Hair Mapping Anyone?

[Ivonnovi]

I share this idea because after being unloc’d for 1.5 years, I feel like I finally have had a breakthrough in knowing and understanding MY hair.



Taking a cue from skin care I decided to map my hair growth patterns and then treat them (density/pattern/coil) accordingly. It’s only been a month but so far so good. If this has a different or professional name please share, but here goes.

By hair mapping I’m referring to a process of identifying your hair type/curl pattern and density at different parts of you head.

For example, I often describe my hair as naturally dry and that the hair in my crown is thin or thinning; I’m referring to the density of my hair.

• · Actually the hair around the perimeter of my head has a very loose curl pattern, responds well to being moisturized.
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• · The hair about 2” up in my nape area is very forgiving, gets a loose springy curl when wet and as I’d stated about the perimeter is a breeze to moisturize.
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• · The hair on either side of my head has the loosest pattern, and can almost be pulled straight using a tension (no real heat required).
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• · I have what I would describe as a 3” diameter of hair [probably] from where the swirl is in my head that is extremely dry and has a much tighter curl pattern almost Z. This is the dry area that is a beast to keep moisturize and to detangle.

Lately I’ve taken to treating the different curl patterns differently. I now take extra effort to moisturize (hydrate) the 3” area above, whereas the rest of my hair I don’t have to fuss with as much. This same area requires more “stretching” efforts than the others but it also hold definition better too.

With these textures distributed as they are I’ve given up on wearing an afro unless I want to look like or Bozo the clown; but I can pull of a symmetrical low puff as long as I don’t manipulate the “looser” curls/coils too much. I now understand why, for the most part, my hair has never been good at holding curls.

Anyone else want to try mapping and share their results? Would the results influence your regimen or how you style your hair?

 

[tatiana]

I somewhat do this. I have thin low density hair so I do not have that many areas.

My nape is the looser than the rest of hair - need less product.
My sides and front are normal.
My crown is thicker, drier, and more prone to tangles.

I have been putting DC or moisturizer on the crown first than on the other areas of my hair. So far, my hair likes it. Before I would just put product on my hair front to back or side to side, my crowd would get the SSKs because it would be dry.

 

[ajargon02]

I think there might be a thread similar to this but it doesn't use that term. If I find it, I will link it here.