Understanding your hair type is fundamental to knowing how to look after your hair correctly. You have to know your hair, in order to recognise exactly what it needs to thrive. And if your have high porosity hair, then you know you will need to give your hair a lot of TLC.
Hair is generally classified as thick, fine, wavy or curly. And while those classifications are fine for the general look and feel of the hair, it doesn’t tell us exactly how to care for our hair. A better way to define hair is by its porosity i.e. how the hair responds to water, or how porous it is.
Let’s take it a step back by understanding what the hair shaft looks like.
Understanding the hair shaft
Hair is made up of 95% keratin. Keratin is a fibrous protein, insoluble in water, that forms part of the skin, body hair and nails. Your body uses several amino acids to build keratin — some of which can be found in collagen. When you consume collagen, your body breaks them down into amino acids.
Now, let’s look at the next part, the hair cuticle. The hair cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair. Under a microscope, the hair cuticles are layered like roof shingles or pinecone petals. It is how these shingles are arranged, which defines our hair porosity.
For example, when the shingles are tightly arranged over one another, they are able to shield the inner hair cortex from moisture. We define this hair as being low porosity hair. Low porosity hair is typically untreated, virgin hair that is well protected, undamaged and well hydrated.
On the opposite end, when the shingles are lifted up, moisture can penetrate the cortex, therefore we define this a high porosity hair. While moisture is able to penetrate the hair, moisture also leaves the hair very quickly. Because the cuticles are lifted, the cortex is exposed to damage, which leads to fragile hair that breaks easily.
And as we mature, and our hair turns grey, it becomes even more trickier as grey hair naturally has high porosity.
What is high porosity hair?
Think about what happens when you wet your hair. If your hair is like a sponge and soaks up water fairly easily, but also dries very quickly and feels dry and looks frizzy, it is likely that you have high porosity hair.
Characteristics of high porosity hair:
- highly damaged hair from chemical processes
- tends to suck up moisture like a sponge
- fragile and susceptible to damage and breakage.
Unfortunately, high porosity damaged hair cannot be repaired. You have to now protect the hair as best you can, or wait until your next cut to trim the damaged hair.
So, how can we do this?
How to care for high porosity hair?
Adhering to the principle that high porosity hair requires extra care to protect the fragile strand, we can do a number of things to help the hair.
1) Apple Cider Vinegar rinse
Add an apple cider vinegar rinse every other wash, or 2-3 washes to cleanse your hair, help seal the cuticle and prevent further moisture loss.
dpHUE
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR HAIR RINSE
8.05oz / 250ml
$37 (USD)
Protect your colour and keep your scalp and hair healthy with this unique cleansing alternative. Formulated with ACV and argan oil to help nourish you hair.
Great to use every 2nd or 3rd wash when you want to skip the shampoo and opt for a gentler cleanse. It won’t strip your hair or retain your colour.
R+Co
ACID WASH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CLEANSING RINSE
6oz / 177ml
$32 / £28
Remove impurities form the hair and scalp without stripping it of natural oils or colour.
Formulated with apple fruit extract, it works to naturally exfoliate, soothe and moisturise the scalp while adding strength to the strands. Infused with aloe vera leaf juice and tamanu seed oil, it helps seal in moisture and deliver nourishing fatty acids.
OUAI
10oz / 300ml
$30 / £24
This clarifying shampoo deeply cleanses away dirt, oil, and product buildup with detoxifying apple cider vinegar and hair-strengthening keratin.
2) Deep Conditioning Treatment
Do a deep conditioning treatment regularly, preferably once a week. Make it a ritual, on your quietest day of the week. Slather on the deep conditioning treatment or mask and let it sit for 30mins, 1hr or even sleep in it, to really soften your hair.
rahua
4oz / 120ml
$44 / £32
Rahua’s hair mask penetrates deep into each strand to heal, moisturise and strengthen. The secret? Restorative ungurahua oil rich in Omega-9 and nourishing Sunflower Seed Oil that leaves you with soft and shiny locks.
It’s your once-a-week saviour for dry and over-worked tresses.
Briogeo
DON’T DESPAIR, REPAIR!
5oz / 148ml
$44 / £38
This silicone free formula with 98% naturally derived ingredients, helps to protect hair against future damage with a strengthening rice protein complex. In addition it contains a hydrating rosehip oil and antioxidant-rich algae extract.
We loved this because in only 1 treatment, we really felt that this made our hair feels softer on the outside and healthier on the inside.
3) Hair Oils
High porosity hair is very fragile and needs extra care to prevent breakage. This hair will benefit tremendously from regular hair masks, and hair oils.
High porosity hair loves hair oils because oils make the hair nice and shiny. With the added benefit of enriching the hair with much needed extra moisture. Use a lightweight oil after every wash to fight off frizz and nourish your hair.
VIRTUE
7oz / 50ml
$44 / £42
This lightweight oil contains a blend of active oils and vitamins to nourish locks from root to tip. Great for fine hair as it’s not too heavy.
Don’t be put off by the size, a little goes a long way. It makes hair silky and soft and looks shiny and vibrant; and the smell is exquisite!
Living Proof
7oz / 50ml
$30 / £33
We love this for its silicone free formula. It’s a lightweight and fast-absorbing oil that provides frizz protection and hydration for smooth, shiny, healthy-feeling hair.
Smooths hair to tame frizz, flyaways and static.
