November 17, 2021 l by Tara E.
What’s good for high porosity hair? Knowing your hair porosity is a big part of knowing how to make your hair regimen work for you. Hair Porosity refers to how porous your hair strands are, that is, their ability to receive moisture. There are three types of hair porosity; low porosity, normal/medium porosity and high porosity.
If you have high porosity hair, you may or may not realize that your hair requires the perfect mix of products to seal in moisture. Hair with high porosity, or sometimes referred to as porous hair have cuticles that remain open and allow for the easy entry and exit of products.
Porous hair typically has the following characteristics:
- Your hair readily accepts products
- On wash day, your gets dried pretty quick
- Your hair sometimes feels brittle and coarse
Often, hair with high porosity has damage that results often from excessive use of chemicals, heat, and other harsh products that cause split ends or a break in the structure of the hair strands. However, although brittle hair can have high porosity, not all hair with high porosity has damage.
What’s Good for High Porosity Hair?
Are you stumbling in the dark about what products are best for your hair? Do not fret. Here are a few maintenance tips and product suggestions to get you started.
Protective Styles
Over-manipulation or excessive styling practices can wear out the hair, and this is especially a problem for naturalistas with high porosity. Protective styles can go a long way in preventing your hair from becoming even more porous and damaged.
Best Protective Styles
The best protective styles for high porosity hair include wigs, braids, twists updos or even bantu knots. Do not be afraid to experiment with your hair, switching up your hairstyles.
Moisturize and Seal Your Hair
Moisturize AND SEAL! A big part of maintaining hair with high porosity is sealing in the moisture your hair so quickly receives. You can try the liquid, cream, oil (LCO) method—or whatever variations work for your hair, and seal the moisture with thick butter/oils such as the Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO), Shea butter and olive oil.
Avoid Use of Sulfate Shampoos
Avoid the use of sulfate shampoos or other harsh cleansing products for that matter. Sulfate shampoos tend to strip off the hair and can leave your high porosity hair more prone to damage. Try co-washing with products like Roux Porosity Control Correction & Conditioner. If you want to shampoo, then, by all means, go for the use of sulfate-free one like Cantu Moisturizing Cream Shampoo, Bee Mine Moisturizing Shampoo or Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Moisturizing Shampoo. Better still, perform a pre-poo with your favorite moisturizing oil or conditioner before shampoo washes.
Protein Treatments
Protein treatments are your best friend. The hair is made up of a hard kind of protein called Keratin. As a result, protein treatments can act as a temporary build-up of the tears and holes which make your hair more porous. Apply a protein treatment every wash day with products like Aphogee Two-step Treatment Protein for Damaged Hair, Aubrey Organics GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner,as well as conditioners with protein(s) listed as an ingredient(s).
Deep Conditioners
If you have hair with high porosity, deep conditioners should be a big part of your hair regimen. Deep conditioners replenish the moisture in your hair and spares it from damage. They are also beneficial if you plan to dye your hair or straighten it using heat or a chemical relaxer. You should try deep conditioners like Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask or Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus Fortifying Hair Mask.