All the terms make me lose my mind!
If you’re a natural or trying to go natural, then you’ve probably heard the hair type terms “Low Po, High Po, 3B, 4C” the list goes on and on and on. But wat de hel mean it als?
Its all just a way for us to understand what our hair likes and how we can best take care of it. So yes, nogals important to know.
What’s your hair TYPE?
Coloured people are made up of diverse backgrounds. My tjommie has a predominantly white heritage, mine is predominantly black. As a result, our hair textures are different…baie different. And our struggles even differenter – this is an actual word stop being so judgerag Mr auto correct.
Your texture will help you a little bit in choosing products but mostly it will give you a sense of identity. Everyone wants to know where he or she fits in. So, here’s the breakdown:
You’re probably thinking why Type 1 is not on here…well it’s because of this reverse thing. Our 4c sisters are struggling for big brands to represent them and on the other hand, Type 1 is not represented in the natural community.
For me, I identify as a Type 4…enige type 4 because we could all be sisters, at any given time my hair looks like any of those.
And that’s not an issue really….what is an issue is finding out if your hair is Low Porosity or High Porosity.
I know, watsegoed? Here it is:
Hair porosity simply refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, there are at least 3 ways to determine which one you are (low, normal or high) but here is my favourite:
THE HAIR STRAND TEST
Take a clean strand of hair from your head (not your armpit or leg hair), place it into a glass of water. If your hair sinks slowly, it has normal porosity, and if it sinks immediately, your hair is high porosity.
Just like you, your hair has a personality…a little attitude.
High Po
- Absorbs too much moisture and loses it quickly
- Lacks shine and luster
Use products that are heavy, like creams and butters. The LOC method (I’ll explain this one in a future article) works really well here.
Medium Po
- Needs the least amount of maintenance
- Holds styles better
- Looks healthy
- Has elasticity
One of the best to have (yes girl, you have made it in life) as it requires minimal maintenance and you should avoid protein heavy products.
Low Po
- Very resistant to absorbing moisture – much like the relationship between relaxed girls and rain (wanne jou hare mince)
- Looks healthy
- No real elasticity
Use lightweight products and if you do opt for a heavier option, use heat to open up the cuticles for better absorption.
I hope you can engage better with the Natural hair communities now, at least you can try and figure your hair out and have a starting point to ask for advice. Vra, hulle sal’ie byt’ie.
Die goete is alles baie kompleks…no not really. But it’s not an easy thing, this “Kroes”.
My Kaaps Glossary:
Wat de hel – What the hell
Als – All
Nogals – Actually
Tjommie – Friend
Judgerag – Judgmental
Enige – Any
Watsegoed – What
Vra, hulle sal’ie byt’ie – Ask, they won’t bite
Kroes – Coarse Hair
Die goete is alles baie kompleks – These things are all very complex
