4 Ways to Improve Your Hair’s Porosity
Originally posted on TransitioningMovement.com
Porosity refers to your hair’s ability to both absorb and retain moisture. Most of us curly and kinky girls suffer from high porosity.
The best way to explain high porosity in natural hair is imagine that your hair is a sponge. A sponge absorbs water very quickly and become soft and flexible. But just as fast as it absorbs the water, it loses it at the same rate. High porosity in hair is the same way. This translates into dry hair that has a difficult time retaining moisture. Hair is also hard and lacks flexibility or elasticity. This makes it more susceptible to breakage and damage from both internal and external factors. Usually raised and damaged hair cuticles are the blame. The hair cuticle is the outer layer of the hair. It’s appearance is very similar to shingles on the roof of a house. They allow water to enter and leave the hair shaft.
Here are four treatments or products that help to decrease your hair’s porosity by closing or repairing damaged hair cuticles. By closing and repairing the hair cuticle you are helping to moisturize and strengthening the overall health of your hair.
Deep Conditioning
Deep conditioners are hair products that fortify the hair with moisture or protein ingredients. There are many on the market but can be distinguished between functionality. Deep conditioners will either intensely moisturize your hair or strengthen and repair by infusing proteins.
Weekly deep conditioning with a moisturizing deep conditioner especially in the winter can increase its ability to absorb & retain water. I’m a fan of Carol’s Daughter Olive Oil Infusion or Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Deep Conditioner. Protein deep conditioners replenish your hair’s protein that are loss through regular maintenance such as shampooing. Protein deep conditioning treatments can be done monthly.
Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil is the holy grail of natural oils. Not only is it one of the few natural oil with a composition small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. It has been proven to prevent damage and protein loss when applied before each shampoo. That’s right, if you pre-poo with coconut oil you can prevent hair damage.
In addition to a coconut oil pre-poo treatment, I re-twisting your hair with water and coconut oil between washes will keep your hair moisturized. You can also use it as a conditioner in place or in addition to your hair conditioner.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Rinse
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is great treatment for natural hair in general terms. Apple Cider Vinegar has many benefits for in and outside the body. Some of those benefits for hair are: balancing hair and scalp pH, removing product buildup, treating dandruff and hair loss.
As a pH balancer Apple Cider Vinegar has acidity properties that return the hair to its original pH of about 4.0. Balancing the hair’s pH results in closed hair cuticles. The hair’s cuticles are raised by water and hair products during your shampoo sessions. A weekly ACV rinse can close hair cuticles leaving the hair more moisturized and smoother in appearance. It ultimately decreases your hair porosity.
Aloe Vera is another one of those miracle products or ingredients. It doesn’t matter whether you use Aloe Vera juice or gel it is naturally beneficial to moisturizing your hair.
In addition to being a natural moisturizer it is a pH balancing agent. We already discussed the importance of having pH balanced hair in the previous section. Aloe Vera is also one of the products that naturally balances hair’s pH. You can add a little to your leave-in conditioner before applying to your hair or add Aloe Vera gel to your hair butters before protective styling. You will definitely notice a difference.
About Tamara
Hello Tamara. My daughter is 5 she had natural spongy hair. What are the best products to use for her? Thanks
Is any apple cider vinegar okay to use?
Yes, but organic is best
Hello Tamara. I am french. I have some really porous hair. I try the aloe vera gelly (Lily of the desert) on my hair yesterday and it change all. I put water + aloe vera gelly (directly on my hair) + cream + oil for seal. For the first time, in one year natural, i wake up with a moisturize hair. Thank you for your wonderful job with this blog.
I’m confused, you recommend ACV rinses weekly to close hair cuticles, which leaves the hair more moisturized and smoother in appearance, yet claim it will ultimately decrease hair’s porosity. Can you please clarify? Thanks
Closing the cuticles of the hair shaft will lower the porosity of the hair because high porosity hair has raised cuticles, it loses water as quickly as it absorbs it, so sealing the cuticles will help retain some of that moisture .
What about low porosity hair?