2a/b hair with stubborn canopy

angiepants

Very sorry to clog the forum with a question that has probably been asked many times, but I've been on this site for years and thought it might be time to just ask: Does anyone have hair similar to mine and what is your routine?

I have 2a/b hair (pics below) with a very stubborn canopy that is flat, frizzy and dry compared to the rather lovely loose curls I get underneath. I have fine to medium textured strands and a high density, but my porosity remains a mystery to me. Every test I've tried points to low porosity, but considering my hair has been color treated and how dry it is I would think my hair has high porosity. I have normal elasticity.

I would also like to know if anyone with a similar hair type has gone shorter and how they liked the results. Sorry for the very wordy post and thanks in advance for any responses!

macher

angiepants wrote: »

Very sorry to clog the forum with a question that has probably been asked many times, but I've been on this site for years and thought it might be time to just ask: Does anyone have hair similar to mine and what is your routine?

I have 2a/b hair (pics below) with a very stubborn canopy that is flat, frizzy and dry compared to the rather lovely loose curls I get underneath. I have fine to medium textured strands and a high density, but my porosity remains a mystery to me. Every test I've tried points to low porosity, but considering my hair has been color treated and how dry it is I would think my hair has high porosity. I have normal elasticity.

I would also like to know if anyone with a similar hair type has gone shorter and how they liked the results. Sorry for the very wordy post and thanks in advance for any responses!

I'm a pretty confident 2B/C. My hair is low po on the crown. Most wavy's have the flat crown. I usually finger comb my crown anyway cause I like the more straight look on my crown. However in your case layers would help some mostly with volume. Wavy hair doesn't grow curly it grows straight to wavy for the most part.

Therese1

Just fyi, the photos you uploaded are not showing. This is a problem with the site. If you want to post pics, you will have to post them on a third-party site and then link to them.

My hair is 2a/2b, and I find that the longer my hair is, the more curl I get. When I had my hair shorter, I didn't have much curl. So I don't know how much getting your hair cut will help the flat top. As macher noted, wavy hair is generally flat on top. Layers are probably the best thing to do. Occasional use of products with protein (or as often as your hair will tolerate protein--some can use it every day) is also good.

As for the porosity, your hair could still be dry even if it is low porosity, because low-po hair does not take up moisture well and so can become dehydrated over time. If your hair is very dry, I would do a deep conditioning. Wash your hair as usual, squeeze out the excess water, and then put in your usual conditioner. Work the conditioner well through the hair. Cover your hair with a plastic cap and then tie a towel around it to hold in your body heat. Let it sit this way for 30 minutes or so; you can do less if your hair gets overconditioned easily. Then rinse the conditioner out as usual.

Therese1

Just fyi, the photos you uploaded are not showing. This is a problem with the site. If you want to post pics, you will have to post them on a third-party site and then link to them.

My hair is 2a/2b, and I find that the longer my hair is, the more curl I get. When I had my hair shorter, I didn't have much curl. So I don't know how much getting your hair cut will help the flat top. As macher noted, wavy hair is generally flat on top. Layers are probably the best thing to do. Occasional use of products with protein (or as often as your hair will tolerate protein--some can use it every day) is also good.

As for the porosity, your hair could still be dry even if it is low porosity, because low-po hair does not take up moisture well and so can become dehydrated over time. If your hair is very dry, I would do a deep conditioning. Wash your hair as usual, squeeze out the excess water, and then put in your usual conditioner. Work the conditioner well through the hair. Cover your hair with a plastic cap and then tie a towel around it to hold in your body heat. Let it sit this way for 30 minutes or so; you can do less if your hair gets overconditioned easily. Then rinse the conditioner out as usual.

Guide 65

Therese1, her pictures show as links for me. If you click the file name, a box pops up with the pictures. It does for me, anyway.

Angiepants, I think the canopy just needs more love. And conditioner. That's the part of the hair that gets all the sun, all the wind, all the cold. It gets touched more than the understory. If you've ever blow dried regularly, that's the part that it all gets concentrated on. I would just concentrate on working in the conditioner into that section of hair and add lots of water into it while you're squishing. Are doing the squish to condish method with upside down rinsing? That portion of hair might not be getting as much water as the underneath part. Try doing some right side up rinsing as well.

Therese1

Thanks, janiegirl! Silly me...never thought to actually click on the little question mark icon thingy. Now I can see the pics.

I think janiegirl has good advice. I remember someone who used to be on this board who had the same problem, and she said she just used more conditioner. She kept squishing it in until it felt like the hair wasn't absorbing any more, and she found that her hair started to improve over time. She said it required a ridiculous amount of conditioner to get her hair moisturized.

I wonder what would happen if you tried a protein-rich conditioner on the canopy, if that would create more curl. Maybe that hair is more damaged than the rest.

Therese1

Thanks, janiegirl! Silly me...never thought to actually click on the little question mark icon thingy. Now I can see the pics.

I think janiegirl has good advice. I remember someone who used to be on this board who had the same problem, and she said she just used more conditioner. She kept squishing it in until it felt like the hair wasn't absorbing any more, and she found that her hair started to improve over time. She said it required a ridiculous amount of conditioner to get her hair moisturized.

I wonder what would happen if you tried a protein-rich conditioner on the canopy, if that would create more curl. Maybe that hair is more damaged than the rest.