There are days when you will love your hair and others when you’ll dread it. The secret to having a healthy crown is in understanding what your hair needs.

Knowing your hair porosity is a start.

This article gives you some useful tips on how to grow high porosity hair, but before we delve into that, here’s a refresher.

• Porosity is the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture.
• There are 3 porosity types; low porosity, normal porosity, and high porosity

What does high porosity hair mean? High porosity hair means the hair is very porous. This type of hair has large and open cuticles that can soak up a lot of moisture, yet it struggles to retain that moisture.

In high porosity hair, the cuticles are raised or too far apart. They may also be damaged or broken thus allowing the hair to take in lots of moisture. At the same time, the gaps also allow the moisture to be easily lost.

Read this article to learn more about the characteristics of high porosity hair.

How to Grow High Porosity hair

Here are 9 useful tips on how to grow high porosity hair.

Go heavy with Oils and Creams

Using heavier creams and oils in your natural hair care regimen will help in sealing the high porosity hair cuticles. Here are the best oils for high porosity hair.

Different oils have different benefits on hair including moisturizing, conditioning, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Oils such as Shea Butter are known for their effectiveness in enhancing hair growth and improving health and shine.

Deep condition regularly

Deep conditioning is important as it helps in retaining the moisture that would otherwise have been lost from high porosity hair.

It also helps in moisturising and repairing the inner layers of your hair strands thus revitalizing your hair.

When selecting deep conditioners, look for products with water-insoluble films. The oils in these products help in locking in the moisture.

Deep conditioners should also contain emollients, especially in humid climates. Look out for deep conditioners that have aloe, butter and heavier oils such as Shea butter or hemp oil. [1]

High porosity hair is prone to breakage. It is therefore important to alternate between moisture-based and protein-based deep conditioners in order to strike a balance and to keep the hair moisturized.

Embrace protein treatments

Embracing protein treatments for your high porosity hair will help in filling up those gaps in your hair cuticles thus strengthening it. The proteins form a barrier which seals in the moisture.

There are different types of protein treatments.

People with genetically high porous hair can use lightweight to medium protein treatments, while those with severely damaged high porosity hair may need to go with heavier protein treatments to strengthen their strands.[2]

Here are the benefits of a protein treatment on high porosity hair;

• Improve on elasticity.
• Provide fuller and thicker hair.
• Reduce shedding.

Use the LOC method

It’s necessary to use sealants on high porosity hair. Sealants help in locking in the much-needed moisture and in flattening the raised cuticles on high porosity hair.

A useful technique to use when styling high porosity hair is the LOC Method.

The LOC method involves hydrating the hair with water or a water-based product which is the liquid, sealing in the moisture with oil, and applying a cream to close the hair cuticle.

Layering products using the LOC method can help in reducing frizz and increasing moisture retention.

Some of the best sealants for high porosity hair include:

• Shea Butter
•  Jamaican black castor oil
• Cocoa butter
• Olive oil

Limit exposure to heat and chemicals

High porosity hair can result from genetic factors. However, there are other factors that can cause you to have high porosity hair.

They include:

• Excessive use of heat.
• Use of harsh chemicals.
• Dyeing your hair.

If you want to maintain a healthy mane and to grow your hair, it is important that you avoid or reduce the number of times you use heat on your hair.

Heat and chemicals cause damage to your hair.

If you are going to use heat or chemicals, make sure you have alternative health care practices in place to remedy the damage that may result.

Set your heating tools to use the lowest heat levels and use a good heat protectant. Also remember to deep condition your hair beforehand in order to strengthen it.

Ditch the harsh shampoos

While you may be tempted to walk into a store and pick out any shampoo, the shampoo composition matters. [3]

Shampoos with sulfate ingredients can easily strip the hair off its natural oils.

They also lead to an itchy scalp as a result of excessive dryness. The results are worse in high porosity hair which is already prone to dryness.

Sulfate-free shampoos provides a gentle cleanse without stripping the hair of its natural oils.

Go for naturally formulated shampoos as they are safer and have naturally conditioning agents which are good for high porosity hair.

Detangle gently

Since high porosity hair has cuticles that remain open, it is more prone to tangles.

Learn the use of tools and techniques that allow you to gently detangle the hair without causing any damage.

Use your fingers or a wide- toothed comb to gently detangle your high porosity hair. Before detangling, ensure that you apply some oil or condition as this will help soften the hair further and prevent any breakage.

Avoid towel drying

Towel drying can cause further damage to your high porosity hair.  

Rubbing the hair with a towel can rough up the cuticle leading to hair breakage and loss of moisture. Avoid vigorous towel drying to avoid these effects.

Alternatively, switch up to the use of a microfiber towel or a cotton t-shirt as this is more smooth and gentle on your hair and will protect it from breakage. Note that air drying is the best way to dry your hair.

Use lukewarm water on your  hair

There is scanty scientific evidence on whether use of cold or warm water is more effective in sealing hair cuticles. However using  hot water can lead to hair damage and especially in high porosity hair, as it will enhance the opening of the cuticles leading to further hair breakage.

Therefore, use lukewarm water when washing and cool water to rinse to close the cuticles.

Having high porosity doesn’t have to feel like a burden. You can follow the above tips to make your high porosity hair longer and healthier!

Before you leave, you may find this recommended products page useful. Here you will find the natural hair products that my friends & I have found to be very good for natural hair.

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