I decided to wear my hair the way it grows… (Porosity Maintenance)

Now, I know my hair's porosity and density levels. How am I supposed to care for it?

Although it is important to know your hair type, the journey is really centered on the actual health conditions of your hair. If your hair isn’t healthy it really doesn’t matter what hair type you have.  The journey to wearing your hair the way it grows is not an easy one. Knowing the porosity of your hair can make the journey that much easier for you.

I did the hair porosity test; how do I care for my porosity type?

Low porosity: This hair repels moisture when you try to wet it and hard to penetrate through.

Tip: This hair is prone to build-up from protein-rich deep conditioning products, which can leave it feeling stiff and straw-like. Stick to protein-free, daily conditioners with humectants such as glycerin or honey. Use moderate heat with protein-free deep conditioning treatments to help open up the tightly bound cuticle. This hair requires moisturizers rich in emollients such as Shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil and mineral oil. It also benefits from humectant products, which attract and hold moisture to your hair. Choose lighter, liquid-based products such as hair milks that won't sit on your hair and leave it oily or greasy.

a)      Use heat to open the cuticles to let the moisture in (hot water, heated deep conditioners, etc.). If you aren’t opposed to the hair dryer, you can use it to heat your conditioner while it is on your hair. Or wrap a hot towel around your head (heat the towel in your clothes dryer).

b)      Use lighter products. 

c)      Reducing build up is key. Build up on low porosity hair makes it more difficult for the moisture to make its way to your hair. Washing with clay and apple cider vinegar is a good way to remove build up on low porosity hair.

High Porosity: This hair has gaps and holes in the cuticle, which let in too much moisture and leaves it prone to frizz and tangling in humid weather. Even simple acts such as bathing, swimming and shampooing can create more damage and breakage due to the sheer amount of moisture highly porous hair can absorb.

Tip: This hair type benefits from the use of anti-humectants in climates with high heat and humidity. This will help seal your damaged cuticles and prevent them from absorbing excess moisture in the air. Because highly porous hair can also lose moisture easily, it's important to use leave-in conditioners, moisturizers and sealers. Layering these products will help your hair hold on to the moisture you're giving it. You can even follow up with a heavy hair butter to help fill the gaps in your damaged cuticles and further protect your hair from losing too much moisture.

a)      Egg washes are great for high porosity hair. The protein in the egg restores and strengthens the cuticles. But don’t do it too often. Too much protein will cause your hair to become stiff and break.

b)      Heavy products and cream work well for high porosity hair

c)      This hair responds well to deep conditioning products, as this helps restore and heal the damaged cuticles

Normal Porosity: The cuticle layer of this hair is looser, allowing just the right amount of moisture to enter while preventing too much from escaping. Hair with normal porosity tends to hold styles well, and can take a perm and coloring with predictable results. Over time, however, these processes can damage your hair and increase its porosity and would defeat the purpose of this journey.

a)      Occasional deep conditioning treatments with protein conditioners can benefit this hair, but proteins should not be included in your daily regimen.

The daily care of your hair plays a big part in your hair porosity and density. Combing, towel drying, and shampooing can be done in a very rough manner that will damage your hair, creating breakage and cuticle damage. This will also leave your hair looking limp and lifeless. As you are learning about your hair porosity type and some methods for managing your daily hair care as well as the best hair products you use will greatly make a difference.

It’s important to keep in mind that everyone’s hair porosity and density is different, even within curl patterns, so you must treat your curls on an individual basis.

I’d love to hear from you, how are you doing with your hair journey? What have been some of your experiences?