Lightbulb Moment

So I just finished reading through Tiffany's blog and some threads at nc.com, and I think I've figured out my texture/porosity.

I thought a good majority of my hair was fine, but apparently it is coarse. I did several strand tests, and each one is a thick strand with a rough cuticle.

Going the other direction in several strand tests leads me to believe that my hair has a high porosity.

These make sense, because my hair cannot tolerate much protein. Shampoo bars didn't work well for me because of their chemical makeup. My cuticles are already raised, so it's obvious that didn't help.

My hair also sucks up a lot of moisture. My first plop, which only lasts for five minutes at most, leaves the towel soaking. Every time I get my hair cut, I get a comment on how much moisture it holds. But it also can't retain it. Looking at my hair today, you would never know I did a DT the other night. My hair is begging for moisture. I'm not using anything particularly heavy with emollients or humectants (though that one is for obvious reasons), and my hair is reacting to that.

High porosity is also probably a result of my unprotected straightening days. I didn't straighten often, but when I did, I didn't use any heat protection. And I straightened every section multiple times, especially the canopy. And this was all done on the highest setting, which I believe was over 400 degrees (or is that too high? Can't remember).

So with this new information, I'm ready to find what my hair needs. First up is to get some moisture back!