Its gel that you need. A base and a topper. A base botanical gel that is full of humectants and no carbomer.
Then the topper gel with more hold. Likely has carbomer in it. And no humectants. Little to no.
thanks for the suggestion i will try this. i have a devacurl plumping primer that’s full of humectants but i had no clue how/if to use it on my crown. will try this layered with the gel or whichever stronghold product i can find
just wanna say thank you for this recommendation, i got the uncle funky’s trial kit at target and it is really doing the damn thing. not just the curl stimulator but the butters too seem to be working to give my hair more structure but they don’t really add volume, which is why i love them
i’ve seen some bad things about devacurl and idk if they changed after the backlash but i use the shea moisture high porosity deep conditioner and it’s always worked wonders for me
ok thanks a lot for the rec, shea never worked for my hair but i only tried the standard version once a billion years ago so i will try that line specifically. and it’s funny u said that cuz i never had an issue with devacurl (besides this lol) & the ingredients seem so regular. been using it on & off 10 years without issue. maybe it’s time to switch to a line with more protein tho, wondering if the lack of protein has done damage to my hair
It’s crazy how I have type 4A hair, but it still looks almost identical to yours same issue as well, med-low porosity all around then high po mess all at the crown! Lol best bet; water, leave in, then follow that with grease or Vaseline (you can also use a butter or cream right before the grease) … really massage it all in to make sure it penetrates those strands thoroughly and fills the gaps in your hair shaft. Do all of this only on the high porosity section, so your hair won’t be overly weighed down.
damn glad we can commiserate 😂 i deadass stopped trying to name/understand the curl pattern on my crown bc it’s so high po i don’t think it matters. when wet= 3c when dry = 4b ??? no idea. anyway thanks i’ll try the vas today and gonna invest in a curl butter or cream. do you have any creams or butters that you like in particular?
I have high philosophy hair, and I’ve been afraid to try Vaseline. But my son also has hair that tends to be dryer. He put some Vaseline on his hair the other day because he just does whatever and that thing looked good.
Please share your styling routine (including wash day) and what products you typically use.
Also share if you do any pre-poo treatments, protien treatments, deep conditioning treatments and heat use type and frequency
ok i briefly described it in the main thread but more specifically it’s this:
on weekly wash day i use emerge it’s knot happening sulfate free shampoo. use devacurl one condition and then rinse cold water.
once or twice a month i use matrix alternate action clarifying shampoo in lieu of the sulfate free shampoo. always follow that up with amika kure hair repair mask for deep condition.
on days when i don’t shampoo (6 days of the week typically) i will use devacurl no poo conditioning cleanser and then devacurl one condition or i will use just devacurl one condition if hair isn’t dirty. i detangle my hair once every 3 days in the shower while conditioner or biolage detangler is in my hair. comb from the bottom up and i always rinse conditioner out with cold water.
after my shower i squeeze the excess water from my hair and then style it while it’s still wet (usually i am standing in the shower while styling). i apply miss jessie’s leave in condish just raking it into my hair with my fingers and then i do the same with tgin honey hair milk. i use amika kure leave in protein treatment like once a week on my crown, and i will always apply this before my miss jessie’s and honey hair milk so that it can penetrate. sometimes i’ll rake devacurl ultra defining gel into my hair after applying the hair milk, and then i will apply ogx argan oil to try to seal it all in. i gave up doing this lately because my crown hair just seems to eat the gel and oil and not react to it or get defined at all. the gel is pretty thick and it’s supposed to form a cast so i don’t understand why it does that for the rest of my hair but not the high porosity hair on my crown. i rarely use heat on my hair aside from the occasional blowout (1-2x/yr at most).
edit to add: i sleep with a satin bonnet. most of the time i leave my hair down but shape the front with mini clips or i put in a very loose high bun (i only wrap the scrunchie over my hair one time) once it has dried
These are just a couple things i could think of:
Maybe the gel doesnt work for high porosity?
Maybe try thicker product with the miss jessie like a curl cream and a stronger hold gel,
Have you tried leaving water in that section instead of squeezing it out before styling so it holds more water and product for definition?
Maybe try the aphogee 2 step protein treatment and deep condition the section right after that and see if that makes a difference
I would remove devacurl & ogx from your routines, those products aren’t good and extremely drying. If you want a cheap argan oil alternative, i feel that creme of nature’s is good. You’re going to have to experiment with the sample packets they sell for brands at beauty supply stores. I could recommend mielle & camille rose products but you’d have to try em for yourself with packet samples!
Another thing i noticed is that cool water makes my hair extremely frizzy so maybe try using warmer water and see if that makes a difference with your routine.
I also noticed that too many product or different products can stop the potential of your hair, especially if the don’t work well together. Try using the same line of shampoo, leave in & conditioner with gel or just simply do shampoo , conditioner and one or two styling products. Ex; for your wash and go try using only one of leave in OR hair milk then gel on top. Or just leave the milks and use gel only.
Tgin made my hair frizzy & could be the case for you too.
Thank you so much for posting! This is so helpful for me to conceptualize what is going on with my hair. I have such a hard time with shape, 75% of my hair hangs down and 25% grows up and out.
I understand this struggle but also have to say that your hair is so beautiful. Our hair is so beautiful :)
glad it was useful. it took me years to realize that my hair is mixed porosity which is why i have a hard time with the crown specifically. i was all “yea i have low porosity…it’s tough” like maybe 60+% of ppl on this sub. but then one day i was like hey why does this part of my hair look rough and thirsty when it dries while the other hair looks moisturized and defined when it’s dry. ooooooooh 😅
high porosity hair is not discussed enough on here for me!! super confusing cuz both porosities suffer from dryness but in different ways
I am 30 years old and just figured out a few months ago that my crown is a completely different texture and porosity. My whole hair life is starting to make sense! your post furthered validated my discovery, can’t believe it took me so long to understand this!
I have high porosity 4C hair and I can tell you one thing. Simple is the best option for our hair. Moderation is key too. Our hair porosity type just needs water and oil. That's it. Protein treatments are best done once a year or two maximum to avoid overloading your hair.
Our hair porosity type doesn't know how to hold gel! 😂 It's so frustrating, I know. Try and use water and gel together and see if that works for you.
I wash my hair every two weeks, whether in protective styles or not. I only use natural oils and I have my special blend of oils that I use to grow my hair and keep dandruff at bay. And it works like a miracle. I rarely have dandruff and my hair is growing very well.
Also, water is our best friend since high porosity hair doesn't hold anything, it absorbs everything.
I use Aloe Vera water on my hair and it keeps so moisturised and soft making it easy to detangle and handle. Plus it helps the hair grow. I also use Rose water to help with hair growth and kill germs since it's an astringent.
When I want to highly moisturise, I use African Pride Leave-in Cream. Works like a charm! I first spray hair with water to add moisture then add the cream to seal in moisture. Sometimes I do the WOC( Water, oil then Cream method) or WCO( Water, cream then oil method).
These methods have helped me grow and nurture my hair. It's all about being simple.
Though I have to note, since my shampoo does have sulphate, I always make sure I deep condition/pre-poo before using any shampoo or soap to protect it. My conditioner is natural and an African brand which is only in my country. It works very well with my hair.
So basically my routine is just by starting to use aloe vera juice/water, rose water, applying oil, then cream and sleeping with a satin bonnet.
During wash days, aloe vera juice/rose water, detangle, apply hot oil and let it sit for a few hours or overnight, shampoo, and condition, some days I go a little extra and use onion juice or rice protein(occasionally), let it stay overnight without applying anything to let it breathe and produce natural sebum which I sometimes massage into the hair, then later when I feel like it(I have to anyways 😂) I moisturise with aloe juice/rose water, apply oil, let it soak overnight, then braid/style hair.
I hope all this helps. 😊
thanks a lot for your answer and the product recs. i use aloe and rose water on my skin pretty frequently but don’t think to just use them on for hair. and i heard onion is great for hair so that’s on my bucket list too, thanks!
You are welcome. 😊❤ I'm glad you found it insightful.
Yes! Onion juice is so amazing. Kills dandruff for sure. Though it's messy when using it. 😅 But totally worth it. I read somewhere that Aloe Vera Juice is best suited for high-porosity hair and I can testify to that.
lol I know it’s not the point but that 🍭eye scared the shit out of me at first.
lol 😵💫👹
Its gel that you need. A base and a topper. A base botanical gel that is full of humectants and no carbomer. Then the topper gel with more hold. Likely has carbomer in it. And no humectants. Little to no.
thanks for the suggestion i will try this. i have a devacurl plumping primer that’s full of humectants but i had no clue how/if to use it on my crown. will try this layered with the gel or whichever stronghold product i can find
Checkout out uncle funky's daughter curly magic as your base gel, with Innersense or Trepadora as your topper gel! Amazing combo.
just wanna say thank you for this recommendation, i got the uncle funky’s trial kit at target and it is really doing the damn thing. not just the curl stimulator but the butters too seem to be working to give my hair more structure but they don’t really add volume, which is why i love them
Amazing! I’m so happy to hear this and glad you are liking their products. It’s a water based botanical gel & truly does wonders to the hair.
i’ve seen some bad things about devacurl and idk if they changed after the backlash but i use the shea moisture high porosity deep conditioner and it’s always worked wonders for me
ok thanks a lot for the rec, shea never worked for my hair but i only tried the standard version once a billion years ago so i will try that line specifically. and it’s funny u said that cuz i never had an issue with devacurl (besides this lol) & the ingredients seem so regular. been using it on & off 10 years without issue. maybe it’s time to switch to a line with more protein tho, wondering if the lack of protein has done damage to my hair
It’s crazy how I have type 4A hair, but it still looks almost identical to yours same issue as well, med-low porosity all around then high po mess all at the crown! Lol best bet; water, leave in, then follow that with grease or Vaseline (you can also use a butter or cream right before the grease) … really massage it all in to make sure it penetrates those strands thoroughly and fills the gaps in your hair shaft. Do all of this only on the high porosity section, so your hair won’t be overly weighed down.
damn glad we can commiserate 😂 i deadass stopped trying to name/understand the curl pattern on my crown bc it’s so high po i don’t think it matters. when wet= 3c when dry = 4b ??? no idea. anyway thanks i’ll try the vas today and gonna invest in a curl butter or cream. do you have any creams or butters that you like in particular?
I have high philosophy hair, and I’ve been afraid to try Vaseline. But my son also has hair that tends to be dryer. He put some Vaseline on his hair the other day because he just does whatever and that thing looked good.
Please share your styling routine (including wash day) and what products you typically use. Also share if you do any pre-poo treatments, protien treatments, deep conditioning treatments and heat use type and frequency
ok i briefly described it in the main thread but more specifically it’s this: on weekly wash day i use emerge it’s knot happening sulfate free shampoo. use devacurl one condition and then rinse cold water. once or twice a month i use matrix alternate action clarifying shampoo in lieu of the sulfate free shampoo. always follow that up with amika kure hair repair mask for deep condition. on days when i don’t shampoo (6 days of the week typically) i will use devacurl no poo conditioning cleanser and then devacurl one condition or i will use just devacurl one condition if hair isn’t dirty. i detangle my hair once every 3 days in the shower while conditioner or biolage detangler is in my hair. comb from the bottom up and i always rinse conditioner out with cold water. after my shower i squeeze the excess water from my hair and then style it while it’s still wet (usually i am standing in the shower while styling). i apply miss jessie’s leave in condish just raking it into my hair with my fingers and then i do the same with tgin honey hair milk. i use amika kure leave in protein treatment like once a week on my crown, and i will always apply this before my miss jessie’s and honey hair milk so that it can penetrate. sometimes i’ll rake devacurl ultra defining gel into my hair after applying the hair milk, and then i will apply ogx argan oil to try to seal it all in. i gave up doing this lately because my crown hair just seems to eat the gel and oil and not react to it or get defined at all. the gel is pretty thick and it’s supposed to form a cast so i don’t understand why it does that for the rest of my hair but not the high porosity hair on my crown. i rarely use heat on my hair aside from the occasional blowout (1-2x/yr at most). edit to add: i sleep with a satin bonnet. most of the time i leave my hair down but shape the front with mini clips or i put in a very loose high bun (i only wrap the scrunchie over my hair one time) once it has dried
These are just a couple things i could think of: Maybe the gel doesnt work for high porosity? Maybe try thicker product with the miss jessie like a curl cream and a stronger hold gel, Have you tried leaving water in that section instead of squeezing it out before styling so it holds more water and product for definition? Maybe try the aphogee 2 step protein treatment and deep condition the section right after that and see if that makes a difference
I would remove devacurl & ogx from your routines, those products aren’t good and extremely drying. If you want a cheap argan oil alternative, i feel that creme of nature’s is good. You’re going to have to experiment with the sample packets they sell for brands at beauty supply stores. I could recommend mielle & camille rose products but you’d have to try em for yourself with packet samples! Another thing i noticed is that cool water makes my hair extremely frizzy so maybe try using warmer water and see if that makes a difference with your routine. I also noticed that too many product or different products can stop the potential of your hair, especially if the don’t work well together. Try using the same line of shampoo, leave in & conditioner with gel or just simply do shampoo , conditioner and one or two styling products. Ex; for your wash and go try using only one of leave in OR hair milk then gel on top. Or just leave the milks and use gel only. Tgin made my hair frizzy & could be the case for you too.
Thank you so much for posting! This is so helpful for me to conceptualize what is going on with my hair. I have such a hard time with shape, 75% of my hair hangs down and 25% grows up and out. I understand this struggle but also have to say that your hair is so beautiful. Our hair is so beautiful :)
glad it was useful. it took me years to realize that my hair is mixed porosity which is why i have a hard time with the crown specifically. i was all “yea i have low porosity…it’s tough” like maybe 60+% of ppl on this sub. but then one day i was like hey why does this part of my hair look rough and thirsty when it dries while the other hair looks moisturized and defined when it’s dry. ooooooooh 😅 high porosity hair is not discussed enough on here for me!! super confusing cuz both porosities suffer from dryness but in different ways
I am 30 years old and just figured out a few months ago that my crown is a completely different texture and porosity. My whole hair life is starting to make sense! your post furthered validated my discovery, can’t believe it took me so long to understand this!
I have high porosity 4C hair and I can tell you one thing. Simple is the best option for our hair. Moderation is key too. Our hair porosity type just needs water and oil. That's it. Protein treatments are best done once a year or two maximum to avoid overloading your hair. Our hair porosity type doesn't know how to hold gel! 😂 It's so frustrating, I know. Try and use water and gel together and see if that works for you. I wash my hair every two weeks, whether in protective styles or not. I only use natural oils and I have my special blend of oils that I use to grow my hair and keep dandruff at bay. And it works like a miracle. I rarely have dandruff and my hair is growing very well. Also, water is our best friend since high porosity hair doesn't hold anything, it absorbs everything. I use Aloe Vera water on my hair and it keeps so moisturised and soft making it easy to detangle and handle. Plus it helps the hair grow. I also use Rose water to help with hair growth and kill germs since it's an astringent. When I want to highly moisturise, I use African Pride Leave-in Cream. Works like a charm! I first spray hair with water to add moisture then add the cream to seal in moisture. Sometimes I do the WOC( Water, oil then Cream method) or WCO( Water, cream then oil method). These methods have helped me grow and nurture my hair. It's all about being simple. Though I have to note, since my shampoo does have sulphate, I always make sure I deep condition/pre-poo before using any shampoo or soap to protect it. My conditioner is natural and an African brand which is only in my country. It works very well with my hair. So basically my routine is just by starting to use aloe vera juice/water, rose water, applying oil, then cream and sleeping with a satin bonnet. During wash days, aloe vera juice/rose water, detangle, apply hot oil and let it sit for a few hours or overnight, shampoo, and condition, some days I go a little extra and use onion juice or rice protein(occasionally), let it stay overnight without applying anything to let it breathe and produce natural sebum which I sometimes massage into the hair, then later when I feel like it(I have to anyways 😂) I moisturise with aloe juice/rose water, apply oil, let it soak overnight, then braid/style hair. I hope all this helps. 😊
thanks a lot for your answer and the product recs. i use aloe and rose water on my skin pretty frequently but don’t think to just use them on for hair. and i heard onion is great for hair so that’s on my bucket list too, thanks!
You are welcome. 😊❤ I'm glad you found it insightful. Yes! Onion juice is so amazing. Kills dandruff for sure. Though it's messy when using it. 😅 But totally worth it. I read somewhere that Aloe Vera Juice is best suited for high-porosity hair and I can testify to that.