spinoff: high porosity hair

[hannan]

Describe your hair? (fine/med/thick strands? Dense? Not very dense? Relaxed, natural, texturized, texlaxed? etc and so on) Fine strands, thin-medium density, natural

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity? Gets wet easily, dries easily too. My hair could be 80-90% dry within an hour of getting out of the shower. My hair is always DRY, DRY, DRY!

what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair? This is what I've been trying to figure out and am still working on. I've tried many things but consistent protein seems to be working and protective styling. I've noticed a good creamy leave in/moisturize (not liquidy unless I'm refreshing) works well if my hair is left in a protective style (braids/twists).

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid? ACV rinses and adding aloe vera juice to my leave ins. I probably thought they were working at first because I badly wanted to but I don't notice a difference. Also, my hair is picky about protective styles. I've always been leaving braids/twists on the weekend after washday and then taking them down during the week to make a bun but my hair gets so dry when it's in a bun. I've tried taking the bun down and re-twisting/braiding every night but it's too much manipulation for my fine strands. I'd rather keep it in the twists/braids but they look so bumpy under my headscarf.

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey? It's made it hard. I have to admit that I've been slacking these past couple of months on my hair ans just slapping it up on a bun. The fact that it cannot retain what little moisture doesn't help but I'm hoping to get more advice from you ladies.

 

[Imani]

Cool! I was thinking about this for hi po when I saw faithva's lo po thread.

Describe your hair? I'm natural, 4b. I have medium-fine strands and I think medium density...although I've had some stylists claim I have high density. I think my hair is similar to kimmaytube's but much tighter.

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?

-My stylist always talks about how my hair is "like a sponge" and how much water it holds
-when my hair is wet it soaks up the water and stretches out and loosens up and immediately starts to feel heavy from soaking up all of the water; its very pliable and easy to handle in this state, which I guess is why I've never been one of those type 4 naturals who has to wash in twists or plaits. but as soon as I step out the shower, the clock starts ticking and it only takes like 60 seconds before it starts to dry and shrink on itself and become a tangled shrunken fro.
-due to the above, my hair is actually easier to manage when wet the longer it gets; which I always found to be odd since I always heard folks say their hair was harder to deal with the longer it got. Having more hair I guess just the weight of the water it soaks up makes it stretch out more and more. Of course, its very fragile in this state, so I'm super careful.
-even tho my hair is a kinky 4b, I've never had to use aggressive relaxers when I was relaxed to get it straight; it was usually the opposite, my hair would go bone straight and be flat and limp. And it also will get straight fairly easily with heat. I've always had stylists look at my texture and then remark how they are so surprised how easily the relaxer took or how "well it responds to heat"
-the down side to being able to straighten fairly easily means it gets damaged easily too. Its not that hard for me to get heat/chemical damage, which is why my hair never got past shoulder until I went natural and cut heat to very infrequent use.
-FRIZZ CITY. No matter what I do, my hair in its natural state always has some amt of frizz, I've just kinda started to accept it.



what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair?
-my hair soaks up a bunch of water but loses it very quickly if its loose, so I've learned to move fast on wash day and immediately twist and clamp a section once I'm done washing, applying conditioner or leave in, etc.
-Right now I like Oyin Dew as a leave in. It works about the same or maybe a little better than Kimmaytubes leave in as far as helping to detangle.
-Moisturizing products w/light protein
-Olive oil;Also, my hair seems to like almost all oils. I don't think it likes coconut oil tho
-Steaming; I think this is supposed to be best for lo porosity hair but my hair seems to respond well to it.
-color or clear rinses; I get them bc I like the way they look but I think they may also help smooth out/seal cuticle.

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid?
-baggying and overnight DCing is just AWFUL, its the worst. my hair would be a mushy weak mess. it would do that thing where it gets way too stretchy and then snap
-Roux Porosity Control, I remember trying this when I was relaxed and it never did anything for me, even tho I think its supposed to be for hi porosity hair
-most butters make my hair hard/dry, usually so does any really heavy product.
-co washing/lo poo/ no poo. I use real shampoo (sulfate free) on my hair that suds up every 1 to two weeks. My hair likes to be clean

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey?
I think it adds to my hair being more fragile and having to be more careful and anal at times. And can be frustrating with styling with the frizz.

I think it hurt me the most when I was relaxed. As a natural I don't think its that bad and I don't think I have too many serious issues bc of it.

 

[Imani]

Describe your hair? fine strands; Dense; natural 4a

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity? Cuticle feels open. Hair is not smooth to the touch or silky. extremely frizzy- see siggie. Takes a long time to dry. I have natural brown hair and even though I've colored my hair I can tell the non colored parts are lighted. I guess it's sun-bleached easily.

what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair? Oils help and I do ACV rinses when needed. Castor oil gives me waves- couldn't believe it, but it's really too heavy for my hair.

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid? I once went overboard with the ACV and had to use baking soda

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey? Idk. My hair just doesn't feel nice sometimes.

manter26 I had the exact same thing happen to me with castor oil, I sprayed a little water across the front, put some castor oil on it and tied it down. Ive tried many things to try to "slick" my hair down, all the gels people rave about--which my hair hates gels they either dry it out and/or don't do much of anything. It it definitely too heavy and sticky tho, kinda like how honey feels. I think I may have read somewhere castor oil is like a humectant. I still put a teeny tiny bit on my hair when I try to smooth it down simply bc its the only thing that's ever worked.

 

[Imani]

Bumping! I'm really interested to see how people are handling the issue of keeping moisturized on a day to day basis.

Im currently in the process of really scrutinizing every step of my regimen. My hair is retaining but I know it could be much healthier, particularly the ends. I always seem to have splits and frayed ends.

 

[youwillrise]

hey,

wondering...does the LOC moisturizing method work well for any of you high porosity folks?

loc = liquid oil cream

so you first use a liquid/water based leave-in (like a spray), then you add oil and then you add a cream on top of the oil rather than using oil as the last step in your moisturizing/sealing regimen.

i think i want to try it after i rinse my dc in a little while.

 

[B_Phlyy]

youwillrise

I've been trying the LOC for about a week now. Can't say one way or another how I feel about it. I'm going to try for a month before I give a final review.

 

[temfash]

Imani

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?

-My stylist always talks about how my hair is "like a sponge" and how much water it holds
-when my hair is wet it soaks up the water and stretches out and loosens up and immediately starts to feel heavy from soaking up all of the water; its very pliable and easy to handle in this state, which I guess is why I've never been one of those type 4 naturals who has to wash in twists or plaits. but as soon as I step out the shower, the clock starts ticking and it only takes like 60 seconds before it starts to dry and shrink on itself and become a tangled shrunken fro.
-due to the above, my hair is actually easier to manage when wet the longer it gets; which I always found to be odd since I always heard folks say their hair was harder to deal with the longer it got. Having more hair I guess just the weight of the water it soaks up makes it stretch out more and more. Of course, its very fragile in this state, so I'm super careful.
-even tho my hair is a kinky 4b, I've never had to use aggressive relaxers when I was relaxed to get it straight; it was usually the opposite, my hair would go bone straight and be flat and limp. And it also will get straight fairly easily with heat. I've always had stylists look at my texture and then remark how they are so surprised how easily the relaxer took or how "well it responds to heat"
-the down side to being able to straighten fairly easily means it gets damaged easily too. Its not that hard for me to get heat/chemical damage, which is why my hair never got past shoulder until I went natural and cut heat to very infrequent use.
-FRIZZ CITY. No matter what I do, my hair in its natural state always has some amt of frizz, I've just kinda started to accept it.

You've described the characteristics of my hair to a T, seems like I've found my hair twin

 

[temfash]

Bumping! I'm really interested to see how people are handling the issue of keeping moisturized on a day to day basis.

Im currently in the process of really scrutinizing every step of my regimen. My hair is retaining but I know it could be much healthier, particularly the ends. I always seem to have splits and frayed ends.

I always seem to have this problem too, I'm getting frustrated and the hard water situation makes matters 100 times worse.

 

[youwillrise]

hmmm...so i tried out the LOC moisture thing yesterday after my wash

actually, i did it slightly differently...

i sprayed my hair with the liquid, then i added oil and then i added the cream

then a little bit later, i did the layers again...but added castor oil on top to see if i liked it. it was feeling a bit roughish to me so i put cream on top and it felt better.

just now, i took my hair down to feel and it felt smooth & moisturized and had good sheen to it, too.

the double layering might seem like a lot to some people, but for me, it seems to have made a difference.

on the first application, i only used one oil (sunflower)... on the second application, i used two oils. i used white camellia as the first oil (after the liquid) and then castor oil after the cream (like i said, i still ended up putting more cream on top of the castor in the end)

at night, i baggied

so the method could be a go for me. i'll keep messing with it and see what happens and i'll keep reporting on the results i get.

i should add that after i washed (before the moisturizing) i sprayed my hair with water/acv mix and also my water/keratin mix. helped to give my hair boing/elasticity and stop breakage in it's tracks.

 

[Imani]

Imani



You've described the characteristics of my hair to a T, seems like I've found my hair twin

temfash I will definitely have to steal some tips then, I rarely find anyone with hair like mine.

I just got my hair professionally straightened a couple of weeks ago. So I used some aggressive sulfate shampoos to get out all of the cones when I washed a couple days ago. My hair seems to be responding better to moisture than it was before I straightened. I wonder if part of my issue is that I need to clarify more.

 

[temfash]

@temfash I will definitely have to steal some tips then, I rarely find anyone with hair like mine.

I just got my hair professionally straightened a couple of weeks ago. So I used some aggressive sulfate shampoos to get out all of the cones when I washed a couple days ago. My hair seems to be responding better to moisture than it was before I straightened. I wonder if part of my issue is that I need to clarify more.

I use the ORS creamy aloe shampoo regularly to chelate due to the hard water in London so you might be unto something there (this is the only sulphate shampoo I use) all the others are sulphate free. I also use kimmaytube's buffering technique where I apply a rinse out conditioner to my shampooed hair before rinsing out the shampoo and conditioner this seems to be helping and takes the squeeky/crunchy feeling out of my hair. Using a light protein regularly seems to be the order of the day for my hair Profective deep conditioner and mane and tail original are my favourites my hair is'nt adverse to light cone usage since I shampoo regularly.

 

[la mosca]

Imani

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?

-My stylist always talks about how my hair is "like a sponge" and how much water it holds
-when my hair is wet it soaks up the water and stretches out and loosens up and immediately starts to feel heavy from soaking up all of the water; its very pliable and easy to handle in this state, which I guess is why I've never been one of those type 4 naturals who has to wash in twists or plaits. but as soon as I step out the shower, the clock starts ticking and it only takes like 60 seconds before it starts to dry and shrink on itself and become a tangled shrunken fro.
-due to the above, my hair is actually easier to manage when wet the longer it gets; which I always found to be odd since I always heard folks say their hair was harder to deal with the longer it got. Having more hair I guess just the weight of the water it soaks up makes it stretch out more and more. Of course, its very fragile in this state, so I'm super careful.
-even tho my hair is a kinky 4b, I've never had to use aggressive relaxers when I was relaxed to get it straight; it was usually the opposite, my hair would go bone straight and be flat and limp. And it also will get straight fairly easily with heat. I've always had stylists look at my texture and then remark how they are so surprised how easily the relaxer took or how "well it responds to heat"
-the down side to being able to straighten fairly easily means it gets damaged easily too. Its not that hard for me to get heat/chemical damage, which is why my hair never got past shoulder until I went natural and cut heat to very infrequent use.
-FRIZZ CITY. No matter what I do, my hair in its natural state always has some amt of frizz, I've just kinda started to accept it.

You've described the characteristics of my hair to a T, seems like I've found my hair twin

I'm relaxed, but this is pretty much my hair in its natural state. The only differences are that I have a little bit of 4a in the mix (but mostly it's kinky 4b), and I've never had much of a frizz problem.

Totally OT, but it's funny that you mention the water in London. When I visited last week, I couldn't get over how soft and smooth my hair felt after I washed it. Our water in western Kazakhstan is super duper hard. I was luxuriating in that London water. I guess it's all relative.

 

[grownwomanaz]

I tried Dr Bronners Castile soap on my hair recently and it really laid my cuticles down and cut down on the frizz. My siggy is post castile soap. I would recommend dcing after using if you decide to give it a try. I've used it twice so far.

 

[Katherina]

wrong thread

 

[Arian]

Subscribing because I know my triple processed (bleached, permanent color twice) hair is extremely porous.

I plan to incorporate some of the suggestions here + incorporate ACV rinses, regular protein/reconstructor use, and plenty of moisture.

Thank ladies!

 

[Arian]

One thing that I have stopped doing unless necessary-rewetting/spritzing my hair with water, then adding cream and then sealing (for twists for a twistout). That lead to a little drier hair. Now I just add cream, seal with castor oil and twist.

I find the bolded interesting because I do this all the time. I wet my hair and then use the Qhemet AOHC afterwards. Maybe I shouldn't focus so much on re-wetting my hair. I had subscribed to that whole "water is moisture" theory, but maybe there is something to this.

Thank you! allmundjoi

 

[BBritdenise]

I think I'm high porosity. My hair is thin and fine. It becomes wet very easily and dries quicky. I can deep condition for hours and have dry brittle hair the next day. I usually condition daily because of this. I've learned recently that m hair needs a lot of protein. My curl pattern loosens considerably when my hair is wet also. I have about 3b hair but it looks 2something when it's wet.

 

[Ogoma]

I think I'm high porosity. My hair is thin and fine. It becomes wet very easily and dries quicky. I can deep condition for hours and have dry brittle hair the next day. I usually condition daily because of this. I've learned recently that m hair needs a lot of protein. My curl pattern loosens considerably when my hair is wet also. I have about 3b hair but it looks 2something when it's wet.

BBritdenise

Here is an article you might find interesting:http://blackgirllonghair.com/2011/12/signs-that-youre-over-moisturizing/

This excerpt might explain your issue:

2.) No moisture retention, chronic dryness

One other sign of overconditioning is that your hair is not retaining moisture, and feels porous. As stated above, overconditioning leads to porosity issues- though, in a less invasive way compared to chemical treatments like chemical relaxing or coloring.

 

[NaturalfienD]

Just a bit of a survey and hopefully we can get some helpful tips going just like the low porosity thread.

Describe your hair? (fine/med/thick strands? Dense? Not very dense? Relaxed, natural, texturized, texlaxed? etc and so on)
what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?
what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair?
what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid?
how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey?

Great spinoff OP!

My hair is in its natural state, type 4 hair, fine strands, and I think it is dense. I realized I had high porosity hair when I didn't have an explanation for how quickly my hair would be dry (looking and feeling) after conditioning and sealing. My hair would break off with the slightest touch and just look ... wack. I was lucky to find an article about porosity and the light turned on for me. I went to my BSS and purchased Roux Porosity Control and Corrector (233, I think); I noticed a difference after one use. Over time, my hair would retain moisture, not appear/be dry looking/feeling the next day, and healthier overall.

When I began using Roux (shampoo and conditioner) I would use it weekly. Now that I have the situation under control, I use the shampoo diluted once per month and the conditioner, undiluted after shampooing. The products I am using now seem to be working great and my routine helps a great deal too. I am in the midst of finding specifically what works for my hair at this stage and I am hoping that I can be a part of the KISS crew one day. Having high/overly porous hair is not a major issue for me now that I know how to manage it. Had I not used the porosity control/corrector, I would not have been able to retain length and I would have severe PJism trying to find the magic product to give my hair some ackrite.

 

[TheNDofUO]

My hiar is weird. I'm naturally low porosity but relaxing damages my hair to high porosity. So during stretches i have high porosity hair and low porosity hair. I mostly follow high porosity regimens unless its to do with actual relaxing because my hair will fight a relaxer.

 

[Arian]

I won't be doing ACV rinses to correct the porosity anymore. Ick! Hair was hard. Seems a little better now that I'm twisting with Qhemet. *sigh* It is all so frustrating!

I'm not sure how I feel about the Proclaim Argan Oil masque to DC. Hair felt ok enough. I think it would be better with heat. Will try that next time. I have to get a haircut..of that, I'm sure. Cannot decide if I am going to do it next weekend as planned or 3 weeks from now.

Instead of ACV rinses, I may just use cellophanes to help seal my cuticle.

Sent from my 4G Thunderbolt using LHCF app

 

[Leslie_C]

Describe your hair? fine strands, medium density transitioning type 4 hair

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity? Excessively dry, wont hold moisture, sucks all the moisture from the air and frizzes/reverts and if I have any kind of style it just poofs and any curls that were there droop and fall out (same in various states: relaxed, texlaxed, transitioning). Soaks up water like a sponge, but starts to dry immediately. If I put a t shirt on it for just a few seconds it is practically dry when I take it off lol. My hair can air dry if left out within a couple of hours easy. When I was texlaxed I could do wash and gos and my hair would be dry by the time I got to my destination as long as I was outside for a few minutes lol.

what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair? ACV rinses, consistent deep conditioning, cones in moderation, specific product changes lately have shown major improvement with moisture retention: AG Fast Food leave in, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing smoothie, Shea butter, nd coconut oil. Two strand twists REALLY keep the moisture trapped in. Cowashing. Sulfate free poo. Working in sections to ensure product distribution. Light proteins frequently.

Still experiementing, but I have a hypothesis that my hair holds moisture better with low heat than air drying. I prefer not to use heat,but I swear when I do my hair seems to behave much better. I know for a fact that it retains moisture better when it dries stretched, especially with curlformers.

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid? A lot of people have good results with s-curl, hawaiian silky, etc for moisture...made my hair a dry hard mess. So I avoid glycerin heavy products. My hair also doesnt seem to respond well to Aloe Vera gel or juice.

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey? It is super fragile and will break off badly in the blink of an eye. I have been through several major setbacks because of it. I cant neglect my hair even for a week without suffering some consequences.
__________________

 

[AtlantaJJ]

.....

 

[DominicanBrazilian82]

Describe your hair? (fine/med/thick strands? Dense? Not very dense? Relaxed, natural, texturized, texlaxed? etc and so on)

- I have fine, relaxed hair (not too sure about my hair's density, but I will look into that soon enough).

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?

- My hair ABSORBS moisture, whether applied or in the air (humidity), but is dry to the touch. When wet it expands and elongates and dries extremely quickly. I can moisturize my hair with a super moisturizing product and within a few minutes it doesn't even seem as though it was done. I also did the strand test where I ran my hands along a strand of hair and it was like such a bumpy road!

what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair?

- Since I just realized my hair's porosity level and am just doing some research on what products/methods will work best, I don't have much of an answer for this question. However, I will say that my more recent use of heavier butters and moisturizers has really made a difference.

- Protein is also a friend to my hair. I Aphogee 2 Min weekly and although I do 2-Step, I only do it every 19 weeks. I am seriously considering adding it to my regimen every 10 weeks.

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid?

- So far I know that doing my final rinse with warm water might not be the best option.

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey?

- Dry, brittle hair (unless I rollerset - which happens to be weekly) has limited my retention. While I am growing longer, my rate of growth will be greater once I learn to control and maintain my porosity.

 

[EnExitStageLeft]

Describe your hair? (fine/med/thick strands? Dense? Not very dense? Relaxed, natural, texturized, texlaxed? etc and so on)

I am texlaxed "transitioning" to Texturized, Fine strands w/ High Density

what are your hair's indicators of high porosity?

Like DominicanBrazilian82 I did the strand test. My cuticles were wide open. I also did the Strand in Water test and it sunk faster then the Titanic. My hair also wouldn't hold moisture to save it's life.


what methods/products have you tried that really work for your hair?

Cool water rinses, Heavy sealing my ends, Always sealing with a "coating" oil vs. a penetrating one, ACV rinses (recent discovery...I'm in ), cutting out the cones (for me they only add to the dryness), Cowashing, Upping the protein, DC'ing with steam, Using more water based emollient rich moisturizers and using quality products.

what have you tried that did NOT work for your hair/what do you avoid?

Clear rinses. They were a temporary fix and the results off to quickly, no lasting results.

how has having high porosity hair affected your hair care & growth journey?

I was having Setback, after setback, after setback, after setback! Learning my density, porosity, and strand size has definitely put my journey in full perspective. I now can weed out the techniques that my hair would enjoy and those that it wouldn't.

 

[NefertariBlu]

for more responses.

 

[DominicanBrazilian82]

Roux PC Condish is great before a DC, but makes my hair crunchy as a final rinse. ACV rinse-outs work better for my hair as my final step.

 

[NefertariBlu]

Just bought some braggs acv today. I bought a small one try and see if l like it. Its very concentrated. Nothing like the normal one. So l think l will only use a small amount the first time l use it.

 

[Duchess007]

Great thread... high porosity ladies, are you out there? Will post my deets soon.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[tashboog]

youwillrise, virtuenow, grownwomanaz, manter26, @B Phlyy, allmundjoi, Imani, hannan, temfash, Arian, NaturalfienD any updates ladies ? Have you ladies found a good moisturizing method to keep the moisture in your strands? Are any of you ladies still using the LOC method? If so what products are you currently using for the LOC method? Did any of you ladies fix your porosity so that its now normal porosity? We need to keep this thread going cuz I'm still struggling with my highly porous hair, and I hope I'm not the only one out there still struggling .