How to Pick the Right Hair Products for Your Hair Type
Last updated on August 5th, 2024 at 08:16 pm
If your hair is in good condition (trimmed and shaped) yet doesn’t appear to be thriving, your hair products may be the culprit. In this post you will find tips on how to choose hair products – the right ones for your hair type.
I’ve experienced my hair looking very limp because the products I used were just too heavy. I came to realize over time that not all products work for all people.
Yes, that seems like common sense but when the masses are able to use a certain product with much success, it’s easy to think there’s just something wrong with you….or your hair.
In order to choose the right products for your hair type, take into consideration the following:
– Your hair’s porosity (low porosity, normal porosity or high porosity)
– The tightness (or looseness of your curls)
– Hair goals (style, length, etc)
– Density of your hair
– Fineness or thickness of your hair
Let’s look at each of these individually.
Porosity
The porosity of hair is the ability of the hair to absorb and retain moisture. There’s three levels of porosity: High, Medium, Low.
High porosity hair easily absorbs moisture but just as easily looses that moisture due to large gaps along the hair shaft.
Medium (otherwise known as normal) porosity hair easily accepts and retains moisture. Darn near perfection.
Low porosity hair requires a bit of work to get moisture into the hair shaft and products tend to build up on the hair shaft.
It’s possible to have a head of hair that has more than one porosity level. Take into consideration your hair’s porosity when determining the hair products (and techniques) you intend to use.
Check out Ouidad’s Guide to Hair Porosity here.
How to Choose Hair Products for Your Curl pattern
Do you have tight curls? Loose curls? A combination of the two (likely)?
Then, you’ll want to choose products that are able to address the need of your curls. For example, tighter curls need hair products which contain ingredients that will hydrate and nourish the hair from the inside out.
For those with looser curls or wavier textures, hair products that moisturize but also define and fight frizz work best.
How to Choose Hair Products to Reach Hair Goals
The products you use in your hair will also depend on the goals you have for your hair.
For instance, if you’re looking to thicken up your hair, herbal hair products (often called Ayurvedic) can greatly assist.
Maybe you want your hair styled in a way that allows the curls to feel weightless. A mousse is a styling product you’ll want to try.
Perhaps you want to grow long hair. You’ll want to use products that strengthen and help balance your hair’s protein and moisture levels.
Density
If you have lower density hair, you’ll want to use hair products that volumize and create the illusion of curls that are plumped up but also don’t weight the hair down.
There are many brands of light weight curl creams that work really well.
Fine Hair
Fine hair loves products that are fortifying. Stylers need to be light weight so as to not weigh the hair down causing it to look dull and lifeless. Cream stylers work quite well.
Like lower density hair types, those with fine hair can benefit from volumizing hair products.
This all may seem a bit overwhelming but the good news is most manufacturers make note right on the jar of the product – the type of hair the product most benefits.
If you’re well versed on what particular ingredients do (example: henna for smooth curls), you can peruse the ingredient list of hair products to determine which product would be right for your hair type.
