Repairing Guides

how to repair porous hair

by Morgan Langworth Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to Fix Porous Hair.

  • 1. Deep Conditioning. Even if your hair is balanced, a protein-rich deep conditioning treatment should be a part of your regimen. It’s packed with ...
  • 2. Aloe Vera Gel. A great way to improve the condition of your scalp is with a small amount of aloe vera gel, either in your conditioner or as a ...
  • 3. Olive Oil. Adding a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil can help seal the hair cuticle so that it can better resist moisture. It’s one of the ...

Deep conditioner
Deep conditioning treatments are especially helpful for adding moisture, nourishment, and softness to highly porous hair. Try to use a deep conditioner at least once or twice a week. Some deep conditioners that are well suited to porous hair include: SheaMoisture High Porosity Moisture Correct Masque.
Sep 19, 2019

Full Answer

How to get rid of high porosity hair?

How to Treat High Porosity Hair. 1 Common Causes of High Porosity Hair. "High porosity hair easily absorbs water and products quickly. However, the moisture is not easily retained in ... 2 Get a Trim. 3 Cut Down on Styling. 4 Use Moisture-Rich Products. 5 Get a Dose of Protein. More items

How do you get rid of poreless hair?

For Low-Porous Hair. Use a heat treatment to help open up your cuticles. Look for heavier moisturizing products that specialize in penetrating fussy hair strands. Deep conditioning treatments can help open up your cuticles over time. Just remember to be patient when dealing with highly porous or under-porous hair.

What happens if your hair is porous?

When your hair is porous, the fibers may be too close, half-open, or too open. This can bring different issues in each hair type – it can break, be dry, rough, frizzy, etc. That will depend on each hair’s porosity type.

What is low porosity hair?

With low porosity hair, the cuticles tend to overlap each other and are tightly packed together. Because there are no spaces between the cuticles, it makes it harder for water, as well as products like oils and conditioners, to deliver moisture to the hair shaft.

Why is my hair porous?

What to use to help hair near roots?

How to balance pH in hair?

How to open up cuticles?

How much water does hair absorb?

What is the difference between lush and vibrant hair?

How to repair cuticle?

See more

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What makes your hair porous?

High porosity hair can be genetic, which means that it runs in your family. Many times, though, it's caused by hair processing and styling treatments like straightening, blow-drying, bleaching, and other chemical applications. These types of treatments can damage your cuticles, causing them to lift or separate.

Can you change the porosity of your hair?

In a nutshell, hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. Porosity is usually genetic, but it can change throughout your life depending on a variety of factors. Exposure, heat treatments, chemical processing, and environmental damage (like pollution) can all affect your hair porosity.

How do you seal high porosity hair?

For high porosity hair, heavier products with natural oils are very helpful in retaining moisture. Our Seal It Up — Hydrating Sealing Butter — which includes heavy butters and oils like avocado and shea butter — is a great product to start with. Seal with the right butter or oil.

What are signs of high porosity hair?

6 Signs Of High Porosity HairRapid Moisture Loss. Having to continuously add product to your hair because your hair is sucking it all up in a matter of moments is a good indicator of high porosity hair. ... Frizzy Hair. ... Hair That Feels Dry. ... Your Hair Tangles Easily. ... You Have Dull Looking Hair. ... Your Hair Is Prone To Breakage.

What are signs of low porosity hair?

Signs Of Low Porosity HairYour hair struggles to keep moisture.Your hair doesn't work with conditioners.You need heat to activate conditioners.There's always buildup and dirt in your hair.You get more dandruff (clarifying dandruff shampoos for Afro hair)Your hair is too oily or too dry.You spend ages drying your hair.

Which oil is best for high porosity hair?

The Best oils for high porosity hair are:Avocado oil.Babassu oil.Rice bran oil.Castor oil.Hemp seed oil.Shea butter.Jojoba oil.Sweet Almond oil.More items...•

How often should u wash high porosity hair?

On WASH DAY (Weekly or Bi-Weekly) after washing your hair with a moisturizing and clarifying shampoo, DEEP CONDITION for 15-30 minutes with heat and rinse with cold water to help seal your cuticles thus sealing in your moisture. Style and Protect your style as needed.

How often should you moisturize high porosity hair?

One of the best ways to improve porosity in high porosity hair is to use a moisturizing deep conditioner every week. This will temporarily seal the hair cuticle, helping to reduce porosity in high porosity hair for several washes.

Can low porosity hair change to high porosity?

Hair's porosity changes as it grows, generally from low to normal/high, and then to low again. All hair grows out of our scalps as low porosity, and as it gets longer, it is exposed to environmental stressors such as dry indoor air, hard water, and sunlight.

How do I get the porosity back in my hair?

5 Ways to treat high porosity hairProtein treatments. Incorporating protein treatments in your regimen is important for high porosity hair to gain strength and not break as frequently. ... Deep conditioning. ... Sealing with butters or oils. ... Using heavier products with natural oils. ... Apple cider vinegar and aloe vera.

Does low porosity hair dry fast?

Because low porosity naturally repels water, it dries faster. Often drying so quickly, you can see it shrinking and drying in just a few minutes. If your hair takes ages to dry, you have high porosity hair.

Can you have high porosity straight hair?

Straight hair is the least porous. Its fibers have cuticles that are tightly aligned, meaning there's less opportunity for moisture to go in and out. Wavy and curly hair is more porous.

How to fix high porosity hair?

Another thing you can do is to try using aloe vera or apple cider vinegar in your hair. They both work by adjusting the pH balance of your hair.

Why is my hair porosity so high?

High porosity can be genetic (another thing to blame your parents for), but it can also be caused by heat damage like blow-drying or using flat irons, or by chemical damage like bleaching, using relaxers, perms, or color. Always be careful how aggressively you use heat and chemical treatments to keep your hair safe.

What is hair porosity?

To understand what hair porosity is, you need to understand a little bit about how your hair is made.

What is the second step in hair care?

The second step is important. Remember that porous hair loses moisture quickly. You’ll want emollients to trap in that good moisture. Emollients are oils or butters that coat your hair to seal it, like some kind of moisture forcefield.

Why is protein important for hair?

Therefore, protein treatments are an important part of treating high porosity hair. They strengthen your hair to help prevent breakage, and they help fill in the gaps of your cuticle layer to reduce your porosity.

How to keep hair toasty?

Since not everyone has an overhead dryer, you can use a cap and a warm towel to keep your hair toasty. To avoid hygral fatigue, I discourage people from leaving the conditioner in their hair overnight and washing it out in the morning. The second step is important. Remember that porous hair loses moisture quickly.

How does a saline shampoo help your hair?

They strengthen your hair to help prevent breakage, and they help fill in the gaps of your cuticle layer to reduce your porosity.

How to make sure your hair is not porous?

Moisturizing is the best trick to make sure your hair isn’t porous. You can use any moisturizing mask you have at home.

How to prevent hair porosity?

As previously said, moisturizing, nutrition and reconstruction of the hair are crucial to avoid and treat its porosity. Invest in a good hair schedule, alternating these three steps. That will keep your hair healthy and beautiful, free of frizz, split ends and dryness.

What is Hair Porosity?

Hair porosity is the hair’s capacity to absorb and keep water, nutrients and hair product chemicals. You can evaluate the conditions of your hair cuticles – which are the flexible, external layers of your hair fibers.

Why does hair have a straw look?

That is because the hair pores are permanently open, making it harder for it to absorb nutrients and accept hair dyes. It is also more vulnerable to external agents such as wind, sun, and pollution.

How is hair formed?

Hair is formed by about 7 to 10 cuticle layers. Together, they act like scales forming a “ring” around your hair, protecting it. That determines how much your hair can absorb the nutrients from hair products, as well as moisture. Porous hair is generally defined by genetics. On the other hand, it can also be caused by external agents – humidity, ...

How to tell if your hair is porous?

To find out if your hair is porous, just take a simple test. Hold your hair and stretch it. Then run your thumb and index finger over your hair. Check for knots or a sand-like texture. If you find that, the cuticles are open and your hair is porous.

Why is porous hair frizzy?

Due to its damaged internal structure, porous hair tends to be very frizzy. A good hair finisher should soften that frizz.

How to protect your hair from getting porous?

3. Wear a hat outdoors to prevent your hair from getting more porous. Direct sunlight can hurt your cuticles over time, which can lead to hair damage. If you like to spend time outdoors, wear a comfortable hat to protect yourself.

How to get rid of hair porosity?

Avoid shampoos and conditioners with sulfates, which do a lot of damage to your hair over time. Additionally, stay away from products like bleach and hair relaxers, which can increase your hair porosity and aren’t that great for your hair overall. Focus on haircare products with healthy ingredients, like natural oils.

How to get rid of hair cuticles?

Fill a spray bottle with a diluted mixture of apple cider vinegar and water, which can help close your hair cuticles and better seal in moisture. Spray the diluted vinegar through your hair whenever you feel like balancing the pH a bit. Aloe vera gel can also help balance your hair’s pH.

How to get rid of sulfates in hair?

3. Wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo. Look for shampoos with the word “moisturizing” on the label so that you aren't using something that strips your hair of its natural oils. Double-check that your shampoo doesn’t have any sulfates, which aren’t very good for your hair.

How to make a protein mask for hair?

If you’d prefer a more inexpensive protein solution, create a DIY protein mask by cracking open an egg and spreading it through your hair. If you use a protein treatment, always treat your hair with a moisturizing deep conditioner afterward. ...

What is porosity in hair?

Hair porosity is a fancy term for your hair’s ability to hold in moisture. Porous hair, sometimes referred to as high-porosity hair, tends to dry out really quickly. Thankfully, it’s easy to tweak your beauty regimen so that your tresses stay nourished and healthy.

Can you trim your hair at home?

If your hair is already damaged, there’s not much else you can do for it, regardless of the porosity. Take a trip to your local salon and ask a stylist to snip off any damaged hair, which will allow new, healthier hair to grow in its place. You can also trim your hair at home, if you feel comfortable doing that. ...

How to care for highly porous hair?

The first rule of caring for highly porous hair is always to seek out the most hydrating high porosity hair products. When your hair is properly hydrated, your sensitive strands will be less prone to breakage and damage. Think creams, butter, and oils in addition to hydrating shampoos and conditioners.

Why is my hair so porosity?

If you have high porosity hair because of excessive heat, coloring, overwashing, or other damaging behaviors, there are ways you can nurse your hair back to health. On the other hand, even if your high porosity hair is the result of your genes, you can coax it into submission with the right tricks. Let’s get into the science of it.

What is the best hair cream for high porosity hair?

For high porosity hair, you can use thick creams and butters such as shea butter, coconut oil, or our Moisture Rx Hawaiian Ginger Moisturizing Hair Butter that contains coconut oil and avocado oil to help seal in moisture and boost shine.

How to keep hair from breaking?

Keep your strands safe and healthy by always treating them kindly and gently. Dry wet hair with a microfiber towel. Comb with a wide tooth comb. Sleep on a silk pillowcase.

What is deep conditioning?

Do: Deep Condition. Deep conditioning should be a part of your weekly hair regimen no matter your hair type or texture, but especially if you have high porosity hair. A deep conditioning treatment will help restore hydration, repair hair damage, and ensure any new hair growth is properly cared for.

Why is high porosity hair more susceptible to frizz?

High porosity hair is more susceptible to frizz because the lifted hair cuticles allow moisture from the air to penetrate the hair shaft and cause it to expand .

What are the cuticles of hair?

When it comes to your hair, there are cuticles that make up each strand’s outermost layer. These cuticles protect the core of the hair strand and allow moisture in and out. When hair is healthy, the cuticles lie flat; however, with high porosity hair, the cuticles are typically spread apart and lifted or damaged.

Bleached Damaged Hair

Here’s a before and after photo of my bleached damaged hair. My hair was severely dehydrated, the curly were stretched-out (meaning the curl pattern was elongated), brittle, and breaking.

Hair Porosity

It is important to understand your hair porosity before you can start taking steps to improve the health of your hair.

Porosity problems

Damaged porous hair will be unusually frizzy, rough to the touch, and or easily tangled. It will also absorb more water when wet, but loses even more as it dries.

Can porous hair be repaired?

Once you have damaged porous hair it is hard to “repair” it. It can really only be treated. On some occasions someone with porous hair has seen some improvement after using a protein treatment but more often than not, the damage cannot be reversed.

Is damaged hair porous?

All hair is porous to some degree. Damaged hair is simply more porous.

Can you have healthy porous hair?

Absolutely! Porous hair does not mean for certain that your hair is unhealthy. There are a lot of different types of porous hair.

How to restore high porosity black hair?

The goal here is to manage your damaged tresses while promoting healthy new growth that doesn't become high porosity. Bailey recommends using the Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Wash Day Deep Moisture Masque ($15). "To restore moisture," she says. "I would recommend using the Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Wash Day Deep Moisture Masque. Apply generously to the hair and sit with a plastic cap for up to 15 minutes. Rinse with cool to tepid water to allow the cuticle to close and lock in moisture." For an extra boost, sit under the dryer to help the hair reap all the benefits of your hair treatment.

How to test hair porosity?

Next, you'll fill a bowl with water, drop a single strand of clean, dry hair into the bowl of water, and now you have an at-home science experiment.

How does hair porosity shift?

Depending on how you care for and process your hair, you could end up with a porosity shift. Coloring, relaxing, frequent thermal styling, over-manipulation, and even the use of harsh products can affect your hair's cuticles. 1  The hair's cuticles lay flat when healthy and lift when they are no longer in an optimal state.

What does high porosity hair look like?

"High porosity hair easily absorbs water and products quickly. However, the moisture is not easily retained in the hair," says Alicia Bailey. "The cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair. If the hair has high porosity, that means that the cuticle is open and rough. Under a microscope, a healthy strand of hair with low or medium porosity will look like the smooth skin on a snake's back. However, high porosity hair would look more like a Christmas tree."

How long does it take for hair to grow back?

It may take weeks or months before you notice a difference, but as long as you're practicing good hair care, your tresses will eventually get healthy again. Remember: minimize heat, use chemicals wisely (or not at all), stick to moisturizing products, and treat your hair with TLC. You can get a handle on damaged, high porosity hair and grow healthier, medium to normal porosity hair this way—instead of living with breakage and frizz.

What is the best oil for hair?

Hardges recommends cremes, oils, and butters to aid in moisturizing and strengthening highly porous hair. Jojoba oil is among her favorites. "Jojoba oil most closely mimics the hair's natural oils," she explains. "Citric acid is another great ingredient.

How to fix breakage in hair?

Next, try a dose of protein as soon as you can possibly get it. Protein treatments come in different forms. If you're experiencing severe breakage, you may need an emergency product like ApHogee Two-Step Protein Treatment ($24). An intense treatment like this only needs to be applied once, and you must follow all directions carefully to avoid further damage. Less severe damage can be managed with maintenance protein products like Ouidad's Curl Quencher Moisturizing Conditioner ($20). Protein may strengthen your hair, but it might also be drying—apply a protein mask once a month to condition without breakage.

How to get rid of keratin in hair?

Wash your hair using a keratin-based shampoo. Squeeze a quarter-sized amount of keratin shampoo into your hand and massage it into your scalp and hair. Rinse the shampoo from your hair using lukewarm water. Give your hair an acid rinse after rinsing out the shampoo.

How to get rid of hair odor from shampoo?

Give your hair an acid rinse after rinsing out the shampoo. Pour ½ cup of apple cider vinegar into a disposable cup and pour it over your hair. Comb the apple cider vinegar through your hair using a wide-toothed comb. Leave the apple cider vinegar on your hair for five to 10 minutes. Remove the apple cider vinegar with a lukewarm water rinse.

What is the cuticle of hair?

DERMAdoctor explains that your hair’s cuticle is made of tiny keratin scales that overlap one another. Chemical processes such as coloring, bleaching, permanent waving and relaxing can damage the cuticle, separating the scales.

Can you wash your hair every day?

Over washing can strip your hair of natural oils necessary for healthy hair. If you wash your hair every day, try switching to every other day instead. Refrain from exposing your hair to any chemical processes while correcting your porous hair. Don’t skip the acid rinse.

Does apple cider vinegar help with cuticles?

The acidity in the apple cider vinegar will help re-strengthen the cuticle, by helping to reseal the separated keratin scales. Do not use hot water to rinse your hair. The heat will keep the cuticle open. Lukewarm water will help seal the cuticle. 00:00.

What is the best treatment for low porosity hair?

Some good choices for low porosity hair include: Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment, Citrus Lavender.

How to test hair porosity?

Just follow these steps: Shampoo and rinse your hair well to remove any product buildup. Clean hair will give you the most accurate results. Dry your hair as usual.

What is the term for how well your hair absorbs moisture and oils?

Hair porosity is a term that’s used to describe how well your hair is able to absorb and retain moisture and oils.

Why do cuticles overlap?

Because there are no spaces between the cuticles, it makes it harder for water, as well as products like oils and conditioners, to deliver moisture to the hair shaft.

What conditioner is good for curly hair?

DevaCurl One Condition Original. This creamy, daily use conditioner is well-suited for curly, low porosity hair.

How to open cuticles in hair?

Or, you can put a shower cap over your hair once you’ve applied the deep conditioner, then use a blow dryer on the warm setting for a few minutes to heat up your hair under the cap. This can help open the cuticles.

Why does it take so long to dry hair with low porosity?

Because water isn’t easily absorbed, you may find it can be difficult to get your hair really wet and for the water to fully penetrate your hair.

Why is my hair porous?

Chemical treatments like coloring and bleaching are the main causes of porous hair, but damage from harsh weather and fabrics can make the problem worse.

What to use to help hair near roots?

You don’t want the hair near your roots to have the same fate as your porous tips. 2. Aloe Vera Gel. A great way to improve the condition of your scalp is with a small amount of aloe vera gel, either in your conditioner or as a stand-alone product.

How to balance pH in hair?

Studies have shown that aloe vera is one of the best ways to balance the pH level on your scalp and help promote better circulation. 3. Olive Oil. Adding a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil can help seal the hair cuticle so that it can better resist moisture.

How to open up cuticles?

Use a heat treatment to help open up your cuticles. Look for heavier moisturizing products that specialize in penetrating fussy hair strands. Deep conditioning treatments can help open up your cuticles over time. Just remember to be patient when dealing with highly porous or under-porous hair.

How much water does hair absorb?

While healthy hair can absorb about 30% of its weight in water, high porosity hair can absorb up to 50%. While you certainly want to maintain some level of moisture, overly porous can cause a lot of problems. The weight of all that water can start to stretch and weaken your hair strands.

What is the difference between lush and vibrant hair?

A balanced level of porosity can be the difference between hair that looks lush and vibrant, and hair that looks heavy and unkempt. It all comes down to how your hair absorbs moisture. Unfortunately, we put our hair through a lot.

How to repair cuticle?

Here are three of the best methods and products to repair your hair cuticle and balance your moisture levels. 1. Deep Conditioning. Even if your hair is balanced, a protein-rich deep conditioning treatment should be a part of your regimen.

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