CROWN SECTION soreness, thinning & breakage CULPRITS & SOLUTIONS (part 1 of 2)

This video, created by GreenBeauty on YouTube, is very helpful for those experiencing crown damage, soreness and thinning. I have been there and after paying extra attention(protein, more moisture, sectioning off) to that area, was able to reverse most of the damage. If you're suffering from any of the above, check out this video.

Cliff Notes:

• Bald Crown Condition is known as Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) 
• CCCA is the form of scaring Alopecia on the middle section of the scalp that results in hair loss
• Early symptoms start with soreness, itching and burning in that area of the scalp 

Salon Visit Tips - Weave, Wigs or Braids Installations

Are you tired of doing your own hair and want to visit a salon to get your weave, wig or braids installed? We all need a break from time to time and that's what salons are here for. Just make sure you exercise due-diligence when searching for a salon and before booking an appointment. Look at reviews, go in for a consultation and ask opinions of past and present clients.

Visiting a salon for the first time can sometimes be nerve wrecking especially if you're typically a do-it-yourselfer. So if you're nervous about your hair health, here are some tips: 

• Wash and deep condition before the visit: Many salons ,who specialize in these types of protective styles, prefer for you to come with your hair already washed. Washing and drying hair adds to the time of the service and their goal is to finish your hair as quick as possible.  Having a clean scalp and strong hair is essential when wearing a protective style. So when washing your hair, make sure you do a light protein deep conditioner afterwards to strengthen your strands. *If you do end up getting your hair washed at the salon, ask to deep condition afterwards.*

Steps I Took for Thicker Hair

Repost!!!

I receive questions on ways to thicken up relaxed hair all the time. 

See below for how I did it. 

My Hair went from this in July 2010 

To this in September 2011



Quick Tips- Split Ends

Image found on Google  Images

Split ends are inevitable. Even with the best care, one or two(or much MORE) are bound to pop up. 

I have found the best way to avoid them are to follow these simple steps. 

4 Dry Hair Remedies

Fall is here and Winter will be here before you know it(well in my part of the Country). This is the time of year when my hair starts to get a little drier than I would like and I was thinking others may have the same issue.
I decided to share a throw-back post(well I posted this back in May) that I believe may be helpful to some.
I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with these tips, but it doesn't hurt to repeat!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


1.) Clarifying

One cause of dry hair is product build-up. When hair has product build-up, it is impossible for it to retain or receive any moisture. The only way to remove product build-up is by clarifying your hair.Clarifying basically strips the hair of all products, minerals, sebum and so forth. After clarifying, your hair has a fresh start to replenish any moisture lost.You must follow-up with some sort of conditioner or deep conditioner to avoid brittle hair. 

If I find a need to clarify, I may use a shampoo containing sulfates. But many store bought shampoos stating "Clarifying" on the label suffice as a clarifying shampoo. There are natural ways to clarify as well such as using baking soda and vinegar. 

So You Want to Color Your Hair?

Color treated hair, whether you are natural or relaxed, requires extra care.

I always suggest to use semi-permanent hair dye/rinses, henna, indigo, honey, coffee...you see where I am going...Go the Natural route!

BUT some can't find one that works for them and would like a more specific or dramatic color so they opt for Commercial/Chemical Hair Dyes.

IF you dye or would like to dye your hair, keep reading for some tips

• If you are Relaxed, NEVER Color and Relax the same day!!

• Always Relax Before Coloring- You should wait at least 3 weeks after Relaxing your hair to apply color. I suggest waiting 4 weeks

• Start Stretching Your Relaxers- Now that you have TWO chemicals in your hair, it is important to reduce the amount of 1 chemical treatment. You have to pick between the color or the relaxer and I vote for the relaxer
• If you want the color to last, do a Clear RINSE (Semi-permanent Hair Color which has NO peroxide) to seal in the color- This will help reduce the amount of touch-ups you will have to do. 
• If you have no experience coloring hair, please go to a trusted Professional-  A lot of women use the box dyes at home, but some aren't that successful. I suggest professional dyes because they tend to have a more vibrant color when applied correctly. I've heard great things about Aveda. 
• MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE and PROTEIN!- You need to keep your hair moisturized at all times. This means more Deep Conditioning Treatments, maybe incorporate Co-Washing and Moisturizing hair day and night. Also, don't forget about Protein treatments. A Hard Core Protein Treatment, such as Aphogee may be needed every 6 weeks if you start to notice damage. If not, a Mild Protein DC should be used at least bi-weekly. ALWAYS follow up a Protein treatment with a Moisturizing DC!

• Use Sulfate Free Shampoos- Shampoos with Sulfate will strip the hair color and may potentially dry out your hair. Opt for Sulfate free Shampoos

• LAY OFF THE DIRECT HEAT!!!!-  Blow-drying and Flat-Ironing your hair should be done at the absolute Minimum.
  
  *My bonus tip is to stay away from bleach-  I just think this is way too damaging!
  
  

Too Scared to Dye?

If you are too scared to dye your hair, like myself, but would like to experiment with colors...try out a different color wigs, half wigs, sew-ins, clip in extensions or some braids.
There is also an option to use colored  "spray paint". It washes out and is not damaging like regular dyes.  

Photo Source


*This was posted before, but I added a few more tips that I found helpful. 

$10

If you were only able to spend $10 on hair products, every 2-3 months, what products would you purchase or do you think you would need?

If you ask me that question, I would purchase:

$1.00

V05 Clarifying Shampoo- Although this product contains sulfates, the stripping effect can be avoided by simply doing a prepoo treatment before washing. There are other V05 shampoo's other than the above, but that that is the only one I have tried. 

$1.00

V05 Moisture Milks Conditioner- This conditioner made my hair so soft! It's a great for the price and could be doctored up for a few different purposes. 

1.) Leave-in- Just dilute this with distilled water and apply after washing

2.) Deep Condtioner- Either add an egg if you need a protein treatment or some Extra Virgin Olive Oil if you need a moisturizing treatment. 

3.) Moisturizer- Yes, I have seen some people use this just to moisturize their hair. I would stay away from the scalp if doing this though. 

$4- $6.00 (depending if there is a sale)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil- EVOO is one of the few oils that actually penetrate the hair shaft...so using this oil has many great benefits. 

There are so many ways this can be used!

1.) Hot Oil Treatment after or before washing

2.) Added to conditioner to double up as a deep conditioner

3.) To seal your hair after moisturizing 

4.) You could basically mix this into just about anything to get that extra umph!

$1.59- $2.00

 Half Dozen Eggs- 

My hair needs SOME kind of protein in a course of 3 months. That's where the eggs come into play. I would just add one to a moisturizing conditioner and maybe a little oil. 

$0 (well excluding the water bill which you may have to pay anyway)

To avoid frizzy, rigid hair, do a cold water rinse(as your final rinse after washing to close the cuticle of your hair. 

If you hair hair low-porosity- rinse with warm water. 

What does that give me? A total of $7.59- 10.00?!

 I keep telling people that to obtain and maintain healthy hair... it shouldn't break the bank. So if you're on a budget, improvise and you will be sure to get or keep healthy hair! 

*all images were found on google images. I do not own any rights. 

Patch Testing

I recently added Tea Tree Oil to my Aloe Vera Mix and also my Sulfur Oil mix(that I occasionally use). I never used Tea Tree oil and because my hair is in twists, if I were to experience extra shedding, I would have no idea until I take them out. So, I decided to do a patch test of both mixes to make sure I wouldn't experience any adverse reactions. 

Sometimes we're so excited to try a new product,  we forget about the risks that can involved.

 Especially for products that touch our scalp like Shampoo's,Conditioners, growth aids and oils. Any irritation to the scalp can cause unnecessary shedding or long term scalp issues which can stunt our growth. 

So...for all trying out new products..Don't forget to do a Patch Test First!

How to do a Patch Test:

1.) Apply a small dime-sized drop on your skin- Most use their wrist/arm

2.) Allow the product to dry preferably overnight

3.) The next day, check the area you applied the product for signs of irritation or redness

4.) If everything seems fine...go ahead and give the product a try

5.) Make sure to wash that product off the area you tested it on!

If you still experience bad side effects such as breakage or shedding after using the product...

1.) Clean/Clarify Your scalp and hair- with the normal product you always use- You want to remove any trace of the product

2.) Follow up with a Deep Conditioning Treatment

*This has been posted before but edited to add my bit on Tea-tree oil

So You Want to Color Your Hair?!

Color treated hair, whether you are natural or relaxed, requires extra care.

I always suggest to use semi-permanent hair dye/rinses, henna, indigo, honey, coffee...you see where I am going...Go the Natural route

BUT some can't find one that works for them or would like a more specific or dramatic color so they opt for Commercial/Chemical Hair Dyes.

Some people just use Dye to cover up Greys.  

IF you Dye your hair, keep reading for some tips

• If you are Relaxed, NEVER Color and Relax the same day!!

• Always Relax Before Coloring- You should wait at least 3 weeks after Relaxing your hair to apply color. I suggest waiting 4 weeks

• Start Stretching Your Relaxers- Now that you have TWO chemicals in your hair, it is important to reduce the amount 1 chemical treatment in your hair. You have to pick, the color or the relaxer. I vote for the relaxer

• If you want the color to last, do a Clear RINSE (Semi-permanent Hair Color which has NO peroxide) to seal in the color- This will help reduce the amount of touch-ups you will have to do.  

• MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE and PROTEIN!- You need to keep your hair moisturized at all times. This means more Deep Conditioning Treatments, maybe incorporate Co-Washing and Moisturizing hair day and night. Also, don't forget about Protein treatments. A Hard Core Protein Treatment, such as Aphogee may be needed every 6 weeks. If not, a Mild Protein DC should be used at least bi-weekly.ALWAYS follow up a Protein treatment with a Moisturizing DC!

• Use Sulfate Free Shampoos- Shampoos with Sulfate will strip the hair color and may potentially dry out your hair. Opt for Sulfate free Shampoos

• LAY OFF THE DIRECT HEAT!!!!-  Blow-drying and Flat-Ironing your hair should be done at the absolute Minimum.

Photo Source

Look What Came in the Mail- My Split-Ender :-)

So, my birthday was on Tuesday (Feb 8th) and as a gift to myself, I decided to buy the Split-Ender. I also bought a Caruso Steam Roller Set, but that's another post.
Before purchasing this, I read so many reviews and watched basically all of the You-Tube videos on this and finally decided that it would be a good investment.

For those who are unfamiliar with this product:

It's a "machine" that basically trims off 1/8- 1/4 of an inch off your hair. As you all know, our hair varies in lengths and at times we are unable to trim the shorter pieces of our hair. This will help that issue and will also trim split ends in the process. It may not trim all split ends, but using this will act more as a preventative measure and keep the ends of your hair neat.

I paid $60 for the Maxi-Kit(Split-Ender, Comb, Clip and Silk Capsules) and got it from a reputable(I believe he works for the company) seller on Ebay named Victort619. It was shipped from California and it arrived 5 days after I placed the order. I live in New England by the way.

I will be using this every 8 weeks and every relaxer(every 4 months) I will use this, then shape up my hair with regular shears. Because I just trimmed my hair 3 weeks ago, I am going to hold off on using this until maybe 3 more weeks, then I will proceed with my every 8 week schedule.
I finally have a camera, so I will record my review :-) So far, the only downfall on this is that my hair has to be straight when using this and I never wear my hair straight! But oh well.

I did a post on this before, check it out.:
http://6footlonghair.blogspot.com/2010/08/thinking-of-buying.html

Protein and Hair Growth

Protein is very important for hair growth. Because hair is protein, consuming an adequate amount of protein will result in improved hair growth(if you feel like your hair is not growing at it's maximum potential). I read up and found that adults should consume no less than 30 Grams of Protein a day, 50 Grams is ideal.

Here is an example of my breakfast and lunch schedule to make sure I get enough protein. For dinner, I usually have some sort of chicken or fish, so I am guaranteed to receive at least 10 grams of protein for dinner.

Breakfast-
2 Boiled Eggs- about 12 grams of protein
Cheese( I looove Cheese. Like really love)- 6 grams of protein
Banana- 1 gram of protein


Lunch
Tuna Fish Sandwich - 15 Grams of Protein
Turkey Sandwich- 8 Grams of Protein
or Ham and Cheese Sandwich- 11-14 grams or Protein

Sometimes I would have pizza or fried chicken(I know, not healthy), but I am bringing my lunches to work now because it's getting cold out and I hate leaving the building.

Snack-
Peanuts or Almonds of some sort- 6-8 grams of Protein



Common protein rich foods can include:
Milk
Soy Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Yogurt
Peanut Butter
Lean Meats, Fish, and Poultry
Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and other Legumes
Grains, including bread and pasta
Nuts and Seeds
 
 
Some ideas for high protein foods that can combine more than one protein rich food, such as a cheeseburger, which includes meat, cheese, and a bun, include:

Tuna Fish Sandwich
Cheeseburger
Cheese Pizza
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Macaroni and Cheese
Grilled Cheese Sandwich

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm

Damaged to Healthy

Whether your hair is short, long, relaxed or natural..the main concern should be the health of your hair.
In my eyes, good hair means to have healthy hair so if your hair is damaged...you need to work on repairing the damage first and foremost.

Here are a few tips to get your hair healthy and keeping it healthy. One thing you have to remember is that it doesn't happen over night but after a few months you should see a drastic change.


Hair strands

•  Cut off any dead, damaged, split ends- I prefer to cut hair when its completely straight and dry. This is where you see the true length and state of the hair
•  Take some time and do a search and destroy method over your whole head of hair- This is where you examine the long and short strands of your hair and cut off any split ends you see.

Wash Day(once a week or every other week)

• Clarify your Hair- by clarifying or washing your hair, you are removing any residue and products from hair. This is giving you a clean slate to start from.
• Deep Condition- If you hair is extremely elastic and damaged..I suggest you start of with a protein treatment. For serious cases of Damaged hair..Aphogee has a 2 step Protein Treatment that I heard works wonders. The first step is the hard protein then the next step is the balancing moisture. Or you can whip up an egg into your favorite conditioner, apply and leave on hair for 15-20 minutes and follow up with a moisturizing deep conditioner. If your hair is just really dry, then do a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment.
• Always apply a Leave-in Conditioner- This is to ensure your hair dries with moisture locked in your strands and a good leave-in will help combat frizziness
• Cut back from Direct Heat such as blow-dryers and flat-irons- Try drying hair with a roller set, a wet wrap if your hair is freshly relaxed and detangled properly or air-drying

Day to Day Maintenance

• Moisturize your strands when you feel you need to- I do this daily...but some people do every other day or 3 times a week. Remember, dry hair will cause breakage and split ends. You need to keep your hair moisturized at all times
• Seal with Oil- I always use a natural oil such as coconut, jojoba, grapeseed or castor oil(which is really thick sometimes too thick) to seal in the moisturizer I apply to my hair. Some people use a grease to seal in moisture. Because Grease does not moisturize hair it can be used as a sealant. It's your preference. As long as your hair feels moisturized through out the day and you see no damage...do what works for you
• Always wrap hair at night with a Silk/Satin Scarf- Cotton can be drying to the hair and can cause unwanted breakage and split ends so by using a satin/silk scarf you will be able to retain moisture better
• Take up Protective Styling- Wigs, Weave, Braids, Buns and so forth help protect the hair especially your ends. You just have to make sure you still take care of your hair when doing so.

Health- Healthy Hair starts from the inside

• Take a Multi-Vitamin every day- We sometimes don't get the needed vitamins from the foods we eat. A multi-vitamin will keep your body in check
• Drink Plenty of Water- I try to drink 2 liters a day. We all know water is good for us...try up your water intake.
• Don't forget about your Yearly Physicals- Self Explanatory. A healthy body produces healthy hair. A lot of women have low iron levels for example, this is a big cause in hair breakage, your doctor will be able to detect this and provide medication/pills/vitamins(whatever) to fix it.
• Exercise- Whether this is once a week or 3 times a week, like I said a healthy body produces healthy hair
• Don't Stress!!!!- Stress is a leading cause of hair loss. Find a way to combat stress. Pick up a book and read, meditate, take walks, talk to a friend, go out dancing..just don't stress too much.

Other Tips

• Stretch your Relaxers- If you are relaxed. The less chemical treatments the better. If you usually relax every 6 weeks, try to bump it up to 8 or 10. This will help prevent overlapping/overprocessing.
• Research- There are many resources for black hair care now-a-days. Use your due diligence and research issues you may have and suggestions to fix it 
• Stick to What Works Best - Many people suffer set-backs when they try new things that they don't even need. If what your doing seems to work well for you, stick with it. Consistency is Key!

Flat Ironing Tips

Heat Damage is one of the worst type's of damage to the hair because the only remedy is to cut it off.
When flat ironing your hair, certain precautions should be taken to ensure your hair remains healthy.

Here are a few tips on flat ironing your hair.

• Always make sure your hair is clean and fully dry before the flat iron touches it- I suggest Air drying first or waiting until your hair is about 80% dry then blow-drying on a cool setting to get it completely dry and a little straight
• Prepare hair by doing a Mild Protein Treatment- Because the protein bonds in our hair can be broken by the heat, I suggest doing a Mild Protein Treatment the day  you flat iron your hair
• Always Use Heat Protectant- Lightly smooth some or spray some on your hair before flat-ironing. You don't want to spray or use too much product in your hair before doing so though
• Two Pass Maximum- There should be no need to constantly smooth hair or go over the same section with the iron, use your hands or a comb as a guide or to help stretch the hair while flat-ironing.
• Work in Small Sections- This is a matter of preference. I see that the smaller the section, the less passes you need to get a straighter look. But it is less damaging to work in medium size sections although I tend to see the best results with those who work in smaller ones
• Try to Purchase a Flat-Iron with Temperature Settings and be sure its Ceramic and Tourmaline- This way, if one temperature is too hot for your hair, you are able to change it . Ceramic and Tourmaline flat irons are the best for the hair. (feel free to do research on them)
• Don't Over-do it with the Flat Ironing- Don't flat iron yor hair every day, you can do a quick cross wrap, wrap or pin curls to preserve your style.

How to See if Your Flat-Iron is TOO HOT

*Get a medium  piece of tissue paper, I use wrapping paper(for the hair). Make sure its big enough to fit in the plates with a little extra to hold.

*Lightly spray the center of the paper with water.*It should not be soaking wet, just mildly damp/


*Place the paper between the plates for five to 10 seconds.

*The paper should come out dry, but clean. If it's still damp, wait a few minutes then re-test

*If it's too hot, you will see smoke and scorching or other discoloration on the paper. Turn it down!


I Hope this helps anyone out there.

Itchy Scalp?

For hair to grow, we need a healthy foundation, that being the scalp. Having an itchy scalp is not only annoying(trust me I know) but it causes damage as well. I don't usually suffer from itchy scalp, but for those who do, here are a few tips that I researched that may or I hope will help.

First thing first is to look at your diet. What we eat not only affects our overall health, but our skin(scalp). Cut back on sugary foods, fried food and drink plenty of water. Focus on eating more fruit and veggies and even adding yogurt to your snack list.

Here are a few other remedies I researched on-line

1) Tea Tree Oil or Eucalyptus oil - Add some tea tree or Eucalyptus oil to either your shampoo, conditioner or even mix with your favorite oil to apply to your scalp. Only add about 4-5 drops though. Or you can purchase Tea Tree Shampoo like from Paul Mitchel or Hair-One(Sulfate free)You can find Tea Tree Oil in any Vitamin Shop or in the vitamin section of your local pharmacy.

2) Apple Cidar Vinegar Rinse- This not only helps with the porosity of the hair, but I read that it also helps sooth the scalp from the horrible itchies. Add 2 teaspoons of apple cidar vinegar to 2 cups of water and as your final rinse, pour on/through your scalp then slightly rinse off. I do this probably about once or every other week which may be why my scalp rarely itches

3) Sulfur 8- The Main purpose of Sulfur 8 is to help with dandruff. I have used this and it helped with that. But it also helps with itchy scalp.One of the reasons why Sulfur is so great for hair growth is because it has some sort of antimicrobial feature and in order for hair to grow, we need a clean scalp. Only caution- Stop use one week before and after a relaxer.

4) Dandruff Shampoos- such as Head and Shoulders and Neutrogena T Gel

Last but not least- VISIT your Dermatologist. If nothing you do seems to work...you have to see a doctor to help solve this extremely annoying issue.

Protein and Black Hair

Having the correct moisture and protein balance is key to Healthy relaxed or chemically treated hair. Protein makes the hair strong, but too much protein can cause breakage. The same goes for moisture, we need moisture for our hair as well, but too much moisture can make the hair very elastic and soft which can lead to breakage. The way I balance out my protein and moisture is that I use primarily moisture based products, but once a week, sometimes every other week, I will do a mild protein deep conditioning treatment. Or once or twice a week I use a protein based leave in conditioner(Aphogee Pro-Vitamin Leave-In).
So, let me break protein down for you a little bit.

What is Protein- Protein is what makes hair strong and structured. Hair is mostly Keratin a kind of protein. When hair undergoes any chemical service or damaged by misuse of heat tools, protein is lost so the hair loses some elasticity or strength.

Why do we need Protein- Black hair which is usually very curly/kinky tends to be dry and somewhat fragile even when natural. So by coloring or relaxing the hair, it becomes even weaker.Also, if you are a natural and constantly use heat, protein may be your friend.
Depending on the condition of your hair or the strength of the relaxer treatments, you may need more or less protein. Protein will strengthen the hair and make hair stronger.

Ok, so I'm going to try and make this as simple as possible.

When do you need Protein- If your hair is very mushy, it's breaking easily, too soft, and it just feels like it's going to snap when you touch it...You need protein.
Just so you understand the difference between moisture and protein...You would need moisture, if your hair feels dry and brittle.

Best ways to Incorporate Protein in a Regimen-  With a Deep Conditioner or Reconstructer.
A reconstructer is a light protein treatment which you would normally leave on hair for 3-5 minutes after washing then you would rinse out.Those who relax should always use a reconstructer before neutralizing.
For really damaged hair lacking protein, Aphogee has a 2 step system which should be used once every 2 months which I read various reviews stating it works really well.

Examples of Protein Based Products I have uses
Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructer
Aphogee Pro Vitamin Leave-in Conditioner
Joice KPak Reconstructer
ORS Hair Mayonaise( Mild Protein Deep Conditioner)
ORS Replenishing Pak (mild protein, but moisturizing too)
1 Egg (mixed in Conditioner or ORS Hair Mayo)(this is a mild treatment if used with a moisturizing conditioner and a medium-strong treatment if mixed with ORS Hair Mayo)
There are so many others out there

My advice when it comes to using Protein- Go with how your hair feels. If your hair feels like it needs some protein and your hair is fairly healthy, do a mild protein deep conditioning treatment. With Protein, you don't really need to use based on a schedule...You use Protein based on the health of your hair

Here are 2 must reads if you want more info on Protein or Protein/Moisture Balance
Why Does Black Hair Need Protein

Fine Art of Protein Moisture Balance

The Forgotten Step

I was asked when and why Porosity control should be used. The reason why I use it, is to ensure my hair retains moisture when (deep) conditioning. Sometimes I would rinse my hair out with ACV/water(see below) or Roux Porosity Control Conditioner after deep conditioning. Either way works fine for me. I always make sure to use it a week before I get a touch-up and a week after.(I should be using it after the chemical process, but I always forgot to bring it to the salon). I probably use it once a week.
Here's a little info I got on Hair Porosity from associatedcontent.com. Sorry this is long, but I wanted to get all the information available.

What is Hair Porosity?Low or "poor porosity" refers to hair that does not readily absorb moisture and resists chemical treatments. Poor porosity is not exactly a problem that should cause you great concern. It is, however, ideal to have hair that falls somewhere in the middle of the two porosity extremes: hair with good porosity that retains moisture well and accepts chemical treatments.


The following questions will help you determine whether or not your hair is overly porous:Does your hair continuously soak in moisture without ever actually feeling moisturized?
Is your hair chronically dry despite your best conditioning efforts?
Does your hair appear/feel puffy, frizzy, swollen, or tough to the touch?
Does your hair have a natural, reddish toned cast to it that is usually more pronounced in spring and summer time?
Does your hair hold styles and curl well?
If you've answered yes to any of the above hair characteristics, and these characteristics appear more pronounced toward the ends of your hair, you may have a problem with your hair's porosity level.Porosity refers to the hair's ability, or inability, to absorb water or chemicals deep into the cuticle layers and cortex. All hair is naturally porous and somewhat permeable to water.