10 Effective Ways to Care for High Porosity Hair

Now that you’ve learned how to identify your hair porosity, I know you’re wondering how to properly care for it. If you have high porosity hair, like myself, you’re at the right place sis! I’m sharing not 3, 4, but 10 effective ways to care for high porosity hair. It took me years to finally know how to treat my hair. Now that I have the techniques and resources established (for the most part), I want to share them with you. Just to give y’all a disclaimer, I am still trying to figure things out just like you. If I have any information that will help you, I feel that it’s my duty to share. Heck! I just realized some of this not too long ago. But we’re both on this journey of healthy hair growth. Here are 10 effective ways to properly care for high porosity hair.

10 Effective Ways to Care for High Porosity Hair

Hair Wash Day

1. Wash your hair in sections. – High porosity hair is more prone to tangles and knots. So it is important to wash your hair in sections to ease your hair wash day. Trust me! I’ve shampooed my hair without dividing it in segments, and it was a HUGE pain to detangle. I do not want that for you boo! Don’t forget to pre-poo when you separate your hair into sections. It helps to add moisture, melt your tangles, and your wash day will also go by faster. This is my favorite staple for pre-pooing.
2. Practice protein/moisture balance – During hair wash days, you should alternate between a moisturizing deep conditioner and a protein-rich deep conditioner every week. Protein is your best friend!! It helps to strengthen your high porosity hair, which protects it from any further damage and breakage. A moisturizing deep conditioner allows your hair to lock in the moisture that your hair needs. But I highly recommend listening to your hair. If your hair feels dry during the week that you apply protein deep conditioner, apply a moisturizing deep conditioner.
3. Use lukewarm water when shampooing your hair. – When you use warmer or hot water to shampoo (use a moisturizing shampoo) your hair, you are stripping your hair of its natural oils which causes your hair to dry. High porosity hair is already dry, so this is not a good idea. I have to remind myself of this because I love hot water. Also, when you rinse out the deep conditioner, be sure to use cold water. Cold water helps to seal the moisture in your hair.
4. Use a protein treatment – I cannot stress this enough…PROTEIN IS YOUR BEST FRIEND SIS!!! The difference between a protein treatment and conditioner is that a protein treatment adds a larger amount of protein into your hair that only focuses on strengthening your hair. That also means moisture is usually not a huge priority. But, you have to be careful when using one. Since a treatment packs a huge power of protein, you should only apply it every 4 – 6 weeks. If you utilize it too often, your hair will break off due to its dryness. That’s compared to every other week for a protein deep conditioner. I also recommend using a protein treatment before and after installing a long term protective style like knotless braids, marley twists, and fulani braids. This is especially important, if heat is used to stretch your hair. Here’s a video on how I apply my favorite protein treatment by Aphogee.

Styling

1. Apply heavy oils and butters for the LOC/LCO method. – For those who are not familiar, the LOC/LCO method are ways to moisturize your hair before styling it. L stands for liquid/leave-in conditioner. O stands for oil and C is for cream. O (oil) is the focal point because, it’s very crucial for high porosity hair when it pertains to retaining moisture. You should apply heavier oils and butter such as shea butter, castor oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. These butters and oils help trap in moisture as it tries to escape. I personally use shea butter or grease and the LCO method. However, you must listen to your hair on which method to use and which oils to apply. What works for me, may not work for you.
2. Style your hair once a week. – When you style your hair once a week, you’re preventing yourself from touching your hair regularly. High porosity hair is more likely to break off, so it is best to limit your styling. Having a long lasting style is best, so you won’t have to restyle before your next hair wash day. I resort to twist out and braid outs. I also wear protective styles like buns, ponytails, and flat twist styles. If you feel your hair becoming dry in the middle of the week, then restyle mid-week using the LOC/LCO method. DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS IN YOUR HAIR!! I’m talking to myself. Lol!!!
3. Gently detangle – Who remembers the scene in the movie “The Color Purple” when Celie was combing a young girl’s hair, and she was screaming for her life? It was funny during that time, but I felt her pain. Girl, you don’t want to be her! When you manage your hair in a rough manner, you’re causing more harm, which leads to breakage. You see a lot of brushes like the Tangle Teezer, Felicia Atwood Brush, and Denman Brush become popular over the years. However, I. DO. NOT. LIKE. THEM. At least my hair doesn’t. I’ve realized that finger detangling is the way to go. It takes longer, but your hair will kiss you if it could. Plus you’ll get killer arms. Lol! If you’re not a fan of finger detangling, the only tool I recommend using is the wide tooth comb. Remember to comb from the ends up to the roots and NEVER detangle your hair dry. I recommend using either water or leave-in conditioner or a mixture of the two.
4. Use apple cider vinegar and/or aloe vera – When I tell you these items changed my life!! As much as I hate the smell of apple cider vinegar, I cannot deny how moisturizing it leaves my hair. You can use apple cider vinegar to seal the moisture after rinsing the deep conditioner. It, along with aloe vera, also helps with your PH balance. Aloe vera is another game changer when moisturizing your hair. It can be used in many ways like pre-poo, hair masque, or moisturizing your curls back to life in the middle of the week. I use the African Pride Moisture Miracle Pre-Shampoo, which mainly contains aloe vera. During the week, I also mist a mixture of aloe vera juice and water in my hair, if it feels a little dry.

Every 1 – 2 Month Practices

1. Limit the use of heat – This is probably the most important tip, because excessive use of heat causes your hair to lose protein, which leads to damage. I fell victim to this and ultimately had to cut my once mid-back length hair into a tapered haircut. Other ways I stretch my hair without heat are banding, plaiting my hair, or buns. I have provided examples in this blog post. However, if you feel the need to use a blow dryer, always use the cool setting. I also found a braider who does not apply heat to my hair. It is rare, but they do exist sis! In the long run, your hair will thank you.
2. Trim your ends regularly – I’ve learned that I cannot get away with trimming a couple of times a year, like I did when beginning my natural hair journey. My ends would become incredibly tangled, and I had the toughest time detangling. When trying to detangle, I hear snaps. Yep, that means I have breakage. So I trim my ends every 6 weeks, just to be sure I can style my hair properly without my hair snagging. I seldomly go to my stylist for a trim, since she uses heat in my hair. Instead, I do my own trims using this method by Chic Natural. Alternatively, I use a wide tooth comb.

What kind of products do I need?

Always focus on purchasing products that will add 2 major things: moisture and protein. Here a list of my favorite (and mostly blacked owned) moisturizing and protein deep conditioners:

• Uniqurl AloeMint Deep Conditioner – This product gave my hair so much moisture and my fingers ran through my hair with ease. Here’s a video of my hair wash day.
• Naturall Club Deep Conditioner – If you’re looking for something with natural ingredients, this brand is for you. The Repairing Ice Cream and Moisturizing Deep Conditioner treatments are everything!! They only come in packets. Use the bigger size if you have thick hair.
• TGIN Honey Hair Mask – I love this stuff!! I purchase it when I can’t wait for Uniqurl or Naturall to ship their products. It has tons of slip, makes my hair soft, and the smell is glorious. My hubby couldn’t stop smelling my hair.
• Aussie Mega Moist Conditioner – I used this in the beginning of my journey, and it does not disappoint. It’s always available for when I cannot wait for my deep conditioners to be delivered. Plus, you can’t beat the price!!
• Cholesterol Treatment – This is an old school product but always a goodie. I use this as my protein deep conditioner. It adds lipids and fats to your hair. I personally think this is a legit protein conditioner, and it does the trick. To give you a fair warning, it does not have a lot of slip. But it’s totally worth it. because it leaves your hair very soft. AND HELLO CURL DEFINITION!! Ok, I don’t care about curl definition (lol) but for those who do, this is perfect for you.
• TGIN Miracle Repairx Deep Hydrating Hair Mask – I saw a YouTuber with high porosity use this, and she raved about it. I have yet to try it, but it is definitely on my list.
• Green Beauty Real Protein Treatment – I still prefer Aphogee’s Protein Treatment, but you can actually use this product as a protein deep conditioner. Just add a few tablespoons into your favorite deep conditioner. VOILA!!
• Miche Strengthen Protein/Moisture Balancing Deep Conditioner – A deep conditioner that moisturizes and strengthens your hair at the same time?? Talk about killing two birds with one stone, right? I found this product from a fellow YouTuber, and the results on her high porosity hair were amazing. It is a little pricey for my liking, but I think it’s worth the try. Don’t believe me…just watch! Here’s her video:

I hope you learned more about your high porosity hair and use these tips. Do not be alarmed by the info that was given. I know it was a lot to absorb but with practice along with trial and error, you’ll be able to create the perfect regimen. Plus you could always save this post on Pinterest to go back to. Also, since high porosity hair is lowly represented in the natural hair community, I will provide content for those of the same porosity. We tend to get a bad rep but I along with the previously mentioned YouTubers are here to show that our high porosity hair is bomb!!!