and smile a lot. Have a sympathetic, empathetic, and heart-touching story and give the store clerk a reason to want to help you!

Have a blessed week!

-Aly