This may be a relatively marginal audience I’m trying to reach here, but what the hell! Ever since I went natural 5 years ago, I have struggled with my hair in every possible way. I have jumped through so many methods that I now consider to be like ex-boyfriends who pretty much made my life living hell. However, I stand before you today with a method that finally works. After I spent who knows how much money on conditioners, oils, and gels I finally found something I hold close and call my own and I’m going to share it with you!

So lets break down what it means to be 3c, low porosity and have fine hair. 3c refers to the texture of the hair and the shape of the curl. Because my hair is relatively tightly curled and has roughly the same curl pattern as a 3c typically would. I consider myself a 3c with varying textures around my head. You can view this chart of various squiggles for reference:

My hair is low porosity because it does not readily absorb any kind of moisture no matter how long it sits on the hair. For example, I once got caught out in the rain with my hair in a pony bun. The rain dripped onto my hair for roughly 10 minutes before I got inside, however, my hair had absorbed very little moisture at all. In fact, most of the water had beaded on the top of my head and was sitting there for all of ten minutes! I have to deliberately force moisture into my hair like I’m trying to get a baby to eat mushed carrots and peas.

My hair is fine because the strands are very thin and therefore prone to break and snap with too much protein.

So it really does sound like the odds are stacked against me here. My hair is prone to buildup and frizz, will not accept moisture, will not accept to much moisture, and likes to break off just because it wants to. Isn’t that just peachy? Well, as you can imagine I struggled to get the hang of my hair. But here’s are the tips I came up with to help you in your quest to discover the best method for you!

1. Look For the Right Products

If your like me and your hair is prone to buildup, you’ll want to avoid products that load the hair up with a bunch of crap like Cantu Butter or Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. These are both very heavy creams that will not only cause buildup, but weight down your curls too much to the point where they break off. So what should you use? A happy medium. You don’t want your moisturizer to be too light because your hair will just frizz up and have zero definition. In the past I have used Aussie 3 Minute Moisture, Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle, As I Am Leave in Conditioner and Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Hair Milk. I have had success with all of these products because they are moderately light. They are heavy enough to keep down the frizz but light enough to keep buildup at bay. Look for a product that works for you and don’t be scared to mess around with a bunch of different things!

2. Reduce Manipulation

When I say reduce manipulation, I don’t mean keep your hands out you head during the day. I mean REDUCE MANIPULATION. So recreate your regimen to include as little styling and detangling as possible. Because fine haired girls cannot have their hair in protective styles for more than 2-3 days a week, we have to carefully make sure to moisturize our hair everyday as gently as possible. I only mess with my hair once a day. At night I take my hair down from my bun and moisturize gently. Then I put it up in a pineapple for the night. In the morning, that pineapple becomes a bun again. And that goes on and on until wash day (which is once a week).

3. Moisturize Daily (Force it in there!)

My hair is prone to dryness, so no matter how much I moisturize it, I can rely on it being dry the next day. So it’s imperative to moisturize it every single day. And believe me, I really have to force in that moisture. I employ the OLC method (since water naturally doesn’t mix with oil, the oil goes on first and massaged in) and then I squeeze the product into my hair by twisting it around like a rope. Both the water and the conditioner are both always warm and I make sure that the conditioner is worked through very thoroughly. I am very much forcing my hair to accept the moisture.

4. Blot, Don’t Rub Your Hair Dry

So this is something that took me a while to figure out. Do not rub your hair with your t-shirt or towel to dry it. Blot it dry section by section. If you rub your hair, you will inadvertently cause a bunch of frizz, even if you are using 100% cotton. Blot your hair gently and you will notice more definition in your curls.

5. Heat is Good

If you have a lot of trouble getting moisture into your hair, always try to incorporate more heat into your regimen. That doesn’t mean invest in a hot comb (see Ancient Torture Methods), but it does mean that you could invest in a steam cap that you can stick in the microwave then pop on your head while you deep condition, or that you could put a plastic cap on everyday for 10 minutes after moisturizing your hair, or you could sick your conditioner or oil mixture in the microwave for a few seconds before applying it, or you can use warm/hot water for your LOC (or variations) method. And yes, you can wash your hair with hotter water than others. And no, you do not have to seal with cold water at the end of your shower. Your cuticles are already closed. What’s the point?

3. Oils Matter

So most people have pretty binary thinking when it comes to oils. There’s either oils or butters. And the general advice for lo-pos is generally to avoid butters. While that’s true, we need to understand that there is a great variance of oils and their uses and you need to know what your hair likes. Personally, my hair HATES coconut oil, but really digs Argan oil, sunflower oil, almond oil and other Indian oils. Why does it hate coconut oil? I don’t have a clue, but coconut oil makes my hair so freakin’ dry and frizzy. It’s a no from me. Essential oils, on the other hand, are really amazing! I have used lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus essential oil in the past with great results.

So there you have it! I promise I will have more advice for you later on when I’m further into my journey! Hope that helps!