Picture: microscopic view of high porosity hair

Porosity is a measure of how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. It’s affected by the outermost layer of hair known as the cuticle.

High porosity hair means your hair absorbs and loses moisture easily. Gaps and holes in the cuticle lets too much moisture into your hair and leaves it prone to frizz and tangling in humid weather.

It's important you conditioner wash (or co-wash) once or twice monthly (instead of shampooing), deep condition once or twice monthly and layer heavier moisturizers and sealers onto water saturated hair. You should also reduce or eliminate chemical processing and rough hair treatment. Trim ends every 4-6 weeks. Wrap, cover and protect pineappled hair nightly with silk or satin.

Nourish Treatment Masque

What it is: Intensive weekly treatment. Moisturizes and hydrates for the essential needs of curly, coily hair. Smooths gaps and holes in the cuticle. Eliminates dryness. Strengthens and lengthens. Penetrates deeply. Adds shine and softness.

How to use for best results: For deep conditioning, apply Nourish Treatment Masque to just shampooed, rinsed and water saturated hair that's still dripping water while still in the shower. Cover hair in sections from roots to tips and massage into hair. Allow to remain up to 20 minutes (if exiting shower for deep conditioning, apply heat). Rinse well. May also use Nourish as a pre-shampoo or pre or post-protective styling deep conditioner. Heat or steam will intensify the conditioning effect.

Full ingredient list: Purified water, cetearyl alcohol, organic coconut oil, hydrolyzed oat protein, organic babassu oil, behentrimonium methosulfate, sodium lactate, gluconolactone, organic sweet almond oil, organic avocado oil, organic macadamia oil, organic olive oil, and sodium benzoate.

Enrich Moisturizer Styler

What it is: Weightless leave in styler. Moisturizes and hydrates for the essential needs of curly, coily hair. Eliminates dryness. Defines and softens. Eases detangling. Penetrates deeply. Adds shine and softness.

How to use for best results: For moisturizing and detangling, apply Enrich Moisturizer Styler to hair just conditioned with Nourish and rinsed well. Hair should be water saturated and still dripping water. Cover hair in sections with Enrich from roots to tips and massage into hair.

When detangling, divide hair into 6-10 sections depending on thickness and length. Choose a beginning, parted section of hair. Using a detangling brush, detangle beginning at the ends working up to your roots. Be patient and take your time. Rewet and stretch hair as needed. Gently remove shed hairs during detangling by stretching hair down. Once a section is completely detangled, clip or loosely twist hair to keep already detangled hair isolated. Isolation will prevent re-tangling and shrinkage. Continue this process until all hair has been detangled.

Full ingredient list: Purified water, cetearyl alcohol, organic coconut oil, hydrolyzed oat protein, sodium lactate, gluconolactone, organic avocado oil, organic babassu oil, behentrimonium methosulfate, organic cupuacu butter, organic macadamia oil, organic olive oil, organic sweet almond oil, and sodium benzoate.

Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil Serum

What it is: Silicone-free lightweight oil serum styler. Moisturizes and hydrates for the essential needs of curly, coily hair. Strengthens and lengthens. Seals. Guards against future damage. Penetrates deeply.

How to use for best results: For sealing, apply Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil Serum to hair just moisturized and detangled with Enrich. Hair should be water saturated and still dripping water. Cover hair in sections with Pumpkin from roots to tips and massage into hair. Leave Enrich and Pumpkin in your hair and proceed with styling. May also use Pumpkin as a pre-shampoo hot oil treatment or leave in nutritional boost for scalp.

Full ingredient list: 100% organic pumpkin seed oil.

So I received my first chemical hair relaxer when I was in the 5th grade. And I promptly lost A LOT of hair. But I continued relaxing. After about year I swore off chemicals as dangerous and returned to the dreaded pressing comb.

There I stayed until college. I wanted to wear all the cute styles but Florida's humidity had other plans. Cute styles don't look so cute after humidity self-invites.

So I returned to chemical relaxers hoping to overthrow humidity's reign! And for the most part relaxers won.

But what I still didn't understand was the dangerous nature of chemical relaxers.

A licensed cosmetologist spilled chemical relaxer on my face. You may be thinking and... Just so you know, it doesn't eventually heal like your scalp with oozing eventually followed by crusting eventually followed by healing. Nope. Chemical relaxer on your face requires chemical burn treatment with silvadene cream, bandages and sunlight avoidance! For an entire week! While living in the sunshine state. 

This should've been my wake up call. But I slept through the alarm.

Maya Angelou said, "...when you know better, do better." 

Natural is better. But it hasn't been a direct path to bliss and enlightenment. It's been a curvy path with craters, rock slides and wilderness.

But I found my way. And you can too!

I share my expert advice for getting lasting moisture, maximum length and luscious curls. 

Do you have a story to tell? We'd love to hear it!