Choosing the Best Products for Your Unique Hair Type
We love celebrating originality at RevAir! Uniqueness and wellness go hand-in-hand. Likewise, self-care means recognizing your one-of-a-kind beauty. When we take the time to get to know ourselves -- and our hair -- we can develop the right home hair care routine for our personal style. Discover the best hair products for your hair type and learn how to incorporate a little more hair love into your daily routine. Choose the best shampoo and conditioner combo, find the nourishing masks and leave-in products, and bring out the radiance in your hair. Prioritizing ourselves is a way of practicing kindness to ourselves. When we love our hair, it shows!
Get to Know Your Hair Type
Even the best hair products can have a "bad hair day" when paired with the wrong hair type. In fact, most glam goddesses don't know their own hair type or have even assigned themselves the wrong hair type. This can lead to lots of negative hair talk when your lovely locks don't respond the way you'd like to certain products and treatments.
Don't fault your hair just yet! You may be using the wrong products for your texture, curl pattern, and type.
Let's start with a basic breakdown of the four major hair types.
Hair Type 1a-c
This hair type is ultra-fine, straight, and delicate. Type 1 hair ranges from 0.06 mm to 0.08 mm in diameter. This hair type is the most sensitive and prone to breakage from excessive heat styling, over washing, and rough combing and tugging. Fine hair tends to be less voluminous and is more prone to becoming oily and/or flat.
Type 1a is the thinnest and straightest, while Type 1c has slight, gentle movement that is not quite a wave or curl.
Hair Type 2a-c
Type 2 hair is where waves and curl patterns start to develop. On the farthest ends of the spectrum, this hair type can have either straight hair with a very subtle wave all the way to rolling curls. Think S-pattern curls that aren't quite a full twist. This hair is best classified as combination hair in terms of different hair needs. Type 2 hair can be difficult to style due to its unique wave pattern and responds best to heatless styling and gentle hair products designed to shape and volumize.
Hair Type 3a-c
True curls begin with Type 3 hair. Type 3 curls range from loose to tight. They have a natural spring and elasticity with distinct ringlets. The best hair products for Type 3 curls are those designed to nurture and moisturize. Type 3 hair is most prone to dryness and breakage. This hair type often benefits from a reduced wash schedule, so selecting products designed with a low wash routine in mind are optimal for your hair's health and beauty.
Hair Type 4a-c
Type 4 hair is the tightest curl pattern. It is naturally on the dry side with a springy texture with hair strand textures that can range from soft and fine to coarser and wiry. The curl pattern can come in ultra-tight zigzags at the scalp and ripple into oily tresses. Shrinkage is an issue for this hair type that beauty gurus will want to be aware of. Heatless stretching is a great way to maximize volume and fullness when styling Type 4 curls.
The Fine (and Wavy, Curly, or Coily) Details
Once you've identified your unique hair type, it's time to take a look at the finer details of each strand before selecting the best hair products for your routine.
Porosity
Porosity defines your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. In turn, the porosity of each strand affects how well oils and moisture circulate through the cuticle. Knowing your hair's porosity can help you identify the best hair products for optimal hydration.
To discover your hair's porosity, take the porosity test! Drop a few hair strands into a small bowl of water, then wait about five minutes. If your hair keeps floating, your natural hair has low porosity. If it sinks all the way to the bottom, you're working with high porosity hair. As you can probably guess, hair that floats in the middle will fall in the medium porosity category.
Products tend to sit in low to medium porosity hair for longer, causing build-up and scalp irritation. Likewise, this hair type takes longer to dry. Experts recommend looking for shampoos that don't stick to the shaft. "Look for products that contain honey or glycerin. These ingredients can penetrate the hair cuticle more easily than products that contain oils." Avoid heat treating your lovely locks and opt for gentle reverse air drying with a low heat tool such as the RevAir Reverse Air Dryer instead to save time in your morning routine.
High porosity hair has a high absorption rate by contrast. The key to nourishing this hair type is restoring damaged cuticles and supporting your hair's natural moisture retention. The best hair products for high porosity hair include oils and butter. These wholesome ingredients are heavier and won't absorb as quickly so they have time to soak into the strands.
Density
Experts define your hair's density as "the number of strands of hair growing out of each square inch of your scalp." Don't worry; we won't make you count every strand. Instead, you can measure the circumference of a ponytail and match it up to this helpful hair density scale to determine your makeup.
In general, a few good rules for determining your best hair products include:
Fine Hair: Fine hair is delicate and prone to breakage. This hair type benefits the most from no heat treating to minimal heat treating (think 75% of your hair while leaving the rest to air dry or air style). Always protect these soft, ethereal locks with heat protectants, even for outside UV damage. Try leave-in volumizing powder to bring out your hair's fire.
Medium Hair: Medium hair is made up of two layers, the cortex, and the cuticle. A third layer, called the medulla, is sometimes present as well. This hair type holds hairstyles better than fine hair and generally does not need extra pastes, creams, or gels to shape it. A mix of clarifying, dandruff-fighting products along with hydrating shampoo works best for this hair type.
Thick Hair: Thick hair may seem like it has a mind of its own, but the right styling products can make all the difference in perfecting your look. The best hair products for thick hair include deep conditioning masks, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner used sparingly, and wet brushes designed to detangle without causing breakage or disrupting your natural curl pattern. Be sure to find a stylist who has experience in textured hair so you're less likely to neglect routine trims.
Composition
Is your hair more oily or dry and flaky? A combination of both? Whatever your hair's composition, there's a product line for you!
Generally speaking, thin hair tends to be oily, while thick hair tends to be dry and flaky. Of course, hair that falls somewhere in the middle may experience a bit of both. Combination hair is best managed on a seasonal basis by rotating products that best suit your hair's current needs. Think high hydration in the winter and more clarifying in the summer.
Oily hair benefits from dry shampoo between wash days and a healthy clarifying routine such as an aloe cleanse. Be sure to wash your brush frequently to avoid redistributing oil throughout your locks. A Keratin protein treatment is great for strengthening this hair type while removing excess sebum build-up.
A few great ways to take care of dry hair include prioritizing conditioner, rinsing only with purified water, getting in a weekly or biweekly mask treatment and adding on deep conditioning treatments for your salon visits. Dry hair benefits from frequent scalp treatments to promote new hair growth and overall wellness.
Find Your Perfect Product Match
Now that you've gathered some inspiration for your new self-care hair care routine, we want to spotlight some of our favorite products by hair type! These are the best hair products for starting a new regimen and building a curated collection just for your unique style.
Type 1-2 Hair (Fine, Delicate, Straight/Wavy): Because delicate hair has trouble holding styles, you'll need a strengthening product to give your lovely locks the lift they deserve. Wave Goodbye Cream-Gel Hair Primer is a one-step, simple application product for sculpting fine, highly porous hair. The fast-absorbing formula penetrates the cuticle for an all-over deep conditioning treatment that makes styling a breeze.
Type 3-4 Hair (Thick, Voluminous, Curls): Try the Play It Straight Rich Balm Hair Primer. This innovative formula is designed to moisturize and seal in shine for textured, coarse, and frizz-prone hair.
All hair types: Bright Spot Detangling & Shine Spray is a great product to take on the go whenever your hair needs an extra dose of radiance and works well on all hair types - wet or dry.
Practicing kindness towards ourselves allows our inner beauty to shine. Get to know your hair better by pampering every strand with unique products formulated with goddesses like you in mind.
Looking for more time-saving hair hacks? Check out these top DIY masks that will transform your style and contact our team for personalized hair tips and RevAir 101.
