High porosity hair is hair whose cuticle is in a raised position. For this reason, it easily accepts moisture but just as easily loses moisture as well.
High porosity hair can be due genetics or due to hair damage. I personally have high porosity hair (due to genetics), and I swear by some of these tips!
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1. Let your hair fully dry
Letting your hair fully dry before releasing your hairstyle (a twist out/braid out, for example) will allow your hair to retain all of the moisture from your hair products. Also, your hairstyle will come out more defined!
2. Close your hair cuticle
Closing the hair cuticle helps retain moisture and smooths out the hair. The cuticle can be closed using various hair rinses that regulates the hair’s pH.
For example:
• Apple cider vinegar
• Aloe Vera juice
• Fermented rice water
3. Watch out for humectants
Humectants are ingredients that attract moisture to the hair. Unfortunately, they can also make high porosity hair frizzy since the cuticle is raised. To combat this, choose products that have humectants lower in the ingredients list.
Common humectants are:
• Glycerin
• Aloe
• Honey
4. Seal ends with Jamaican black castor oil (JBCO)
JBCO is a thick sealant that is great for sealing in moisture. The ends of our hair are naturally dry, so sealing in moisture is very important to keep them elastic and less prone to breakage. Add it to your ends after moisturizing your hair for super soft ends!
5. Add more water as needed, rather than more product, to prevent product buildup
High porosity hair has a tendency to dry out while we’re styling it, and we often want to add more hair product. Instead, try adding more water to prevent product buildup (remember water = moisture).
6. Deep condition (DC) every time you wash your hair
As I already mentioned, high porosity hair is naturally dry, and it has trouble retaining moisture. Try to DC every wash day to constantly replenish moisture.
7. Consider finger detangling
High porosity hair tends to have delicate strands that are prone to breakage. Consider finger detangling your hair in sections to lower your chances for breakage and to retain more length! Ever since I started finger detangling, I swear by this tip!
8. Work in sections
This tip is similar to what I mentioned in tip #7. Always work in sections when detangling and moisturizing your hair so that all of your hair gets the proper care.
9. Moisturize your hair as needed
Everyone’s hair is different. Some people only need to moisturize their hair every few days. I, on the other hand, have to moisturize my hair morning and night lol! Whatever your hair needs, moisturize accordingly.
(Check out my daily hair routine post for more info!)
10. Protein
Protein is what keeps our hair strong. It also fills the gaps between the hair cuticle, which are larger in high porosity hair. How often you do them will be based on what your hair needs and can tolerate to maintain protein-moisture balance.
I am protein-sensitive, so I only do a treatment once a month, and I prefer to use a conditioner with protein in it (I currently use the Curls Dynasty Pumpkin Mint Hair Masque) rather than a full protein treatment (Aphogee, ORS, etc).
Be sure to tailor your routine as you see fit!
I hope you enjoyed these tips and found them helpful! Be sure to subscribe to my blog for more posts!
Take care!
♡ Gwen