The Flip-Side: High Porosity Hair

I recently posted on low porosity hair, and how to properly condition and maintain moisture in an effort to grow and retain length. If you have high porosity hair - or porous hair - I didn't leave you in a lurch. This post is for you.

If you tried the porosity test, and noticed that your hair quickly made its way to the bottom of your glass, that's an indication of how your hair absorbs and maintains moisture. Porous hair absorbs moisture (water) rather quickly, but - just as quickly - loses it. I like to compare high porous hair to a chamois. Great at absorbing water, and equally great at releasing it.

Lifted cuticles are the main reason for this leak in moisture. Those with high porosity hair tend to find that their hair will be moisturized after washing and treating, but dry within a few days.

So how does one retain moisture? Closing the cuticle of the hair shaft.

There are various ways to seal your hair so that moisture does not escape as quickly. Start by increasing your use of coconut oil. I use coconut oil for...everything. It's the Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce of my life. I put it in my hair, slather it on as lotion, make sugar scrubs, and use it to remove make up, etc. Coconut, along with Olive and Sunflower oil are known for their deep penetrating properties. Use of any of these oils will not only infuse your hair with moisture, but also prevent your hair from drying out quickly. If porous hair is the reason for dry hair and ends, adding some oil to your ends can also help.

Another useful porous hair accouterment is deep conditioning. Because you hair loses moisture at a quicker rate than others with medium or low porosity hair, you'll want to provide your hair with more moisture than normal. This is especially useful in the winter (drier) months of the year when cold temperatures have a habit of leeching your hair of moisture.

I may be the only fan of ACV rinses. They work wonders for my dandruff, product build-up, and low porosity hair. They also work for those with high porosity hair. Because the cuticle of your hair is constantly raised (allowing moisture to be absorbed and depleted), a weekly ACV rinse will close the cuticle and seal in moisture, essentially improving the condition of your hair.

For those of you who have noticed that the porosity of your hair has changed, this usually occurs after chemically altering (relaxing, coloring, etc.) your strands. Relaxing or coloring your hair will lift the cuticle to allow the color or relaxer to penetrate the hair strand, often times, the hair remains that way.

Also, if your hair is already highly porous, you'll want to be extra careful when considering adding chemicals to your hair. Coloring and relaxing your hair lifts the cuticle in order for the chemicals to alter the hair shaft, many times, the hair becomes damaged and the cuticles remain lifted, thereby allowing moisture to flow through, but not remain.

The more you know, the more you grow.