The Ultimate High Porosity Hair Regimen Strategy

Last Updated on September 11, 2022 by The Blessed Queens

Do your high porosity hair regimen need some fixing? Well understanding why your hair treats you how it does is the best way to go about it when you want to master the art of hair care.

Isn’t it frustrating when you’re doing it all right and yet your hair is not responding right?

Did you check your hair porosity?

The Ultimate High Porosity Hair Regimen Strategy

Before I go into the basics of a good high porosity hair regimen let me take you through the basics of understanding what, why and how to care for high porosity hair!

WHAT IS HIGH POROSITY HAIR?

You’ve heard about it all over the place, there are three main types of porosity: low, medium, and high.

If you have high porosity hair then your hair contains many open cuticles along each strand which in short means that your strands are highly porous (gurl, they can take in a lot of elements!)

Knowing your curl pattern is one thing but it’s not enough, that’s why knowing the porosity of your hair can make a huge difference in which products you choose and how you apply them to your natural hair.

When it comes to high porosity hair you need to know that it can take in a lot of hydration, but it can also take in UV rays, wind, and unhealthy chemicals (Say what?!).

A good thing with high porosity hair is that it’s easy to moisturize this type of hair because the cuticles are wide open. But don’t forget that your hair can easily lose the moisture too!

Still not sure if you have HPorosityoity hair? Let’s have a look at few characteristics:

HIGH POROSITY HAIR CHARACTERISTICS

A great way to find out your hair porosity is by examining your hair strands and curls and if you find any of these characteristics then you might have high porosity hair.

Here are six symptoms of high porosity hair:

• Always Craving Water and Moisture. If you feel your hair is super thirsty then hop under a shower (if it’s your wash day even better), and let your hair get hydrated, but note that shortly after you finish it can just as quickly dry up.
• Dry Hair. This is one of the most common characteristics of high porosity hair. However, low porosity hair ladies also suffer from dry hair as well, let’s have a look at a few more characteristics.
• Breaks Easily. Since high porosity hair is thirsty, if you don’t supply moisture it will start to feel dry and dull which will lead it to break easily.
• Dull Hair. Having high porosity hair comes along with the dull effect and it is difficult to get shine without applying lots of liquids and oils.
• Accepts Chemical Treatments Very Quickly. Just as easily as it takes water in, high porosity hair can as easily take any chemical treatment you submit it to.
• Hair Dries Quickly. If it seems like hydration and moisture come and go too quickly after you’ve applied moisture then you probably have high porosity hair.

If you are still not sure if you have high porosity hair then you can do a simple water test which I will share shortly after the next section below.

Of course, the best and more precise test would be to have your hair strand analysed under a microscope. But, hey, this is the best next thing.

WHAT CAUSES HIGH POROSITY HAIR?

Did you know that the way you handle your hair can often turn it into a high porosity hair?

Here are three ways you could cause your hair to become high porous:

• Too High Heat.  Gosh, flat irons…. blow drying…. on too high heat may be causing damage. Did you know that high heat can boil water molecules inside the cortex and damage the structure of the hair?!
• Using Chemicals. Chemicals can cause damage by stripping parts of the structure away and immersing the remaining portion with dye.
• Super Rough with your hair. We all know that using tools like a fine comb through the hair or brushing roughly can contribute to high porosity hair.

It’s not always the case that you’ve treated your hair poorly. Sometimes people are born with high porosity hair, and it is up to them to learn how to care for it.

HAIR POROSITY TEST

1. Place a clean strand of hair in a cup of room temperature water. It’s essential that the hair contains no oil or product.
2. Watch the behavior of the hair. Does it float, sink or stay in the middle?
3. See the results and tips below.

Test Results

• Floats: If it floats, you may have low porosity hair which means your hair has a hard time absorbing water.
• Stays in the Middle: Then you probably have medium porosity hair which means your hair is normal, and you don’t have much of a problem getting your hair to hold moisture and nutrients.
• Sinks: This means your cuticles are open, and you have no issues absorbing all the moisture your hair can handle and also, your hair can be vulnerable to harmful chemicals and damaging toxins because the hair shaft is continuously exposed. Also seen as High Porosity hair!

HIGH POROSITY HAIR REGIMEN

Understanding the porosity of your hair can help you know what are the best products to use on it.

If you’ve just recognized that you have high porosity hair, you’ll want to switch up your regimen to get healthy, normal hair.

Here are some tips for a better high porosity regimen:

CLEANSE HIGH POROSITY HAIR

Knowing how to wash your natural hair is priceless and since you have high porosity hair investing in the right products makes the difference.

If you have 6 inches or more of natural hair length, washing the whole head of hair loose may not be the best way to do things.

I love sectioning my hair when washing, so try sectioning your hair into 4 or 6 sections that twisted or braided.

Remove one braid or twist at a time and wash that particular section only.

Remember that shampoo is for cleaning the scalp!

Best Shampoos for High Porosity Hair

1. Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo
2. Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Shampoo
3. Jane Carter Solution Moisture Nourishing Shampoo
4. Living Proof Restore Shampoo
5. Phyto Phytoelixir Intense Nutrition Shampoo

DETANGLE HIGH POROSITY HAIR

Since your cuticle remains open you can find yourself with loads of tangles. The best thing when dealing with hair that becomes detangled and is highly porous is to invest in a really great detangler and your fingers!

With highly porous hair gently detangling is crucial because you don’t want to cause any more damage or breakage.

Try using a thick conditioner with great slip and adding in olive or coconut oil to help you with the process.

AVOID HEAT FOR A BETTER HIGH POROSITY HAIR

In most instances, high porosity hair has experienced some form of trauma that has caused the cuticle to drastically open and remain open.

avoiding heat and hair dye from your hair regimen will be one of the most helpful things you can do to get your hair healthier.

Your hair could have been damaged by heat or chemicals and adding heat will only make the situation worse.

Seek ways to straighten your hair without using heat.

If you cant toe experiment with color, try using henna, or only doing a few highlights. else you will have to deal with immense amounts of dryness and further damaging of the hair.

DEEP CONDITIONING FOR HIGH POROSITY HAIR

Try Deep condition weekly after your hair washes or biweekly.

Washing with a shampoo might be too harsh weekly so you can try co-washing your hair.

If you don’t have time you can leave in the deep conditioner overnight which gives it time to soak into your hair and your hair can really marinate in it.

Make sure to use natural products and avoid chemicals, so your hair doesn’t absorb the wrong things.

Two great ingredients are Aloe vera and avocado oil ( are both helpful for high porosity hair.)

Conditioners and Deep Conditioners for High Porosity Hair

1. ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor
2. Carols Daughter Sacred Tiare Hair Mask
3. Deva Curl Heaven In Hair Moisture Treatment
4. Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea CoWash
5. Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi All Natural Deep Conditioner

Deep conditioning should be something every natural with any porosity lever should do.

PROTEIN TREATMENT FOR HIGH POROSITY HAIR

High porosity hair has many holes in the shaft because of the open cuticles so doing protein treatments help high porosity hair to fill in the gaps with protein.

A great way to strengthen and restructure your hair shaft.

Check this out 9 Reviving Egg Protein Treatment for Natural Hair Growth!

Since your hair is made out of protein, this type of treatments are the number one thing that will help to turn your high porosity state around.

Frequent protein treatments will help strengthen your hair and decrease shedding and breakage.

Did you know that protein and moisture work synergistically to create a healthy strand?

If you notice your hair is protein sensitive, it may mean that you just need more deep conditioning.

If you are wondering how often, I suggest using a protein treatment once a month if it is a weak or mild protein treatment.

For stronger protein treatments (such as the ApHogee protein treatment) try doing them every 6-8 weeks.

When picking products, you’ll want to choose a shampoo and conditioner that contain a small amount of protein to combat the frictional damage that happens through everyday handling.

BEST PRODUCTS FOR HIGH POROSITY HAIR

Choosing the right products for your hair will make a big difference to how well your hair retains moisture.

You might find this 23 Best High Porosity Hair Products for Stronger Hair helpful!

Beware of drying products/ingredients!

Since high porosity hair is prone to dryness, I’m very careful about the ingredients I use.

You can cowash with something like Shea Moisture curl & shine shampoo, As I Am coconut cowash, or most recently Oyin Handmade’s Honey Hemp conditioner.

These kinds of moisturizing co-washes don’t strip my hair, that’s what you should be aiming for!

Best Leave In Conditioners for High Porosity Hair

1. Alaffia Beautiful Curls Leave-In Conditioner
2. AG Hair Moisture Fast Food Leave On Conditioner
3. Camille Rose Naturals Moisture Milk
4. KeraCare Natural Textures Leave-in Conditioner
5. Curls Lavish Curls Leave-In Moisturizer

When shopping for products for high porosity hair go for the products labeled butters, cremes, and puddings.

These will help to add the moisture you need to your hair and seal with a nice heavy oil such as Coconut, Avocado or Olive oil.

High porosity hair is prone to dryness, so taking good care of your hair is so necessary!

Heavier products: I mentioned it a bit earlier but I’ll reiterate my point. With highly porous hair lighter products will not be as effective in maintaining or balancing proper moisture or protein levels in your hair.

Best Cowash: Shea Moisture Mongongo & Hemp Seed Oils High Porosity Moisture Cowash.

Best Mask: Shea Moisture High Porosity Seal Masque.

Gels to try: Shea Moisture High Porosity Gel.

Best Natural Oils and Natural Butters for High Porosity Hair

1. Castor Oil
2. Jamaican Black Castor Oil
3. Olive Oil
4. Mafura Butter
5. Shea Butter

Anti Humectants: Besides heavier products you want to also use anti-humectants in your hair (especially if you live in a very humid climate).

Aloe Vera gel or juice will become your best friend as a woman dealing with high porosity hair.

You should check for products that possess Aloe in them to serve as anti-humectants when you step out into the environment.

Styling Products for High Porosity Hair

1. Aussie Instant Freeze Gel
2. Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Nourishing and Conditioning Styling Pudding
3. Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Oil Heavy Cream
4. Qhemet Biologics Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm
5. Garnier Fructis Curl Sculpting Cream Gel

RETAINING MOISTURE WITH HIGH POROSITY HAIR

dryness on high porosity hair can cause you some retention issues so the best way to retain moisture with high porosity hair is to form a shield around the moisture.

Shea butter is one of the most useful ingredients because it protectively coats the hair.

You might find helpful: How to Grow High Porosity Hair in 9 Steps!

It’s thick, softening, and nutritive. Layering products with shea and other healthy oils is a great way to guard your hair between washes.

LOC METHOD FOR HIGH POROSITY HAIR

When it comes to high porosity hair trying the LOC method will keep your hair protected against UV and friction.

According to naturalhairrules the Liquid Oil Cream Method or L.O.C method is a technique for moisturizing hair.

It consists of hydrating the hair with water or a water-based product which is your liquid, sealing in the moisture with oil and then applying a cream product to close the hair cuticle which prevents moisture loss.

For great results, do it after a wash and mid-week for the least breakage possible.

Starting the LOC method with hydration is the best way to go about it.

L stands for liquid and in this case, water from a shower or spray bottle will work well. You should also use a water-based detangler or leave-in conditioner during the first step.

Next is a butter Cream as the second step in the LOC method for high porosity hair.

You can apply it twice per week to keep your curly hair from drying out.

What is something you’re struggling with concerning your high porosity hair regimen?

What to Read Next?

• 15 Best How To Moisturize Dry Curly Hair Hacks That Works!
• 9 Harmful Chemicals in Hair Products You Can’t Ignore!
• 21 Best Affordable Natural Hair Products Your Pocket Will Love!

xo, Queen