How to Determine Your Childs Hair Porosity & Create a Hair Care Regimen

How to Determine Your Childs Hair Porosity & Create a Hair Care Regimen

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Have you ever seen a cute style for your little one, but no matter what products you use, you just can’t get your baby’s hair to “act right”? You often think, what am I doing wrong? Of course we want our mini-me’s to always look their best whether we’re doing a wash n’ go or a cute up-do. Well don’t worry, we’ll help you crack the code.

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When it comes to maintaining your child’s natural hair, understanding the hair’s porosity is just as important, (if not more) as understanding the texture of the hair. Many products and techniques seem to be good for hair of the same texture, but when we try them, we often cannot get the results we are looking for. This is partly due to the hair’s porosity.

 

 

What is hair porosity? In short, hair porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. The hair can be categorized as either having low, normal or high porosity.

 

Low porosity hair resists moisture and tends to create a protein-sensitivity. Due to the hair pores being tightly closed, moisture has a hard time penetrating the hair shaft. The great thing about low porosity hair is once the moisture is sealed in properly, your hair will hold moisture for days. With this hair type, product usually builds up easily and the curls tend to take longer to dry. If you have low porosity hair you may notice products merely "sitting on top of your hair." Soley co-washing more than shampooing will not be the best regimen for low porosity hair. You should always incorporate shampoos over co-washing and see how much of a difference you'll see in your hair's ability to receive moisture. Also using a gentle sulfate-free shampoo such as our Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo slightly opens the cuticle for optimal deep conditioning, so please do not rely on co-washing only.

 

High porosity hair cuticle is highly raised and quickly absorbs moisture, however because the hair cuticle is raised and remain raised, you lose the moisture just as quickly as it was absorbed. Oftentimes this hair type is damaged from harsh chemicals, dye, high heat, or harsh shampoos that strip the hair. 

 

 

Normal porosity hair accepts moisture very easily and retains it. The hair can hold styles for a nice length of time and the hair strands are full of life. Overall, the hair requires much less maintenance.  

 

 

There are three tests to determine your child’s hair porosity. These include the Strand test, Shedding test and the H2O test. Our favorite is the Shedding test. It’s the easiest to duplicate and will help you to quickly determine your results. Here’s how to do it.

 reagan sanai hair porosity test

Step 1: Comb through the hair gently as you normally would and look for any hair that sheds. (Be sure to clean the comb of any stray hairs before doing this.)

 

Step 2: Fill a small glass with water.

 

Step 3: Take a strand from the comb and place it inside of the glass of water then watch to see what happens.

 

Results

*Normal= Hair sinks slowly

*High= Hair sinks to the bottom of the glass immediately.

*Low=The hair floats on top of the water.

 

Knowing your child's hair porosity is a major factor in creating a hair regimen that's best for them. Now that you know a little bit more and have determined the porosity of the hair, let’s discuss how to care for it properly.

 

Normal: Your hair is already on a good path, let’s keep it there by using natural and healthy ingredients and using minimal heat or none at all. Another tip is to deep condition regularly.

 

Recommendation: Reagan Sanai Avocado & Banana Deep Conditioner is packed with nutrient rich fortifying ingredients and sure to leave your strands pillow soft.

 

High: Remember, moisture falls through the cuticle with this hair type. So, you want to seal the cuticle to help lock in moisture and make sure to use a gentle sulfate free shampoo such as our Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo to cleanse the hair. Deep Conditioning should be done following every wash. Remember to slather on generous amounts and heat it up with a steamer or hooded dryer for at least 15-20 mins. Use a thick conditioner like our Avocado & Banana Deep Conditioner, it's is a great product to nourish your strands with loads of nutrient rich vitamins and really bring your hair back to life.Thick products such as our Shea Butter Souffle’ will assist with sealing in moisture to prevent dryness. Using a leave-in conditioner is key and aloe vera is also a really great ingredient to moisturize and nourish your hair. 

 

Recommendations: Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo, Avocado & Banana Deep ConditionerCombat Dryness LCO Kit

 

Low: Due to the hair shaft cuticle being closed, you want to always use in-direct heat(steamer, hooded dryer, conditioning cap) to open the cuticle and allow moisture to get inside the hair shaft. Apply products to the hair while it is wet. Another tip is to use a hair steamer! A steamer allows your conditioner to penetrate 5x better than using a conditioner alone.

 reagan sanai hair porosity blog post

Hair steamers are heaven sent! The major benefit of using one is that they help to hydrate the hair and opens up the pores which promotes blood circulation, which contributes to hair growth. The steam opens the hair cuticle so that the products penetrate the hair and helps to heal damaged hair. This enhances curls, promotes easier stretching and manageability, strengthens the hair and increases moisture retention. As if all that isn’t enough, steam treatments feel amazing on the scalp!

 

Recommendations: Avocado & Banana Deep Conditioner and Moisturizing Aloe Hair Mist

 

Assuming you've taken notes, you've got work to do, don’t you? Of course! Don’t be overwhelmed. Getting your little one’s hair in the best shape possible is going to take time, but at least now, you’re able to identify exactly what your child’s hair needs. We’d be happy to assist you in the process. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below and let us know if this post was helpful to you! Connect with us via Instagram @ReaganSanai.

 

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