Learn how to understand your hair type, texture, density, and porosity so you can know which products and tools are best for your hair and your kids’ hair! You will also get great tips for getting your hair to grow and how to take good care of your hair.
For some people, it can take decades to really understand their full hair type. As we are figuring things out, we need to understand our hair texture, hair type, porosity, and density and how those things all affect each other.
So many women don’t even know that these are things to consider about hair. Here is all the info you need so you can get to know your own hair and help your daughters know their hair.
I have three daughters, and none of the four of us have the same overall hair type. Really every one of us is unique.
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Hair Texture
There are three different main hair texture categories.
Fine
- Thin and fragile
- Oily and greasy easily
- Gets weighed down by product
Medium
- Most common hair texture type
Course
- More tolerant to heat, product, and dye
- Takes longer to dry
Hair Type
There are four different main hair types, and each of these have sub types within them. You can be different types at different parts on your head! So your bottom layer can be different than your top layer. Hair type can be affected by climate and damage.
Straight Hair Type
This type is shiny and easily greasy. It does not hold curl easily and has no natural curl at all.
- 1a is super straight and fine (typical in Asian descent)
- 1b is super straight and medium texture
- 1c is straight, thick, and course
If you have this hair type, here are some tips:
- Avoid heavy products – it weighs the hair down and makes it limp
- Use texture spray to help with hold. This is my favorite kind from L’ANGE.
- Dry shampoo works well. This is our favorite brand at our house.
- Don’t overwash your hair
Wavy
- 2a is fine, thin, easy to style, with S shape waves. It is pretty straight overall
- 2b is a little frizzy and has curls mostly from midpoint to the end of hair
- 2c is thick, course, frizzy, and hard to style. These curls are midpoint to end and are more defined than 2a or 2b
If you have this hair type, here are some tips:
- Use a diffuser when blow-drying
- Avoid heat to avoid frizz
- It is good to have some layers cut into your hair
Curly
- 3a is defined curls, thick, shiny, frizzy, and has S shaped curls
- 3b is tight curls and a variety of textures
- 3c is tight curls, curls are corkscrew, and the hair is easy to style. You can usually just air dry this type
If you have this hair type, here are some tips:
- Moisturize, air dry, rake with fingers
Coily
Coily hair has tight curls, is coarse, and is easily damaged.
- 4a is very delicate and needs moisture
- 4b has curls that zigzag
- 4c have super tight curls and is super fragile
If you have this hair type, here are some tips:
Moisturize and do not comb too often.
Hair Porosity
Porosity is the ability for hair to absorb and retain moisture and other products. This is based on the structure of your hair cuticle (the outer layer of hair, which is shingle-like–see the image below). This can be affected by climate, damage, and products.
Porosity should affect the hair products you use and your and styling process.
Low Porosity
This means hair cuticles are close together and repel water. There isn’t much getting in because the shingles are closer together.
- Can lack volume
- Typical in healthy hair
- Can be difficult to get moisture into the hair
- Cleanse with a sulfate-free shampoo
- Do not seal the cuticle
Medium Porosity
This means hair cuticles are less tightly bound.
- Copes well with styling, coloring, and chemical processes
- Absorbs moisture well
- Stays pretty healthy easily
- Deep clean with protein
- Use hydrating leave-in conditioner
High Porosity
This means hair cuticles are more widely spaced and allow a lot in.
- Frizzy in humidity
- Dry in dry weather
- Deep moisturizing helps seal holes so it is less frizzy
- Needs clarifying shampoo once a week to avoid buildup
- Mousse can help bring volume
- More common in damaged hair AND damages easily
- Use leave-in moisturizers
- Deep treatments with protein
- Wash and rinse in lukewarm or cool water to close the cuticle
Determining Porosity
To test, you can put a clean strand of hair in a glass of water (you can not have hair product on your hair at all)
- Floats means it is low porosity
- Sinks slowly or stays in the middle means medium porosity
- Sinks to bottom means high
Hair Density
Hair density is the number of hairs on your head. This affects how thick or thin your hair appears. This is not “thick” or “thin” hair as we typically think of it–that is texture. Texture is the size of individual hair strands. Density is how many hair strands per square inch on the scalp.
- Low means you can see the scalp easily. Use lightweight products
- Medium can’t see scalp unless hair is parted
- High is hard to see scalp even with hair parted. Heavier creams and oils are good
General Hair Tips
Here are some general hair care tips to be aware of and follow.
My first tip is to work with, love, and embrace what you have. See if you can impress that upon your daughters. We all seem to wish our hair was the opposite of what it is.
While it is fun to do your hair different ways at times, it is best to embrace its natural state and work with it rather than against it. As someone with natural curl, I spent many years (decades) fighting it. Once I accepted it, my hair became so much easier to do. I can do it so much faster than when I work against it. It is easier to style and your hair looks better on non-wash days. You also do less damage to your hair when you let it be natural.
But of course part of the battle is figuring out what exactly is the natural state.
These are IDEAL situation tips. Not all of us are going to do these things all of the time. Pick and choose what makes the most sense for you.
See all of our favorite hair products in one place in my list on Amazon!
Scalp Care
Taking care of your hair includes taking care of your scalp. Here are some tips on scalp care.
- Keep the scalp clean and use a clarifying shampoo. I really like Biolage for this. They have the Cooling Mint Scalp Sync, which is also great for oily hair. They also have this one for great cleaning and buildup remover.
- Brush scalp morning and night
- Use a scalp massager when you wash your hair. We have this one!
- Use scalp oil or serum to address concerns like dandruff
- Tea tree oil, peppermint oil, aloe vera oil. Tea tree oil can sooth an itchy scalp and help ith dandruff. It also helps prevent the hair from being too oily. Peppermint also helps with dandruff and helps your hair grow faster. Aloe Vera oil helps with hair growth and clearing dead skin cells off your scalp.
Hydrated Hair
Healthy hair is hydrated hair. Your needed effort in this area will vary depending on your hair type and porosity.
- Keep your hair hydrated. It is good to use a leave-in conditioner each time you wash your hair.
- Use a Hair Mask: Use things with shea butter, coconut oil, or argon oil. Mask midlength to ends as needed or 1-4 time per month. Our favorite mask at our house right now is this one.
- Oils and serums help. Olaplex is a great brand in general and has many products. One of my favorite products of theirs is the Bonding oil.
- Hydrate your ends at night. I love Marula oil for this.
Be Nice To Your Hair
- Don’t over-style regularly. Keep things as simple as you can on a daily basis.
- Use a heat protectant. We use this one from Chi.
- Keep hair loose (loose braids or buns). Use a satin scrunchy to put it up when you sleep.
- Lowest heat setting possible when using heat
Other Hair Tips
- Don’t sleep on wet hair
- Rosemary oil will help hair grow
- Use a bamboo brush/comb – it improves circulation, reduces frizz, reduces pulling, reduces breakage. We have this great Bamboo hair brush set.
- Do not wash too often. You will have to find the right balance for your hair. Some people wash only once a week. Some a few times a week. As you wean from washing, it takes a few weeks for the head to produce less oil
Tips to Get Your Hair to Grow
Sometimes we just want our hair to grow faster or better! Here are tips to follow for best hair growth.
- Eat healthy diet (proteins and carbs)
- Massage scalp to stimulate growth
- Condition and use masks – keep it hydrated! Condition each time you wash your hair
- Trim regularly (hair grows ½ an inch a month, so keep that in mind as you get trims)
- Take supplements/vitamins to help hair grow
- Avoid heat and use heat protectant when you do use it. If you like curls in your hair, try heatless options! Kaitlyn loves this heatless curls tool. McKenna likes sock buns.
- Sleep with silk pillowcase (this is the one I have) or hair bonnet
- Be gentle with wet hair – use wide tooth comb and air dry as possible
- Don’t overwash – you do not need to wash every day
- Brush hair at night to spread your hair’s natural oils throughout your hair
- Use oils that help hair growth. My girls love Rosemary oil and use it each time they wash their hair. Put it on three hours before you wash it and massage it into the scalp.
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