Understanding Natural Movement In Hair

03 UNDERSTANDING CURL NEEDS & CARE

Let’s discuss what your curls and scalp need to function their best. It isn’t complicated, and for most people, it is easily attainable; yet some people have certain requirements or limitations based on their lifestyle, activities, or work. In those cases, we then take the ideal and balance it with real life, with the goal of getting as close to the ideal as possible.

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CURL NEEDS & CARE

SIDE NOTE:

Some of us prefer things to be as simple and natural as possible, this is good, except when it means we don’t use products on our curls—then we fail at Moisturization and aren’t locking water into the strands. This affects our ability to have lasting definition and normally creates frizz and a cycle of having to Reset the curls too often (we discuss why this isn’t good and the appropriate time between cleanses/getting the hair fully wet when discussing Cleansing).

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE:

Definition is one of the differences between true waves and curls—true waves do not have natural curl groups.

We often add into our routine positive (encouraging, supportive, repairing, strengthening) interactions with our hair to try to offset the negative (friction, stretching, stressful, confusing, damaging) interactions. Keeping in mind that your curls and scalp could look and function better without these limitations. That being said, we can normally still keep them somewhat healthy and looking good. THE HEALTH OF THE HAIR IS VERY IMPORTANT THOUGH— HEALTHY HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL HAIR. Unhealthy hair doesn’t function well and is a struggle to make it look good.

HYDRATION + MOISTURIZATION = DEFINITION

What curls need most is hydration & moisturization to look and function their best. These words can be confusing though, since they technically mean the same thing, yet they are used to mean different things in the beauty industry (and we aren’t always consistent in how they are used). Basically, we want to get water into the strand and seal it in while softening and/or strengthening the hair’s natural barriers (the cuticle layers–more on them when discussing Cleansing).

Hydration- the water that goes into the strands.
HYDRATION: water absorption.

Hydration happens when water penetrates and goes into the strands. Hair regularly needs a fresh flow or drink of water inside the strands to stay healthy.
Moisturization- the molecules we put onto the strands
MOISTURIZATION: water retention.

Moisturization focuses more on the surface of the strands. We are applying molecules on top of the water molecules to keep them trapped in.
Moisturization often also includes smoothing, softening, repairing, and/or strengthening the outer layers of the strands (the cuticle layers).
Definition
DEFINITION: curls grouping into their natural curl groups.

When curls are defined or group together into their natural curl groups they are at their most orderly and organized place. This is why we don’t brush through, comb through, or rake through dry curls—because it actually removes the natural organization in the hair and causes the hair to expand and Curl Patterns to elongate.
Happy, Healthy Curls naturally group into curl groups. It’s what they want to do when given the Hydration and Moisturization they need. Even if we desire expanded out styles we have to recognize that brushing through curls goes against what they naturally want to do, so it will take a toll and lead to unhappy, melty, or confused curls over time. Some stronger Curl Patterns can take more tolls before they make themselves apparent, yet that doesn’t mean that it isn’t taking a toll. As I mentioned in Chapter One, we have to consider the tolls. And, as we’ll talk about in Chapter Four, for our hair to do its thing easily and well, we need to limit confusing interactions.
It should be the goal for all curls to at least dry in this state if we want to achieve longevity between cleansing with the hair looking good each day. This is due to the fact that it gives us an orderly place to encourage the curls back towards.

SCALP BIOME

SCALP BIOME: We have a natural biome on our scalp (similar to our gut) that when it is off balance, then issues arise. For health, it is good for the biome to have time where it gets to live undisturbed and gets to do its thing. When it is used to living in balance, then it easily deals with excesses or lack and rebalances itself. (We discuss Scalp Health more in-depth when discussing The Elements.)

SIDE NOTE:

Let’s talk about SWEAT—when our scalp biome is intact and healthy, we can sweat, and after a while, the aromas and moisture get rebalanced. This has its limits, of course. If you are completely drenched in sweat, then it is too much for it to rebalance.] When we cleanse or strip the scalp of its natural oils too often (or too harshly), then it will either live in an overactive state where it will be sending an excess of oil to try to rebalance or it will be excessively dry. Our scalps adjust to what we require of them, so they can change (for the better). There are things we can do to encourage the biome back to a healthy balance even if they have been living out of balance for years. The solution to a scalp that produces excess sebum (oil) isn’t to cleanse more often, it is often to transition to cleansing less so that the scalp can calm down and get out of the over-productive state. This transition can be done in steps and doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable process. We also have to take into account that because we interact closely with our hair, we see and feel oils sooner than others see it. Taking a step back from the mirror and looking at our hair can be helpful in adjusting our perspective too. That being said, WE DO NEED TO REGULARLY CLEANSE OUR SCALP & HAIR—we don’t want to get to the point of build up of dirt, oils, and product. (I’ll talk about how often in a bit.)

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE:

I normally stay away from Volumizing products for curls or coils, unless they are applied just at the roots. Volumizing is normally putting molecules between the strands that expand. This can go against or confuse the curl definition/grouping/clumping that we want to encourage. Volumizing products with wavy hair can be okay, since waves aren’t grouping/clumping. We can use techniques in our drying process, or once the hair is dry, to encourage volume instead of products.

CUTICLE LAYERS & HYDRATION

SIDE NOTE:

Some people’s cuticle doors have been damaged and have become High Porosity, even when it isn’t in their natural state. Others have been so damaged that there are doors missing causing holes in the strands. This is common with people who have lightened or chemically processed their hair.

One of the main reasons for cleansing the hair regularly is its need for Hydration (water penetrating the hair strand). As mentioned earlier, our hair needs a fresh drink or flow of water in and out of the strands. It needs to absorb water (moisture absorption) before being given the molecules that lock/seal the water in (water retention).

CUTICLE LAYERS
Let’s understand the CUTICLE LAYERS (the outermost layers) of the hair strands—they are like shingles on a roof … I also like to think of them as little doors to the inside of the strands. These doors are opened when we cleanse and at that time allow us to send a fresh flow of water/hydration into the strands. This is important for healthy, happy hair. No matter how many moisture molecules we layer in or on top of the strands, if the strand isn’t freshly hydrated first, then it won’t be healthy—the dehydration will keep showing itself.
POROSITY
We delve into Porosity in-depth when discussing The Elements, yet it is important to see it tie into Hydration at this point, so I’ll give a quick overview here. CUTICLE LAYERS determine the hair’s POROSITY - the hair’s natural ability to absorb and retain water. I think about it as in how tightly the doors close—it is a whole range from doors that don’t like to open, to doors with loose hinges that swing open, to doors that have been blown off. We each have a natural porosity and then we can also change the porosity of our hair by how we treat it and the products we use.
- LOW POROSITY - some cuticle doors naturally close down tight. This makes us have to focus some attention on getting the cuticle to open and taking advantage of when the doors are open to get the strands fully hydrated. The good thing is that once hydrated, the hair is good at naturally locking water in, making water retention easier and longer lasting.
- MEDIUM POROSITY - other cuticle doors naturally open well and close well. This makes Hydration and Moisturization an easy process.
- HIGH POROSITY - while other cuticle doors naturally are umbrella-ed open. This makes Hydration (water absorption) easy—the water can penetrate into the strand quickly … yet, it also leaves the hair quickly since there isn’t much natural barrier for water retention. A stronger (and more frequent) focus on Rehydration and Moisturization is needed.
STRENGTH OF STRANDS
CUTICLE LAYERS also determine the STRENGTH of the strands. This comes from the number of layers of cuticle you have. (We go into this more in-depth in Book Two: Chapter 4.) The average number of cuticle layers is 7-10, though some hair can have as little as 5 cuticle layers. Gray strands can have up to 24 layers of cuticle. The more cuticle layers, the more strength (and the stronger the strands do what they want to do).

THE MORE CUTICLE LAYERS ALSO MEANS THE MORE DOORS THAT NEED TO BE OPENED FOR GOOD HYDRATION—for the water to penetrate to the inside of the strand. So, Stronger Strands can often seem like strands with Low Porosity because it takes longer for the water to get into the strands (not always because doors are closed tight, but because there are a lot of layers of doors that it has to pass through).

We’ll discuss the Strength of the Strands and the Strength of the Curl Pattern more when we talk about Hair Elements.

CLEANSING & CONDITIONING

When I say cleansing/shampooing, I am even referring to getting the hair/scalp completely wet (though this doesn’t cleanse). You shouldn’t get the hair completely wet unless you are Cleansing, Conditioning, Applying Product, & Resetting.

Our hair and scalp, just like the rest of our body, like a good rhythm or routine. If they are constantly being disturbed or having to adjust to something new, then they are living in a reactive state and not getting to settle into a peaceful rhythm or stay in balance. For your hair and scalp to stay healthy and in balance long term, we need to keep it from extremes as much as possible—we don’t let things build up too much and we don’t strip things away too harshly. The approach of just conditioning, letting things build up, and then clarifying doesn’t lead to healthy hair and scalp long-term—it might help your curls get more moisturized than they previously were getting and so they are happier at first, but long term it causes issues. I’ll explain.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CLEANSE & CONDITION?

Again, if we cleanse too often (even with gentle cleansers), or even get the hair and scalp fully wet too often then we aren’t giving the curls or scalp biome time to be intact and do their natural movements—if they are constantly being disturbed, then they get unhappy and it shows in their behavior (they don’t truly do their natural movements to the best of their ability). When disturbed too often, the scalp can become dry; or it can live in an over-reactive place where it is continually sending up too much oil since its oil is being removed so often—it doesn’t get to relax into a calmer rhythm. Curls also have a sort of cycle they go through and most aren’t actually at their best place on day one of the cleanse cycle. [Read the intro to Cleansing & Conditioning if you haven’t already.]

Each person has their sweet spot for the amount of time between cleansing because it is affected by your specific Hair Elements, lifestyle, health, and more. We want to balance giving the scalp and curls time to live in peace within the reality that they need regular fresh hydration and we don’t want to let oils, sweat, and dirt build up to an unhealthy point. Our curls and scalp are waiting for a good rhythm of gentle cleanse (Hydration), condition (Moisturization), and then time to do its natural movement with only small refreshes and encouragements. This cycle is doable for all curl types and strengths. The key is engaging the Five Foundations for Longevity, which is really just paying attention to what we are communicating to our hair and removing things that make it confused. Telling it, “There’s no need for confusion, we want you to curl to the best of your ability.”

I recommend that ideally we don’t cleanse the hair or get it fully wet more often than every third day (that means two non-Cleanse Days between your Cleanse Days). That being said, most of my guests can get more time (longevity) between cleansing and are closer to the five to seven-day mark. I don’t recommend a regular routine of going more than ten days between cleansing the hair because of dirt & oil build-up, and dehydration issues.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH CLEANSING & CONDITIONING

SIDE NOTE:

If desired, we can focus on VOLUME as we dry and once the hair is dry. We shouldn’t sacrifice the long-term health of the strands and curl groups to try to get volume because we don’t need to. We can get volume from hydrated and moisturized curls—and curls that dry in their curl groups. Read on to find out how.

We CLEANSE FROM ROOTS TO ENDS. We CONDITION FROM ROOTS TO ENDS. (And We Apply Product From Roots to Ends, as well.)
Let me address some misconceptions:

This shouldn’t cause problems with your scalp—if it does, then that is a sign that there is crap in the products you are using. Good products with good ingredients lead to healthy scalp and hair right now, AND OVER TIME.
Cleansing your ends won’t be drying or over-stripping if you are doing it at the correct intervals and using a gentle, clean cleanser—instead it will help the hair stay freshly hydrated. So don’t just apply shampoo to your scalp—apply to the rest of your hair, as well.
Conditioning at the scalp is moisturizing for your scalp and the entire strand. We shouldn’t deprive the roots of our strands of moisture for months and then expect the curls to not be sad as they grow out (later we’ll talk about hair holding memories). Give all of the hair what it needs to be healthy.

When we cleanse we want all dirt, oils, and products to leave the hair. We don’t want them to build up and clog up the strands so that we hinder fresh water absorption. If you can still feel like there is product, waxiness, dirt, or oils on your hair after cleansing, then either:

You haven’t cleansed right
Your cleanser doesn’t work like you need it to
The products you are using aren’t good for your curls … for example: bad formulations and molecule size, or crap ingredients.

We want product to stay around between cleansing, and leave the hair well when cleansed and IT SHOULDN’T REQUIRE HARSH, CLARIFYING CLEANSES. If we are finding we need to regularly clarify, then there is a problem with either the products, the process, or the timing.

No Sulfates (stripping) or Parabens (waxy buildup). Botanically based Haircare and Styling Products are easiest for the hair to accept and use. The cleaner the ingredients in the products, the better it is for our hair, our health, and the environment.

RESTORING & MAINTAINING HEALTH: REJUVENATING, STRENGTHENING, & PROTECTING YOUR CURLS

SIDE NOTE:

I am always amazed by hair’s ability to recover and adjust back to what it naturally wants to do once given what it needs. That being said, damaged hair can never be fully put back (just like dying your hair back to its natural color doesn’t erase what it has gone through and the fact that it has been lightened underneath it all). When hair has been through a lot and holds lots of memories that work against the curls, and/or the Curl Pattern has been damaged— THE QUICKEST, EASIEST, (MOST REWARDING) ROUTE TO HEALTH IS TO REMOVE THE DAMAGED AND CONFUSED HAIR. Starting from a fresh palette and having all of the hair’s memories of getting what it needs and being encouraged to live curly makes for happy, beautiful curls. Doing a big chop can be so freeing and help give a fresh start to your relationship with your hair—one built on enjoyment and cooperation, instead of continuous struggle.

I’m going to say it again, THE HEALTH OF THE HAIR IS VERY IMPORTANT—HEALTHY HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL HAIR. Unhealthy hair doesn’t function well and is a struggle to make it look good. This is especially true with curls—when the ends are split, they grab onto each other; when there is strand breakage, it doesn’t like to stay in its curl groups; when the hair is overprocessed, then the ability to retain moisture is affected and often the Curl Pattern and strength are damaged; when the hair is dehydrated, it is frizzy and does not group well—it can also lose its elasticity and break. These are just a few examples of how the health of your hair can affect your curls.

As I mentioned in Section Two, your hair functions its best when we remove all of the split ends and do regular upkeep cuts that keep them at bay. A Haircut is the place to start for healthy hair. No product can fully restore split and broken strands, at least not in a way where the strands and cuticle doors are fully functioning like healthy strands.

DETOXING

ALWAYS HAVE YOUR Hair Professional GUIDE YOU THROUGH DETOXING. Sometimes a one-time detox is all that is needed; sometimes it needs to be a detox regimen for a set time; and sometimes the switch to cleaner products and better routines will slowly detox the hair. Detoxing is different than just using a clarifying shampoo—we aren’t trying to just strip the hair. We are removing build-up and including ingredients that help draw out the impurities in the strands.

Regular detoxing is not recommended—it doesn’t allow your natural scalp biome to get in balance and live in a calm state. It can be too harsh on your hair if done too often. Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. I rarely have someone detox more than once a year and there has to be a reason for it (often it is after a summer full of swimming in chlorine without protecting the hair).

DETOXING can be crucial to getting your hair back to a healthy starting point, especially if you have been:

Using poor-quality products or products that have built up on your strands.

Applying raw oils and butters.
Noticing waxy build-up.
Using hard water.
Exposed to a lot of consistent air pollution.
Having scalp issues (I normally start most scalp treatment regimens with a detox—though not in every situation).

I start all of my New Guests off with a scalp and hair detox so that we are getting somewhat of a blank canvas and I can see clearly the health and porosity of the hair. Talk to your Hair Professional if you think your hair needs to be detoxed.

DEEP CONDITIONING

For DEEP CONDITIONING (Hair Masks)—I recommend that ALL PEOPLE have a regular deep conditioning routine, especially for curls. I suggest once a month as a healthy interval. This extra boost can be used to address needs caused by weather, seasonal, and environmental changes; life events or activities; or just overall support with increased water absorption, elasticizing, softening, strengthening, or repairing the strands.

SIDE NOTE:

Just like with all hair products, some Hair Masks are crap and can cause issues—look for these things: 1) botanically based; 2) brand is focused on clean ingredients; 3) no parabens; 4) your hair doesn’t feel weighed down afterward and your scalp doesn’t react to it by sending up extra oil (sebum); 5) your hair condition improves right away and it doesn’t cause problems over time.

TREATMENTS

For TREATMENTS—HAVE YOUR Hair Professional GUIDE YOU TO HEALTHY HAIR AND SCALP. Sometimes a one-time treatment is all that is needed and sometimes it needs to be a regimen for a set time. You don’t have to just accept that you have an unhealthy scalp or unhealthy hair. Treatments can help reset scalp balance; deal with dandruff; retain hair; stimulate growth; strengthen, repair, protect, and thicken strands; and more.

I will mention at this point, once again, that for very damaged strands the easiest, (cheapest), and quickest treatment is cutting them off. Though we can somewhat repair the hair, we can’t truly return strands to their natural, undamaged state. This is why PROTECTIVE TREATMENTS are important, especially if you know your health, lifestyle, or style choices put a lot of stress on your hair (more on that in the next chapter). Some strands are naturally weaker and so they will need more focus on protection—though the best protection is to not expose them to harsh treatment or to too many interactions that take a toll.

My approach to scalp treatments is always to start gently and make sure the cleanser and conditioner are not the cause. We work at getting the natural biome on the scalp living in a balanced place, so I only recommend medicated treatments in extreme cases (and even then, I've seen a lot of extreme scalp issues solved before medication is needed). I prefer using herbal, plant-based treatments that contain probiotic and prebiotic elements.

PROTECTANTS

For PROTECTANTS—it is best to keep your hair from anything that would cause the curls confusion, stress, or damage. If we know that our hair will face these interactions (for example: heat, buns, ponytails, blonding, braids, and so on), then it is best to use a product with a protectant in your routine. Often these protectants are included in the leave-in moisture products and are the first ones we apply to wet hair (we’ll discuss products more later on). Again, we want product to stay in the hair well between washes, yet leave the hair well when cleansed. We don’t want to use protectants that coat the outside of the strands; stay around even when cleansed; build-up; hinder the opening of the cuticle ‘doors’; and then cause dehydration. I’ll say it again, and over and over—WE WANT PRODUCTS THAT GIVE US THE RESULTS WE WANT RIGHT NOW AND LEAD TO HEALTHY HAIR OVER TIME (with repeated use).

HEALTH FOCUS

The beauty industry doesn’t always focus on the health of the hair—or at least we are often taught that it is okay to encourage destructive interactions with the hair because then we will make money by selling the ‘solutions’. The tolls that we take on our hair are harder to hide when we are embracing the natural movement in our hair, yet embracing the natural movement sets us up to take fewer tolls and have healthier hair. Once we are giving our hair what it needs to be healthy and caring for it in our interactions with it, then we find it does its natural thing beautifully. Trying out your curls to see if you like them after extended times of treating them harshly isn’t going to be seeing your true curls. Most likely you haven’t met your true, happy, healthy curls—and you are only seeing your sad, unhealthy, defeated curls. Be patient and give your hair time to recover, and then you’ll get to enjoy watching it get happier step by step. I believe we can get the curls to look good from the start of the journey. We just know that they are going to look even better over time … and function better, and be easier. Both you and your hair will be freed from stress.

Let’s jump into things a little deeper and talk about what’s needed in our routine and daily interactions with our hair-- Continue to Section 04.

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Understanding Natural Movement In Hair

03 UNDERSTANDING CURL NEEDS & CARE

CURL NEEDS & CARE

SCALP BIOME

CUTICLE LAYERS & HYDRATION

CLEANSING & CONDITIONING

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CLEANSE & CONDITION?

THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH CLEANSING & CONDITIONING

RESTORING & MAINTAINING HEALTH: REJUVENATING, STRENGTHENING, & PROTECTING YOUR CURLS

DETOXING

DEEP CONDITIONING

TREATMENTS

PROTECTANTS

HEALTH FOCUS

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04 Longevity >>