How to cater to your curls and all your hair needs
We all know the feeling of testing out new hair products, only for them not to work with your hair. As you continue to try different products, whether store-bought or a DIY project, it’s important to understand your hair’s needs so you can find the right products for you. Figuring out your hair type is a big part of understanding those needs. While texture plays a key role, you also have to know whether your hair is dry, oily, holds onto water, or doesn’t retain enough. By figuring out what your hair needs and what makes it happy, there are many different ways to cater to your curls.
How to Start Your Hair Journey
The first step to starting your hair journey is identifying what type of hair you have. Understanding your hair type, whether it’s straight, curly, or coils, helps you choose the right products, treatments, and techniques that promote healthy hair. You also have to figure out what your hair goals are. Do you want your hair to be thicker, gain elasticity, gain moisture, or fix damage? This is a journey based on trial and error to figure out how to achieve your dream hair.
If you’re contemplating starting your hair journey or setting new hair goals for yourself, there are different ways to build up the confidence to do so. One helpful approach is following hair influencers who display different textures and inspire others to explore and embrace their own hair. Many influencers share honest product reviews, insights from their personal hair journeys, and tutorials for protective styles they use regularly.
To get started, try finding influencers on social media who have your hair type or share similar hair concerns. This can provide both inspiration and guidance as you begin to understand what works best for your hair.
Let’s Talk Porosity
When talking about understanding your hair, porosity is a key factor. Since moisture is essential for making hair more manageable, porosity refers to how well your hair can absorb and retain that moisture. There are three levels of porosity—low, medium, and high—and each one affects the hair cuticle differently. Your hair’s porosity can be influenced by genetics, damage, and exposure to heat. Understanding your hair’s porosity is important when choosing what products to use and when building a hair routine that helps maintain healthy, balanced strands.
How to test your porosity:
If you have low porosity hair, your hair cuticles are tightly closed, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair shaft. This often looks like water simply rolling off your hair, products sitting on top without being absorbed, and even resistance to chemical treatments like perms, dyes, or deep conditioners. To help products absorb, it’s best to steam your hair first to loosen the cuticle. You should also emphasize moisture retention by using water-based products and look for ingredients that help lock in hydration, such as glycerin, honey, and hyaluronic acid.
For those with high porosity hair, the cuticles are more open, which allows moisture to enter easily, but it also escapes just as quick. This hair type is often frizzy and may appear dry or unkempt. Proper care for high porosity hair includes incorporating protein treatments or masks to strengthen the strands, using a moisture-rich leave-in conditioner for daily hydration, and deep conditioning weekly to replenish lost moisture and maintain softness.
Medium porosity hair is considered the “sweet spot.” It represents a healthy balance between open and closed cuticles, allowing hair to absorb and retain moisture effectively. If you have medium porosity hair, focus on regular cleansing, occasional deep conditioning treatments, gentle detangling, and maintaining your moisture barrier with lightweight products. This helps preserve the hair’s natural balance without weighing it down or clogging the cuticle.
Starting at the ROOT: How to Treat Damaged Hair
Damaged hair can be caused by a variety of factors, including chemical treatments, environmental exposure, lack of moisture, tension from tight styles, and excessive heat. To avoid further damage, consider doing protective styles like braids or twists to minimize breakage, trim your ends regularly, reduce heat usage, and consistently add moisture to your hair.
If your hair is already damaged, it’s important to create a hair routine that protects and nourishes your strands. A clean scalp is the best place to start when trying to understand your hair and give it a fresh start. Use a clarifying shampoo to ensure your scalp is thoroughly cleansed before applying any other products. However, try to avoid shampoos that contain harsh sulfates or ingredients that strip your hair of its natural oils.
The natural oils, also known as sebum, that your scalp produces are essential for maintaining scalp health. They help keep your scalp moisturized, protect your hair from damage, and enhance shine. After using a clarifying shampoo, follow up with a hydrating conditioner to replenish your hair’s moisture levels and restore its pH balance.
Store Bought vs At Home Hair Treatments
When we talk about hair products, both store-bought and at-home hair treatments offer different benefits. Choosing between the two is usually based on your lifestyle, hair goals, and budget. Store-bought products are ideal for targeted solutions to what you want for your hair (damage repair masks, protein treatments, hair serums). Some brands sell products with advanced products like peptides, silicones, and plant extracts that penetrate the hair shaft deeper than a DIY product can. These products deliver consistent results over time while addressing your individual hair concerns.
Best to Buy:
For Protein
Cécred Reconstructing Treatment Mask
- Benefits: Strengthens weak, damaged hair; packed with rice protein and moisture to rebuild the hair structure
- Best for: Chemically treated, heat-damaged, or brittle hair
For Moisture
Amika The Kure Intense Bond Repair Mask
- Benefits: Packed with plant butters and vegan proteins; strengthens and softens simultaneously
- Best for: Weak curls that need TLC without stiffness
For Styling
The Doux Big Poppa Defining Gel
- Best for: Wash-n-go styles and defined twist-outs
- Benefits: Moisturizing hold without flaking, enhances curl definition with anti-frizz finish
On the other hand, creating hair products with items you have in your home is a more cost-effective and customizable way to treat your hair. DIY solutions that are made with natural ingredients are free of the preservatives and additives found in store-bought products. They work well for those who aim to gently strengthen, hydrate, or detox their hair with simple ingredients found in the kitchen.
At-home treatments:
For Protein
Avocado + Mayo Mask
- Ingredients: ½ ripe avocado, 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Benefits: Moisturizes while delivering protein, softens dry ends, improves elasticity
- Best for: Curly, dry, or over-processed hair
For Moisture
DIY Hair Mask: Banana + Honey Mask
- Ingredients: 1 ripe banana, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Benefits: Deeply moisturizes, adds softness, and improves manageability
- Best for: Dry, frizzy, or dull hair
Styling
Flaxseed Gel
- Ingredients: ¼ cup flaxseeds, 2 cups water
- Benefits: Defines curls, reduces frizz, adds hold without crunch
- Best for: Curly and coily hair types
Ultimately, neither option is better, it just depends on your hair needs and goals. If you have damaged or chemically treated hair, store-bought products might give your hair a more intensive treatment that it needs. If you prefer a more natural or budget-friendly product, DIY treatments still deliver noticeable results. You can even do hybrid approach, using both store-bought and DIY products that work for you.
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It’s important to be discerning and understand that not every product or technique—whether homemade or store-bought—will work for your hair. Everyone’s hair is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. This journey is highly experimental and requires patience, as you figure out what your scalp and strands respond to best.
As you grow more in tune with your hair and develop a consistent routine, you’ll begin to see progress. Through trial and error, you’ll learn what to avoid and what to embrace, ultimately creating a regimen that supports your hair goals. With time, care, and intention, your hair will begin to flourish.