On its own high porosity hair can be a challenge. But during the summer? With all that heat and humidity? It can be a downright disaster to maintain because let’s face it: high porosity hair loves humidity and we do not.
Even so, if you can get ahead of the curve by making sure your hair is healthy and hydrated, you just might be able to keep it from crying out for moisture all day long.
High Porosity Hair is Especially Prone to Humidity
Your hair porosity is determined by the state of the cuticles along your hair follicles, and therefore how “porous” your hair is. In simplest terms, it controls how well your hair can absorb and retain moisture. High porosity hair is characterized by raised cuticles that allow it to both easily absorb and quickly lose moisture.
Which makes the heat and humidity of summer especially troublesome.
High porosity hair absorbs moisture from the air throughout the day, and when that happens your hair follicles will naturally swell and increase in size. In the best case, this results in an increase in volume. But more often than not your hair doesn’t absorb water evenly, often resulting in an increase in frizz. Throw in a high level of heat and humidity and you might just have a recipe for disaster. If you’re not proactive in your hair care and styling, that is.
Cut Down On Heat Styling
Hair that is more porous is already at a disadvantage when it comes to heat styling because raised cuticles are more fragile than layered ones. By applying heat to high porosity hair, you can actually end up damaging the cuticle so much that you make it more porous than it was before. We recommend avoiding heat styling at all costs if you have high porosity hair – but if you need to use it, make sure your styler is set to low or cool.
The L.O.C. Method Is Perfect For High Porosity Hair
As we mentioned above, high porosity hair is
especially prone to losing moisture throughout the day – and when your hair doesn’t have enough moisture locked in, it goes looking for it in the air around you. So what better way to make sure your moisture is locked in than with
the L.O.C. method: leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream?
This technique not only consists of using moisture rich products, but specifically involves using oils midway through to help seal in that moisture. A staple in any curly hair routine,
the types of products you use (especially oils”> can vary based on your hair porosity.
Step 1: Leave-In Conditioners To Hydrate
Choosing the right leave-in is imperative because this is the step in which you’re infusing your hair with moisture, so it only makes sense to use the most hydrating products possible. Which is why we’ve compiled some of our favorite tried and true moisture rich leave-ins including:
Not only does coconut help reduce moisture loss in high porosity hair, but it’s also incredibly hydrating, making it the perfect addition to your hair care routine.
This creamy natural leave-in uses botanical extracts to smooth and moisturize your hair without weighing it down.
Although it’s infused with lighter oils like avocado oil and jojoba oil, this moisturizing hair milk is formulated with
humectants to make sure your hair retains the moisture it needs.
Step 2: Use Heavier Oils To Seal In Moisture
The oil you use is largely dependent upon your porosity. Higher porosity hair can benefit greatly from thicker, heavier oils whereas lower porosity hair should stick to lighter oils that won’t weigh your hair down, such as argan oil and avocado oil. For high porosity hair we recommend using products with thicker oils like castor oil, olive oil, and coconut oil or simply adding the oil to an applicator bottle and applying it directly to your hair.
Step 3: Creams Define and Moisturize
Although you might think hair gels are the way to go when you want to seal in moisture, using a cream allows you to
add even more moisture to your hair while also giving you defined, shining curls. Basically it’s one of the best things you can do for your high porosity curls in the summer.
Made with aloe vera, coconut oil, and shea butter, this defining cream both conditions and enhances your curls, leaving them soft and hydrated.
This concentrated cream includes not one but
ten exotic oils to help soften and moisturize your curls.
Designed especially for dry hair, this sealant combines coconut creme, shea butter, avocado oil, honey,
and monoi and rosemary extracts to protect and revive dry, lackluster curls.
