High porosity hair is a common type among many persons. This hair type, however, often needs certain care to enable it to remain manageable and healthy. If you have high porosity hair, you will notice that your hair absorbs moisture quite quickly, but it loses that moisture equally quickly. It is essential to understand this hair type, its causes, and how best to approach its care and maintenance to ensure the hair remains healthy and shiny.
What is High Porosity Hair?
The high porosity hair refers to that hair that easily absorbs and retains moisture. The cuticle of high porosity hair, which is its outer layer, is more spaced out, allowing for expansive water intake but equal loss of that moisture. This means high porosity hair generally feels dry, frizzy, and often tends to be more damaged than other hair types.
High porosity hair can present the following features:
- Moisture does not stay in: it either accepts water or certain hair products easily but dries out just as easily.
- Most prone to frizz: Because moisture escapes from them quickly, they always appear frizzy and undefined, especially in humid conditions.
- Hair breaks easily: The hair cuticle is more susceptible to damage, which produces breakage, split ends, and other general wear and tear.
- Feels dry: high porosity hair may actually feel dry to the touch, even with moisture absorbing, particularly when it isn’t well maintained.
The causes of high-porosity hair are as follows:
- Genetics: Some folks inherit their naturally porous conditions as part of their genetic composition. This is mostly characteristic of natural curl, wave, or coil hair types.
- Chemical Treatments: Following the repeated application of harsh chemical treatments like bleach, hair dyes, relaxers, or perms, certain hair types are damaged. The extended damage lifts the cuticle layer, thus whisking away moisture from the hair cortex.
- Heat Styling: Excessive usage of heating tools such as flat irons, curling irons, and blow dryers can weaken the hair shaft, creating higher porosity.
- Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as exposure to sun, wind, and chlorine can also damage the cuticle, thus creating a gradual increase in porosity.
- Over-washing or Wrong Product Use: Washing the hair more than necessary especially with strong shampoos, usually strips it of its natural oils and causes damage to hair structure which leads to higher porosity.
Caring for High Porosity Hair
Having high-porosity hair means a distinct hair care routine to balance out moisture and minimize frizz while keeping your hair healthy. Here are a few ways to do it correctly:
- Use Moisturizing Products: Look for deep-conditioning treatments, oils, and leave-in conditioners made specifically to hydrate high-porosity hair. Humectants like glycerin and castor oil are good in attracting moisture and keeping it
- Don’t Overwash: Shampooing your hair repeatedly strips it of natural oils. Make it a routine to wash your hair two to three times a week max, and use sulfate-free shampoo that is gentle on the cuticle
- Deep Condition Regularly: Most types of high-porosity hair require periodic deep conditioning treatments. A rich, moisturizing mask with the conditioner’s suggestions applied on a weekly basis provides an effective method of regaining moisture and strengthening hairs.
Products to Look For
If you have high porosity hair, look for the following ingredients when shopping for hair products:
ils, natural oils, to seal in moisture in the strands-drastic healers of dry hair-argan oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oilhumectants that attract moisture to the hair, for instance, glycerin and honey
silicones, such as dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane, can help to smoothen the hair and seal in moisture; however, they may need periodic cleansing
Final Thought
High porosity hair requires quite a special treatment. Very dry, easily broken, frizzy-yes, but so many are there who know well what is the right way, using the right kind of product. The focus should be on keeping the moisture trapped, along with gentle handling and nourishment that helps your strands to stay healthy, clean, and shiny. Keeping in mind the unusual needs of your mane will allow you to rock that texture and keep it well-nourished no matter what life throws at you.
