High porosity is used to describe your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. Porosity is important because when you know the condition of your hair, it will guide you on how to pick out products to either help replenish moisture in your hair or deal with issues of dryness and breakage.
Your hair either has normal porosity, low porosity or high porosity. Knowing what porosity your hair is can make a huge difference in how you care for it.
The simple way to describe high porosity is like a sponge, and that’s exactly what you can picture when you consider the porosity of your hair. The more porous hair is, the more it acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture.
High porosity hair is hair that attracts and loses moisture easily. If you have high porosity hair, it means that water, oils, and other types of products can be easily absorbed by your hair, but because your hair is highly porous, it may not be able to retain moisture as well as other types of hair.
The reason high porosity hair behaves that way has to do with the structure of the hair strand. When the cuticles, which are the outermost layer of the hair, are too far apart, your hair is highly porous. High hair porosity may be due to genes or specific hair treatments. Processing your hair or styling your hair like straightening, blow-drying, bleaching or using other chemical applications can all lead to high porosity hair.
High porosity hair has specific characteristics such as :
Tangles easily
Dull hair strands that lacks shine
Air dries quickly*
Gets wet quickly
Frizzy
Looks and feels dry
Prone to breakage
Absorbs products quickly
HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE HIGH POROSITY HAIR
The most popular way to confirm if you have high porosity hair is to do a strand test on clean hair. All you have to do is take a strand of your hair and drop it in a glass of water. If your hair sinks very quickly to the bottom, you have high porosity hair. If your hair sinks to the middle of the cup and then gradually descends to the bottom, you have normal porosity hair. However, if your hair floats in the glass for a lengthy period of time before sinking, you probably have low porosity hair.
HOW TO CARE FOR HIGH POROSITY HAIR
If you have high porosity hair, pre-pooing and finger detangling are your best friends. High porosity hair strands have an open hair shaft and tangle quickly. To prevent your hair knotting up and breaking when it comes in contact with water, make sure that your hair is fully detangled before you step into the shower. You can use one of your favorite oils or conditioners to help you out.
THE LCO METHOD
Using liquid or leave-in conditioner, cream and oil (LCO). in that order, is the best way to apply products to high porosity hair.
PROTEIN TREATMENTS
Protein treatments are also important to add to your routine, when you have highly porous hair. As high porosity hair is fragile and subject to breakage, incorporating protein will help to fortify it.
We recommend using a protein conditioner or a protein mask, like once a week or once every two weeks. Look for conditioners with keratin, wheat, or silk protein. You can also use eggs to make a DIY mask. The high amount of protein found in eggs will give extra love and strength to your strands.
USING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS
Not all products work well for high porosity hair, so you have to be picky. It’s best to avoid hair products that have sulfates, parabens, silicones, and sodium laureth sulfates. Products with those types of chemicals are not good as they pull essential moisture from your hair.
Most shampoos are too clarifying and will leave your hair dry and stripped. Pick a shampoo that is hydrating and nourishing. You can also go for a gentle apple cider vinegar rinse.
Washing your hair with clay is another delicate way to clean high porosity hair. Clay pulls dirt and build-up from your scalp like a magnet, but at the same time really nourishes your hair and defines your curls.
In terms of styling, you should opt for cream or oil-based products, instead of the ones that are water or gel-based to retain moisture. Layering both creams and oils gives your hair not only the moisture it needs, but also seals it in. Oil by itself does too little to give your hair the hydration it so much desires.
Since using heat is pretty much detrimental to your hair, always use heat protectors to protect your hair when heat styling your hair.
PROTECTIVE STYLING
Protective styling is a great way to not have to constantly manipulate your hair and thus allowing your hair to grow. Since high porosity hair is prone to breakage, using protective styling can prevent this for you. Protective styling involves braiding your hair, wearing wigs or adding hair extensions to your hair. Anything that reduces constant manipulation of your hair is basically protective styling. Natural hair clip-ins, for example, help you to have fuller, longer hair without much manipulation. All you have to do is clip the hair in and you’re done.
Other helpful tips are:
Avoid hot water when washing your hair and opt for warm water instead to protect your cuticle.
Ditch the towel for a cotton t-shirt when drying your hair to reduce breakage.
Detangle your hair gently. Don’t detangle dry hair and use proper tools to do so. You can also use a detangler for good slip.
Use less heat and if you have to use heat use a heat protectant.
Here are some do’s and dont’s to follow when caring for high porosity hair.
Do use cooler water when you wash your hair. Hot water opens the cuticle even more, so adjust the temperature to somewhere just above warm to open the cuticle enough to let moisture in and keep it there!
Do adopt a no-poo regimen — that is, stop using shampoos and conditioners with sulfates, parabens, and silicon because they’re doing more harm than good! These ingredients are all synthetic and end up stripping your hair dry (literally) of all the oils and nutrients necessary for your hair’s health. best shampoo alternatives for you: water only, CoWash, conditioner only, coconut oil, ACV and baking soda
Do opt for products that are restorative. Peacock Organic makes restorative hair masks that use hibiscus, coconut milk, avocado, and marshmallow root to repair and moisturize even the most damaged hair.
Don’t use hot tools. Really. If you can avoid them, do it. This could be exacerbating the openness of the cuticle. Same goes for relaxers and hair dyes!
Don’t dry your hair with a terry cloth towel! This creates frizz, sucks out all of the moisture, and can cause breakage. Instead, opt for a cotton t-shirt or even a paper towel.
Comments