The Maximum Hydration Method Guide for Natural Hair

lady with hair moisturized the MHM way

Sometimes, our natural hair can get unusually dry because of the reason like the weather or lack of moisture in your hair and scalp. But if your hair still feels dry even after wash day or after you may have applied a moisturizing cream, then you need to try something different, like the maximum hydration method.

How will this hair care regime help with restoring moisture back into your hair? Keep reading to find out!

What is the Maximum Hydration Method?

The maximum hydration method is a hair regime created in 2014 by Pinke Cube of Black Hair. This method involves six steps of moisturizing the hair to reach maximum hydration. The goal is to make sure your hair is well-moisturized, strengthened, and has defined curls and volume. According to PinkCube, when your hair is "clumping and curling" at the ends, then you will know this method is doing its job.

Another pointer that the method is working is that even though your hair may be fully dry, your curls will still shake.

This method is particularly great for those with low porosity hair, that is hair that does not retain moisture for long.

How do you know you have low porosity hair? Take this test: pick a strand of hair and feel it from the end down to the root. If you experience any clump on your hair shaft, then you have high porosity hair (hair that retains moisture for long). However, if your hair strand feels smooth from end to root, then you have low-porosity hair.

How Often Should I Use the Maximum Hydration Method?

To help with your low-porosity hair, I recommend that you use this method every week. However, when you begin to see good results, you can reduce its use to two or three times a month. You can also do the maximum hydration method twice or thrice a month if you have high porosity hair.

How to Do The Maximum Hydration Method

In this helpful video tutorial by OnlyOneJess, you will learn how the maximum hydration method is done to achieve well moisturized hair.

Below, I have outlined a breakdown of the six steps involved in the maximum hydration method.

 

Step 1: The Cherry Lola Treatment

The Cherry Lola treatment was created by a natural hair blogger of the same name, Cherry Lola in 2009. This treatment involves using certain ingredients to hydrate, strengthen, and make your hair easier to detangle.

What you need:

  • 2 cups of Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons of organic Apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons of raw coconut amino acids or any other amino acids
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of unsulfured molasses
  • ½ tablespoon of raw honey
  • ½ overripe plantain or banana
  • ¾ tablespoon of avocado
  • 1 wide bowl
  • Kitchen blender

How to do the Cherry Lola treatment

  1. Put all of these ingredients in your kitchen blender and blend until you get a paste-like consistency.
  2. Make sure your hair is dry and properly detangled before applying the mix. Then starting with your roots unto your ends, coat your entire natural hair thoroughly with this mix.
  3. After that, cover your hair with your shower cap and leave to steam for between one to two hours.
  4. Finally, rinse out the mixture from your hair with warm water.

Step 2: Clarify Your Hair

For this step, you can choose to either do an Apple cider vinegar rinse or a baking soda rinse in order to clarify your hair. Clarifying your hair will help you deep cleanse your hair, and get rid of excess product buildup and dirt, without stripping your hair of its moisture.

What you need

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Shower cap

How to clarify your hair

Apple cider vinegar rinse

  1. To do the apple cider vinegar mix, pour in a 1:1 ratio of the vinegar into your spray bottle and spritz your entire hair with it.
  2. Next, cover your hair in a shower cap and leave it for between 30 minutes to 1 hour before rinsing off.

Baking soda rinse

  1. To do the baking soda rinse, simply add 1½ tablespoons of baking soda into ⅓ cup of conditioner.
  2. Next, apply to the entire hair, cover with your shower cap and leave on for between 15 - 30 minutes.
  3. Finally, rinse off the mix.

Step 3: Cowashing

In this step, you will be doing a co-wash which basically means using only conditioners to wash your hair. The reason for this is because although shampoos are great for washing the hair, they can go overboard by stripping the hair and scalp of its natural oils. A conditioner, on the other hand, is gentler on the scalp and will leave your hair feeling softer and well-moisturized.

What you need

How to cowash your hair

  1. Using your favourite conditioner, apply conditioner thoroughly to your hair from root to tips.
  2. Next, cover your hair with a shower cap for between fifteen to thirty minutes and let it steam before rinsing off.

Step 4: The Bentonite Clay Mask

This involves using bentonite clay as a mask on your hair to get more defined curls.

What you need

  • 1 cup of bentonite clay
  • 1½ cups of warm water
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • A bowl

How to do the bentonite clay mask

  1. Mix all of these ingredients into a bowl until you get a paste-like consistency.
  2. Next, with your hair parted in sections, apply the bentonite clay mask from root to tip.
  3. Leave it in for 15 - 30 minutes before rinsing it off.

Step 5: Moisturize Your Hair

First of all, apply your leave-in conditioner from the roots to the tips of your hair. Next, apply your moisturizing cream or gel into your hair. After you have done these, shake your head from side to side without touching them with your hands.

Step 6: Diffuse Your Hair

To do this, you will need a diffuser or a blow dryer to dry your hair. This step will help your hair get more volume and more curls. To do this, put your blow dryer or diffuser at the lowest setting and do not touch your hair with your fingers as you dry. Flip your head over and shake your hair as you dry but make sure you do not touch your hair with your fingers.

Conclusion

There, you have successfully done the maximum hydration method. Even though this method can be a stressful and time-consuming process, the results make it worth the time spent. So, make sure to try the MHM soon!

Written by Tosanwunmi Tarre