The Maximum Hydration Method Didn't Work For Me

Cheers! A tasty-looking Cherry Lola Caramel Treatment

My 2015 natural hair journey began really well. My hair was full, moisturised for the most part, tangling and breakage were at a minimum and I could see good growth quickly. In my mind I had carefully planned how long I would keep in protective styles so that I would reach my goal of at least armpit length by the end of the year. However realistically speaking, I get distracted rather easily, and enticed by the gorgeous images on Instagram and the internet in general, I decided to try out the Maximum Hydration Method. 

The Maximum Hydration Method (MHM) promises to increase moisture in your natural hair, transforming dry kinks into moisturised curls and coils. It's an intriguing idea - who doesn't want moisturised hair and 'popping' curls? As with most things, there are arguments against the MHM, the main argument being that using baking soda may ultimately be damaging to the hair because it's abrasive and also quite alkaline, whereas hair is on the acidic side of the pH scale. The other common argument is that the MHM feeds into the curly hair idolatry linked to 'texture discrimination,' which plagues the natural hair community. Those who support this argument state that the main attraction for the maximum hydration method is the promise of curls or coils as opposed to well moisturised hair. The final argument against this method is simply that the process is much too long for people who have lives. 

I didn't go into the MHM blindly, I read and considered all the criticisms. However I didn't want to side with any arguments without testing it out for myself. So in April; knowing I had plenty of time available; I decided to embark on the Maximum Hydration Method journey, following the 7 day challenge. 

I gathered all the necessary supplies, which included:

• Ingredients for the Cherry Lola Caramel Treatment - liquid amino acids*, un-sulphured molasses, a banana, avocado, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, Greek yoghurt, honey and whatever else you have in your fridge (joking!)
• Baking soda
• Organic apple cider vinegar with the Mother enzyme
• Sodium Bentonite Clay (bought at Dischem)
• Earthsap Pomegranate and Soy Moisture Conditioner (a completely natural conditioner). Bought at Pick 'n' Pay. Earthsap products were the first ones I ever used when I got serious about my natural hair. I like them, and they make me feel nostalgic for those early days when I was eagerly hoarding knowledge...
• Botanical gel - I used Enchantrix Nourishing Hair Gel, which I purchased online from faithful-to- nature.co.za. This gel has a lovely orangey scent and doesn't really leave a crunchy residue, unless you use too much which they advise against. 
• Dr Miracles Leave-in Conditioner, which I bought at Clicks

A few things before I get into the results of this experience. I normally use Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner to co-wash (I shampoo about once a month). I love it because it's thick with good slip. Secondly, I hate using gels on my hair, except for DIY flaxseed gel. I find that most gels, even the ones that claim not to, leave my hair feeling weird and crunchy-like. 

Thirdly, I prefer to use coconut oil/olive oil/avocado oil and DIY 'shealoe' (shea butter and aloe vera) as my leave-in. I tend to shy away from commercial leave-ins because most of them leave my hair feeling greasy and dry, and sometimes just plain mushy. So straightaway the MHM required me to use a lot of things which my hair hates. 

In any case I decided to try it out to the best of my ability. On the first day I did the Cherry Lola Caramel Treatment, followed by a co-wash and finger detangle; then the bentonite clay mask; followed by applying leave-in conditioner and finally botanical gel. From the second day onwards, I did a clarifying treatment with baking soda, followed by co-washing and detangling and so on. On days when I was feeling lazy, I opted to leave the conditioner overnight with a plastic cap and resume the following morning, per the recommendations. I liked the overnight conditioning, and particularly liked the bentonite clay masks. However  I found that as the day progressed my hair became drier, and I found myself missing my oils and butters.

What I liked:

• Moisture! I enjoy getting my hair wet
• An excuse to wear my hair shrunken
• More 'hang time'
• More curl definition (especially after the Bentonite clay step)
• My twistouts seemed more defined 
• I was able to display length better

However, there was a shadow side which emerged in all this...

What I didn't like:

• Breakage! Whereas before I would rarely see little c's and o's when I handled my hair, I started seeing them everywhere! And it didn't stop! I've already had to trim my hair TWICE since! My heart is broken. I suspect the breakage was due to a combination of hygral fatigue; i.e. weakness in your hair because of too much water (hair becomes too elastic);  mechanical damage due to having to shingle conditioner and clay through my hair everyday and, based on my research, there's a possibility that baking soda could also have been responsible seeing as it's pretty abrasive. Perhaps I should have tried using apple cider vinegar to clarify? 
• Thin frizzy hair! Although I have very high shrinkage hair, the coils do tend to define themselves and when my hair is healthy the coils are well clumped and full. The MHM seemed to give me more definition in the beginning, but left me with frizzy, thin coils.
• Time. This took up so much time. I love playing with my hair as much as the next girl, but this really requires dedication. Even I started to feel a bit ugh about the whole thing. I suppose as you become accustomed to the process you become more efficient, but seriously...Clear out your calendar.
• Dr Miracle's leave-in. For some reason this particular leave-in just disagrees with my hair
• Restricted creativity - I love my essential oils, my DIY concoctions, my monthly shampooings and weekly deep conditionings. I've found what works for me and am returning to that. 

Edit 08/10//2015: I noted that after I started the MHM my hair colour seemed to turn a lighter brown. I thought I was imagining things, but my new growth is the normal deep brown/black colour and it actually looks as though I dyed my hair a lighter brown shade. I wasn't sure what the cause was, but someone on a hair forum mentioned a change in hair colour after beginning the MHM, and attributed it to baking soda. The commentator also noted frizziness and dull, dry hair. All this to say I'm definitely not imagining things. 

The verdict: it's all fun and games until the breakage starts. There were some definite perks, but I won't be trying this again any time soon. It set me too far back. Am I saying the MHM is bad? No. There's the chance that the products I used were just plain wrong, or contained ingredients which I should've avoided. Perhaps my technique was lousy. Many ladies try the MHM and it works out beautifully for them. However it set me back in my journey, and I personally don't think I want to dedicate so much of my time every day to doing my hair - it's not that serious. I'm now on a journey to recover my length and health after I trimmed off about an inch or two...or more (I'm a bit scissor happy OK?). So in the meantime I'm putting my hair into braids and will be following some techniques I've used in the past to grow my hair. I'll keep you updated on my progress. 

The moral of the story is: if your hair is thriving with your current methods and you want to reach your goals on time, then keep doing what you're doing and don't be distracted like me and end up with a thousand unhappy coils (you see what I did there? Sorry not sorry). 

Have you heard of the Maximum Hydration Method? Have you tried it? Did it work for you? Let me know what you think in the comment section below.  

Much love, 

Fadzi

*I bought Braggs liquid aminos from a health shop called 'The Good Stuff' in Cape Town, and I think they have an online shop too. Faithful-to-nature also stocks this product.