Moisture: LOC, LCO or LO

LO stands for Liquid and Oil. LOC stands for Liquid, Oil and Cream/Butter, with ‘L‘ referring to water or a watery leave-in conditioner. LO, LCO and LOC are techniques naturals use to keep their curly/kinky tresses moisturised. The choice of which technique to use depends on hair’s porosity and strand density.

POROSITY

Porosity is how hair absorbs and keeps water molecules. There are three porosities; High, medium and low.

High porosity hair easily allows moisture in and easily loses it. For this reason once this type of hair is moisturised, strong barricades need to be placed to hold the moisture in. The LOC method is the best for this hair type. The recommended choice is Eyoko Butter because one of its key ingredients is Shea butter which is one of the best sealants. It also contains coconut oil which is a penetrative oil used to seal moisture in. The L in the LOC should be just water and not a leave-in because this type of hair easily absorbs moisture, having a leave-in conditioner would lead to moisture overload, which could have an adverse effect to length retention.

Medium porosity hair both absorbs and maintains moisture very well. For this reason, it can use any type of system but the best system is LO. The L in the LO should be water or a leave-in conditioner, tailoring your hair regiment is vital as in humid months leave-in condition works best whereas in dry months water works best.

Low porosity hair requires more effort to allow moisture into the hair shaft, therefore the LCO method is ideal. The liquid in the LCO or LO should always be a watery leave-in conditioner, followed by a Cream which could be a leave-in conditioner, to further aid the moisturisation process. LO could also work for this type of hair since once it is moisturised it maintains moisture very well.

STRAND DENSITY


Strand density refers to the thickness of an individual strand of hair. This term is often confused with overall density of hair which refers to how closely stacked hair strands are on an individual’s scalp. Unlike overall density, strand density does not affect overall fullness (or lack of fullness) of one’s afro. There are three densities; Fine (the smallest), medium and coarse/thick.

Fine strands tend to shrink a lot even when they have been put in a protective style leading to single strand knots and breakage in the long run. To prevent this I recommend using a hair butter after you moisturise, either after oil or as a replacement of the oil. The butter will weigh the ends down minimising shrinkage. Eyoko butter has Shea butter which is a heavy enough ingredient to perform this function. Also using a heavy oil such as castor oil or soya-bean oil or sunflower oil can function in a similar way to using a butter.

Medium strands are ideal as they are strong, well-balanced in moisture and easy to handle in all types of weather. Either the LOC or LO method will be best used to this strand size depending on the porosity of one’s hair.

Thick strands tend to be typically dry. I recommend using the LCO method because it has both water and a creamy leave-in which will ensure your strands are moisturised. Because Eyoko hair butter contains both oils and butters, it is easily absorbed by hair. If used with the right moisturising ingredients it makes hair softer and shinier.

REMEMBER! Moisturised hair retains length, whilst dry hair breaks easily. To keep your hair moisturised, spritz your hair with water daily, following this step through with a moisturising agent. Sealing hair daily keeps strands lubricated which prevents friction, tangling and unnecessary hair loss.

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