MHM Hangout

[faithVA]

Congrats @Ajna!! Your hair looks great!

I just got my photos from Komaza.... My hair is sad. 15 years with locs may have been too long to just take them out and everything be ok. I'm really looking forward to hearing what my consultant has to say in the conference. I feel like I've been holding my hair in limbo, waiting to hear back from them.

It may not be as bad as you are thinking. They always send you the bad pictures. Often there are simple fixes for the issues. Good luck!

 

[Ajna]

@MeaWea Thank you! I had no idea locs could damage your hair. I will be curious to hear what they say if you do not mind sharing.

 

[LavenderMint]

Thank you @faithVA! That helps!
@Ajna, I didn't think so either. I'm wondering if it's because of the non-traditional way I maintained them (mostly by latchhook) or if this would have happened with my hair anyway. Basically the photo notes were: my hair is a "little" dry, the cuticles were slightly raised (it was visible in all pics, does that mean hi-po?), lots of ssk (I knew that), a LOT of cuticle damage (really worried about that) and something about diminished root sheaths.

@MeaWea Thank you! I had no idea locs could damage your hair. I will be curious to hear what they say if you do not mind sharing.

 

[faithVA]

Starting to see more curl definition with my mudwash. But I'm only mudwashing every 2 weeks. When the weather warms up I may try some gel to see if I've made any progress.

 

[KiWiStyle]

I'm thinking I may not be low porosity after all...not sure either way. My hair is always dull unless I put oil or shea butter on it. My ends are rough and dry to the touch even when wet and they cling to each other no matter how much I detangle. My hair seems to never be full detangled. So yesterday I cut most of my color treated ends, did a conditioner prepoo, cleansed with Babo Swim & Sport Shampoo wash and steam DC with Shea Moisture High Porosity Moisture-Seal Masque and used CR coconut water leave-in (love). Afterwards my hair felt incredible soft, easily detangled and my flat twist doesn't look as dull and dry as before.

I'm going to start treating my hair as if it's high porosity for a few months to see if I notice an improvement, it's possible my ends needed to be trimmed.

 

[faithVA]

I'm thinking I may not be low porosity after all...not sure either way. My hair is always dull unless I put oil or shea butter on it. My ends are rough and dry to the touch even when wet and they cling to each other no matter how much I detangle. My hair seems to never be full detangled. So yesterday I cut most of my color treated ends, did a conditioner prepoo, cleansed with Babo Swim & Sport Shampoo wash and steam DC with Shea Moisture High Porosity Moisture-Seal Masque and used CR coconut water leave-in (love). Afterwards my hair felt incredible soft, easily detangled and my flat twist doesn't look as dull and dry as before.

I'm going to start treating my hair as if it's high porosity for a few months to see if I notice an improvement, it's possible my ends needed to be trimmed.

You very well could be. A lot of what you said sounds like my hair but when you got to the coconut water leave in I had to say good bye .

Hopefully this change works for you.

 

[KiWiStyle]

You very well could be. A lot of what you said sounds like my hair but when you got to the coconut water leave in I had to say good bye .

Hopefully this change works for you.

Lol! I remember having that issue a while back with the coconut milk but for some reason my hair loved this product. My flat twists looked so good, my husband asked who did my hair, that was a first!

 

[LavenderMint]

So, @faithVA, you were right my Komaza consult wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Most shocking to me was the revelation that my hair is high porosity!
I was also strongly recommended to incorporate protein treatments into my regimen, at least every other week, to help balance my moisture levels and deal with the cuticle damage; it should also help with the ssk. No more extended deep conditioning or greenhouse effect.
A more aggressive trimming schedule was suggested: up to a 1/4 inch every 6 to 8 weeks for about a year to get rid of the cuticle damage.
The diminishing root sheath was an indicator of the start of traction alopecia due to the weight of my locs on the crown of my head.
Other recommendations: no more co-washing, weekly shampoo use (clean scalp, happy new hair), no oil unless it's a coconut oil pre-poo (but that makes my scalp hurt and itch so probably not), clay is still fine but upping protein is likely to have more effect, and some information about the kinds of products I want to use when ps versus wng.

Overall, I feel like it was worth the money. I know a lot more about my hair then I did before and just being certain of my porosity alone is a huge benefit. I'm not sure where this leaves me in terms of MHM..... I need to think about it and see what will work for me.

 

[GGsKin]

Thanks for sharing @MeaWea. I always find Komaza consult results interesting. Did you recognise any traits of high porosity with your hair? Did she give examples? What's the possible cause of your cuticle damage?

 

[faithVA]

So, @faithVA, you were right my Komaza consult wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Most shocking to me was the revelation that my hair is high porosity!
I was also strongly recommended to incorporate protein treatments into my regimen, at least every other week, to help balance my moisture levels and deal with the cuticle damage; it should also help with the ssk. No more extended deep conditioning or greenhouse effect.
A more aggressive trimming schedule was suggested: up to a 1/4 inch every 6 to 8 weeks for about a year to get rid of the cuticle damage.
The diminishing root sheath was an indicator of the start of traction alopecia due to the weight of my locs on the crown of my head.
Other recommendations: no more co-washing, weekly shampoo use (clean scalp, happy new hair), no oil unless it's a coconut oil pre-poo (but that makes my scalp hurt and itch so probably not), clay is still fine but upping protein is likely to have more effect, and some information about the kinds of products I want to use when ps versus wng.

Overall, I feel like it was worth the money. I know a lot more about my hair then I did before and just being certain of my porosity alone is a huge benefit. I'm not sure where this leaves me in terms of MHM..... I need to think about it and see what will work for me.

Im glad it turned out well for you. Having the information is usually a big help. Knowing your porosity is going to help you make better decisions.

 

[KiWiStyle]

Thanks for sharing @MeaWea. I always find Komaza consult results interesting. Did you recognise any traits of high porosity with your hair? Did she give examples? What's the possible cause of your cuticle damage?

Thasks for updating us. This ^^^ is my question as well.

 

[Guinan]

Since I didn't order my rhassoul clay in time for my wash day, I'm thinking about just using ACV. I mean I could buy bentonite clay but I absolutely LOVE how my hair responded to the clay.

 

[faithVA]

Since I didn't order my rhassoul clay in time for my wash day, I'm thinking about just using ACV. I mean I could buy bentonite clay but I absolutely LOVE how my hair responded to the clay.

Yeah just wait it out. You can wash again when your clay arives.

 

[LavenderMint]

I only recognize a few of the traits: easily tangles even after a thorough and lengthy detangling session, feels bumpy when I slide my fingers up a hair from tip towards the root, dries relatively quickly now (complicated to tell because I have a LOT of hair) & seems to absorb products pretty well.
She said something else that I thought was SUPER interesting but tends to go against one of the basic beliefs of MHM for type 4 hair: it's less common for curly/coily hair to be lo-po because in order for the hair to be curly, it has to flex; pin straight hair, like Japanese/Chinese/Korean/etc, that refuses to hold a curl or stay in a braid is most likely to be lo-po. The cuticles are closed so tightly the hairs just slide off each other with nothing to hold on to. (That was her explanation, don't shoot the messenger!!) of course, in any case, there are outliers for every standard so I feel like that statement is a total ymmv type thing.
As far as causes of the cuticle damage, it's related to the length of time I wore locs. She said she was actually expecting to see worse damage because I had them so long.

Thanks for sharing @MeaWea. I always find Komaza consult results interesting. Did you recognise any traits of high porosity with your hair? Did she give examples? What's the possible cause of your cuticle damage?

 

[faithVA]

I only recognize a few of the traits: easily tangles even after a thorough and lengthy detangling session, feels bumpy when I slide my fingers up a hair from tip towards the root, dries relatively quickly now (complicated to tell because I have a LOT of hair) & seems to absorb products pretty well.
She said something else that I thought was SUPER interesting but tends to go against one of the basic beliefs of MHM for type 4 hair: it's less common for curly/coily hair to be lo-po because in order for the hair to be curly, it has to flex; pin straight hair, like Japanese/Chinese/Korean/etc, that refuses to hold a curl or stay in a braid is most likely to be lo-po. The cuticles are closed so tightly the hairs just slide off each other with nothing to hold on to. (That was her explanation, don't shoot the messenger!!) of course, in any case, there are outliers for every standard so I feel like that statement is a total ymmv type thing.
As far as causes of the cuticle damage, it's related to the length of time I wore locs. She said she was actually expecting to see worse damage because I had them so long.

I would agree with her about it not being common for curly hair to be low porosity. When I first came on this board and described my hair all I got was crickets. Most people were not experiencing anything like it. There were products for normal porosity and even the roux porosity control for high porosity but nothing for low porosity.

Once we started talking about it on the board more people joined the low porosity group but many of them are high porosity based on their descriptions. Many people doing MHM aren't low porosity which is why there are so many different modifications.

There are just a few of us.

 

[KiWiStyle]

I would agree with her about it not being common for curly hair to be low porosity. When I first came on this board and described my hair all I got was crickets. Most people were not experiencing anything like it. There were products for normal porosity and even the roux porosity control for high porosity but nothing for low porosity.

Once we started talking about it on the board more people joined the low porosity group but many of them are high porosity based on their descriptions. Many people doing MHM aren't low porosity which is why there are so many different modifications.

There are just a few of us.

I'm so interested to see how my hair does with a hi-po regimen. I knew my ends were high po due to the permanent color but it just might be that my ends were just higher due to chemicals and that my virgin hair is high as well. I wouldn't be surprised seeing that the MHM or modified virgins never really did anything for my hair. I believed the baking soda caused irreparable damage as well. If my suspensions are proven true, I am going to be so happy that finally I can give my strands a chance to flourish.

 

[LavenderMint]

That makes a lot of sense. It actually seems like the main benefit of MHM for hi-po hair is a more thorough sealing technique.

I originally assumed my hair was lo-po because of the curl pattern/texture and because of that bad science water test.

I would agree with her about it not being common for curly hair to be low porosity. When I first came on this board and described my hair all I got was crickets. Most people were not experiencing anything like it. There were products for normal porosity and even the roux porosity control for high porosity but nothing for low porosity.

Once we started talking about it on the board more people joined the low porosity group but many of them are high porosity based on their descriptions. Many people doing MHM aren't low porosity which is why there are so many different modifications.

There are just a few of us.

 

[faithVA]

That makes a lot of sense. It actually seems like the main benefit of MHM for hi-po hair is a more thorough sealing technique.

I originally assumed my hair was lo-po because of the curl pattern/texture and because of that bad science water test.

Yeah MHM really isn't that useful for high po hair. But if it helped you seal better that is great.

Maybe one day there will be a simple test for porosity so people can learn early on so they can make better choices.

I hate that water test but its hard to get away from.

 

[faithVA]

I'm so interested to see how my hair does with a hi-po regimen. I knew my ends were high po due to the permanent color but it just might be that my ends were just higher due to chemicals and that my virgin hair is high as well. I wouldn't be surprised seeing that the MHM or modified virgins never really did anything for my hair. I believed the baking soda caused irreparable damage as well. If my suspensions are proven true, I am going to be so happy that finally I can give my strands a chance to flourish.

I hope it didn't damage it too much. What damage have you incurred?

 

[KiWiStyle]

I hope it didn't damage it too much. What damage have you incurred?

Damaged to the point where I had to cut it off. I had my color installed by a colorist and only lightened one level...virtually the same tone as my hair but some color waa deposited to cover my oddly placed grays. My ends were frayed...highly porous with wispy/weakened.

When I clipped my hair this past weekend, ALL of my ends coiled without having to do any manipulation like before. I was doing the MHM heavily back when I had my hair colored. It could be a combo of the baking soda and color but I'm sure most of the damage occurred with the BS which is why I stopped a long time ago. I still have less than an inch of color left which looks and feels pretty healthy.

 

[Honey Bee]

Other recommendations: no more co-washing, weekly shampoo use (clean scalp, happy new hair), no oil unless it's a coconut oil pre-poo (but that makes my scalp hurt and itch so probably not), clay is still fine but upping protein is likely to have more effect, and some information about the kinds of products I want to use when ps versus wng.

Overall, I feel like it was worth the money. I know a lot more about my hair then I did before and just being certain of my porosity alone is a huge benefit. I'm not sure where this leaves me in terms of MHM..... I need to think about it and see what will work for me.

I'm probably med-high po, just because I have fine hair and mechanical damage has always been a part of my life. I still MHM. I use shampoo. I use regular (hydrolyzed) protein. I just incorporate them into the MHM reggie, so I'll replace ACV with shampoo, or a Cherry Lola treatment with protein, etc.

 

[KiWiStyle]

I hope it didn't damage it too much. What damage have you incurred?

I found this pic of my hair done about six months ago. Look how frayed my ends were, not keep in mind I had a a wash n go regimen for more than half the year and a very low manipulation style. They had to go!

 

[faithVA]

I found this pic of my hair done about six months ago. Look how frayed my ends were, not keep in mind I had a a wash n go regimen for more than half the year and a very low manipulation style. They had to go!

Yeah my ends looked like that but it was due to the color because they were like that before I started MHM. They got better after I started doing a reconstructed for days after the color treatment.

MHM could have made yours worse but I think it's moreso the color.

 

[KiWiStyle]

Yeah my ends looked like that but it was due to the color because they were like that before I started MHM. They got better after I started doing a reconstructed for days after the color treatment.

MHM could have made yours worse but I think it's moreso the color.

Yeah it's hard to say which caused my damage the most but I do know I'm not doing either again.

 

[KiWiStyle]

I kept my hair flat twisted for a week and did a twist out today. What a difference a hair cut makes...and I didn't have to yank my ends apart to untwist. One more inch off and I think all the color will be completely gone and my twistout wil look even better.
Health over length

 

[faithVA]

I kept my hair flat twisted for a week and did a twist out today. What a difference a hair cut makes...and I didn't have to yank my ends apart to untwist. One more inch off and I think all the color will be completely gone and my twistout wil look even better.
Health over length

Great job. It looks good.

 

[KiWiStyle]

Great job. It looks good.

Thanks you.

 

[Cattypus1]

I kept my hair flat twisted for a week and did a twist out today. What a difference a hair cut makes...and I didn't have to yank my ends apart to untwist. One more inch off and I think all the color will be completely gone and my twistout wil look even better.
Health over length

Love, love, love. Your hair is growing out so nicely. I love it!

 

[KiWiStyle]

Love, love, love. Your hair is growing out so nicely. I love it!

Thanks you! I'm trying to catch up with you!

 

[GGsKin]

Love, love, love. Your hair is growing out so nicely. I love it!

My sentiments exactly