Easy and effective hair care tips for high porosity hair

The labels of ‘for high porosity hair’ or ‘for low porosity hair’ on haircare products might make you wonder what's porosity of hair, and how can you determine whether your hair type is high porosity or low porosity or somewhere in between.

Hair porosity is a concept that plays a vital role in the overall health and appearance of your locks. It's all about how your hair interacts with moisture, oils and hair products.

In this article, we delve into the subject of high porosity hair and how to take care of it.

What is high porosity hair?

Using a wooden wide-teethed comb ensures lesser breakage. (Image by Benzoix on Freepik)

Let’s understand first about what high hair porosity means. Hair strands have three major layers: cuticle (outermost layer), cortex (middle layer) and medulla (innermost layer). Porosity of hair is associated with the outermost cuticle layer.

The outermost layer of hair consists of very small cuticles that control the absorption of moisture, products and chemicals into hair. High porosity hair occurs when the cuticles are spaced too far apart, allowing moisture to easily penetrate the hair shaft. However, it struggles to retain that moisture, leaving the hair dry and prone to damage.

Characteristics of high porosity hair and how to identify your hair type

Braids are the best night-time hairstyles to do before sleeping. (Image by Freepik)

High porosity hair can be genetic or caused by various hair-styling, which can damage the cuticles, creating gaps.

Identifying high-porosity hair is crucial for tailoring your hair care routine. Some common characteristics of high porosity hair include the given points.

High porosity hair often looks and feels dry, lacking the natural sheen of healthy hair.
It tends to be frizzy and tangles easily, making it challenging to manage.
Highly porous hair is prone to breakage.
It air-dries rapidly due to its ability to lose moisture quickly.
Highly porous hair readily absorbs hair products but struggles to retain their benefits.

If your hair shows these signs, it's most likely high porosity hair. If you’re still unsure about your hair type, here’s a quick test to identify your hair type.

Take one of your hair strands after washing your hair properly so that any chemicals or oils are not present. Place that strand in a glass of normal water. If the strand floats on the top, your hair has low porosity.

If the strand starts floating in the middle of the glass before sinking, it's medium porosity hair. If it sinks to the bottom quickly, it's high porosity hair.

Best hair care tips for high porosity hair

Opt for heatless curls as an option of hairstyling rather than styling tools. (Image by Gpointstudio on Freepik)

After identifying your hair type, the next thing to do is to make some necessary changes in your haircare routine.

That will allow you to boost shine, health and length of your hair. Here are some of the best tips to follow if you’ve identified your hair type as high porosity hair.

#1 Make moisturizing products your besties

Jojoba, castor and coconut oils are the best hair oils for making hair healthy. (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Hair tends to lose moisture as rapidly as it gains it. So, including moisturizing haircare products that contain heavier ingredients like oils and butters can help hair retain its moisture for a longer time.

#2 Say goodbye to harsh chemicals

If you have a dry scalp, avoid washing your hair too often. (Image by Valuavitaly on Freepik)

Use of hair products with sulphates, parabens and silicones should be stopped at the earliest, as they tend to strip the scalp off moisture, leading to extremely dry hair. Only use a clarifying shampoo once in two weeks to get rid of the dirt in hair.

#3 Lukewarm showers

Along with your hair, hot water baths can also leave the skin feeling quite dry (Image by Thanakorn Phanthura on Vecteezy)

As much as a hot shower seems relaxing, it can cause damage to the cuticles. So, avoid hot showers and opt for using only lukewarm water for washing your hair.

#4 T-shirt Instead of towels

Microfibre towels are also a good option for drying hair. (Image by Gstudioimagen on Vecteezy)

Wrap your wet hair in a cotton t-shirt, and use it for drying your hair instead of using a towel to vigorously rub your hair. That will ensure that your hair doesn’t get tangled further, subsequently leading to lesser breakage.

#5 Monthly chop-chop

Regular haircuts are a must to ensure that you’re not wasting your expensive haircare products on dead ends. (Image by Chokniti Khongchum on Vecteezy)

Don’t forget to book a monthly hair-trim appointment with your hair. Trimming of hair ensures prevention of split ends and removal of dried-up hair ends, which makes your hair look healthier and promotes hair growth.

#6 Avoid styling tools

The straighteners and curlers you’re using lead to very significant damage to your cuticle because of their heat. Use the styling tools in minimum frequency, and never forget to use a good heat-protectant before styling.

#7 Put a pause to coloring

Getting your hair bleached frequently damages the hair, (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

Keep those hair bleaches and colors on hold for some time to provide your hair some time to recover. The chemicals in hair colors and bleach can cause further widening of the cuticle, leading to highly damaged hair.

#8 Mask it up

Overnight masks or DIY masks work well in nourishing hair. (Image by Freepik)

Hair masks are a good way to provide nourishment to hair. They're thick and have the tendency to lock in moisture, which leads to softer and healthier hair with subsequent uses. Add good nourishing hair masks to your haircare routine to see the magic for yourself.

#9 Include fats in your diet

The importance of healthy fats in diet to have beautiful, shiny hair cannot be overstated. (Image by Freepik)

The fear behind the word ‘fats’ is so huge that we fail to realize how important they are for our mere survival, and beyond that, for the health of our hair.

So, indulge in consuming the healthy fatty foods like fishes, nuts, coconut oil, etc.

#10 Stock up on leave-in conditioners

Use only slight amount of leave-in conditioner to prevent weighing down of hair. (Image by Freepik)

Leave-in conditioners are a good way to provide hydration to your hair over time. They're easy to use and show significant results with consistent use.

Choose a leave-in hair conditioner suited for high porosity hair to have maximized benefits.

In conclusion, hair porosity is the ability of hair to interact with liquids like water, oils and chemicals.

High porosity hair has a damaged outermost cuticle, due to which it tends to gain as well as lose moisture very quickly. However, with proper haircare products and techniques, it's possible to minimize your hair porosity and achieve luscious locks.