Porous hair?

[dancingpoet]

A friend of mine who does hair told me that my hair is porous. For instance, it tends to eat water and hair dye. So, my question is, are there benefits to my hair being porous? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? And for those who do have porous hair, what products/treatments tend to work for you? I'm guessing that if my hair can soak in water and hair dye so well (and not want to let it go, either) it should be able to soak in something that can benefit it.

[spidermom]

My hair is porous, too. What I don't like about it is if I get it wet too often, it dries out like crazy. Plus it splits like I can't believe. I was doing almost nothing to style or damage it, and I could always find thousands of splits before I had it cut shorter recently. Boo!

[ErinLeigh]

I am trying to find a way to work with my overly porous hair as well.
I just bough Roux Porosity Control Rinse out conditioner and leave in conditioner to see if it helps.
Also ordered Salerm Energy hair regenerator. i will let you know if any of these things help.

In the meantime I have been doing coconut, avocado and hemp oilings hoping my porous hair soaks it up.
I have added more protein to my regimine as well and upped my SMTs

My hair is so dry right now and tangles like crazy. I am so hoping something works. i am going to take Spidermoms post to heart and not get hair as wet right now to give it a break. I am not washing for next 3 days hoping that will give hair some rest.
I will be watching this thread for any further ideas.

[diddiedaisy]

I've got porous hair, maybe as it's dyed. I've also recently bought some roux porosity control as well. I've only used it once though up to now. I'm not too sure I liked how it make my hair feel. I'm running out of my other conditioners so I'll start using it regularly over the next week.

I've found that my hair likes olive oil as an over night soak, but it's not so keen on coconut oil. I'm still on trial and error with my hair so it will be interesting to see other peoples ideas.

[ErinLeigh]

I've got porous hair, maybe as it's dyed. I've also recently bought some roux porosity control as well. I've only used it once though up to now. I'm not too sure I liked how it make my hair feel. I'm running out of my other conditioners so I'll start using it regularly over the next week.

I've found that my hair likes olive oil as an over night soak, but it's not so keen on coconut oil. I'm still on trial and error with my hair so it will be interesting to see other peoples ideas.

Did it make you hair feel coated or slimy or sticky? i cannot figure out what the texture is from the conditioner that is driving me crazy.
I am trying to use it once a week regardless to see if it helps but so far i cannot figure out what is is about it that makes me not happy.
I just pulled out some coney conditioner and plan on trying cones again for my next wash. Will be first time using them since joining here.
I feel like I need something to fill in hair.

Oh, i just put some demi dye on my hair last night along with a gloss and it felt wonderful! Then I washed and ugh, back to the same and a ton of dye came out. I hate having porous hair. What can be done to correct it?

[AmyBeth]

When I used chemical dyes and heated appliances on my hair, it was very porous. The benefits of porosity, for me, were that my hair was much lighter and airier (fluffy, I guess). It didn't get as oily, and it took curls very easily. I could put in bun waves, braid waves or heated rollers or curling iron and my hair would easily respond to those methods. Since I quit doing such destructive things to my hair, and maybe even more importantly, started using henna/indigo for color, my hair is not very porous at all. It gets oilier faster, doesn't take curls very readily. It feels thicker and heavier, not fluffy and airy anymore. I hardly ever get split ends. My hair takes all day to dry, when it used to take 45 minutes to air dry. Porous hair is much more vulnerable to damage, in my case. So while I miss some aspects of porosity, I don't mind the trade-offs.

[ositarosita]

Roux porosity control .. highly recommended

[Firefox7275]

Overly porous is not a good thing, it leaves the hair vulnerable to hygral fatigue (water damage). Coconut oil is proven to reduce porosity and reduce structural protein loss when washing.

Consider why your hair is overly porous, is that genetic (are the roots the same as the ends?) or is there damage?

[Firefox7275]

I feel like I need something to fill in hair.

Oh, i just put some demi dye on my hair last night along with a gloss and it felt wonderful! Then I washed and ugh, back to the same and a ton of dye came out. I hate having porous hair. What can be done to correct it?

Excessive porosity related to damage is a combination of a cortex which is 'holey' like a sponge, an absent water resistant f-layer (18-MEA), and damaged cuticle (proteins and lipids including ceramides). If damage is severe the cuticle is permanently raised or absent. There is no one ingredient or technique that can patch up all that. Silicones are largely cosmetic not treatment ingredients.

Coconut oil treatments, change washing method (cool water, co-washing, leave in conditioner only to reduce water exposure), stop damaging hair with dying (permanent or demi) and blow frying (heat and mechanical damage from brushing), cut out hair that is beyond salvaging (eg won't hold dye, split, white dots, altered wave pattern, gummy OR velcro). Hair that is damaged by one thing is proven more vulnerable to damage from another which is why it's wise to pick just one.

Hair is dead so does not heal as living skin does, once we damage it to the point of overly porous there is only a limited amount we can do to 'correct' that. Whilst we continue to actively damage our hair most products will have a minimal effect. As you know I still dye roots only so my hair is overly porous, but not a patch on when I 'refreshed' the lengths and brushed wet hair (mechanical damage). As it is my hair needs a ton of leave in conditioner and proven treatment ingredients and really more babying than I have patience for!

[bunzfan]

I have porous hair but since I quit shampoo and do coconut oil soak's it's greatly improved takes a lot less time to dry now.. Used to take hours and hours so things can be done to improve it.

[diddiedaisy]

Did it make you hair feel coated or slimy or sticky? i cannot figure out what the texture is from the conditioner that is driving me crazy.
I am trying to use it once a week regardless to see if it helps but so far i cannot figure out what is is about it that makes me not happy.
I just pulled out some coney conditioner and plan on trying cones again for my next wash. Will be first time using them since joining here.
I feel like I need something to fill in hair.

Oh, i just put some demi dye on my hair last night along with a gloss and it felt wonderful! Then I washed and ugh, back to the same and a ton of dye came out. I hate having porous hair. What can be done to correct it?

No it didn't feel sticky or anything but my hair just didn't feel conditioned. I know what you mean about the wide texture though. I also thought the conditioner looked and felt like shampoo. It didn't seem to do anything for my hair but I've only used it once. I've got maybe 2 days of Aussie left then I'll start using it everyday. Hopefully it does something for me cause it wasn't cheap!!! I'll let you know

[diddiedaisy]

No it didn't feel sticky or anything but my hair just didn't feel conditioned. I know what you mean about the wide texture though. I also thought the conditioner looked and felt like shampoo. It didn't seem to do anything for my hair but I've only used it once. I've got maybe 2 days of Aussie left then I'll start using it everyday. Hopefully it does something for me cause it wasn't cheap!!! I'll let you know

ErinLeigh I have used Roux this morning and I have figured out why I think it feels weird. It's cone free and I usually use cones so it didn't feel right in my hand and doesn't smooth on as well as cone conditioner. My hair does feel smooth and soft this time round, last time I tried it was about 3 weeks ago and it left my hair feeling unconditioned and a bit tangly. hence being put to one side while I used my Tresseme and Aussie. Maybe my hairs in better condition this time round. My ends however still look frizzy and see through, so it doesn't seem to have done anything for the look of my hair. What did I do before argon oil?

I think my hair has different porosity levels. I think the top half is pretty normal but the bottom is high porosity. I did a float test on untreated and treated (roux) hair and they both floated. I also did the finger test and my shaft feels smooth. But I know the ends are definitely porous because they dry so quickly.

Dye wise, my hair holds onto it but it does lighten very quickly. I dyed about 2 weeks ago and it was a darker blond than I normally wear and I wasn't that keen, but a week later my hair was back to the lighter colour. Is this because I haven't held on to it because of porosity, and the old dye is showing?

[Firefox7275]

The DIY porosity tests are junk science. Consider how hair behaves and any damage. Instant gratification generally comes from silicones, don't confuse aesthetics with health.

Hydrolysed protein treatments for damaged hair are about strengthening and patch repairing hair (inside and out) over the long term. Hardcore treatments can seem drying so may need to be followed with an intensive conditioner. Protein is more for evening out porosity and dye uptake ahead of colouring, coconut oil is for significantly reducing porosity tho again its not a one time thing.

[spidermom]

My hair is naturally porous, not the result of anything I've done to it. Several stylists over the years have pointed this out to me.

[ErinLeigh]

Mine is too. My coloring doesn't help but it would be porous anyway so I may as well enjoy my color changes.
My hair is a total pain to work with but I have come to terms with it although I will always be on the hunt for products to help. Now if I could just grow out these layers I would be a happy camper...

I am really right now trying to determine if cones or oils are better for porous hair. It am trying to figure out ways to incorporate both as I think that may be my solution. Just keep coating those strands so the water intake is less.

Oh, diddiedaisy, I am glad you tried it again. It motivates me to stick it out. I have a big bottle of conditioner and leave in and I just cant keep collecting products. I need to use them :)

[sarahthegemini]

Mine is too. My coloring doesn't help but it would be porous anyway so I may as well enjoy my color changes.
My hair is a total pain to work with but I have come to terms with it although I will always be on the hunt for products to help. Now if I could just grow out these layers I would be a happy camper...

I am really right now trying to determine if cones or oils are better for porous hair. It am trying to figure out ways to incorporate both as I think that may be my solution. Just keep coating those strands so the water intake is less.

Oh, diddiedaisy, I am glad you tried it again. It motivates me to stick it out. I have a big bottle of conditioner and leave in and I just cant keep collecting products. I need to use them :)

Haha Erin I love how you joined the 'Use up your stash' thread but since then have purchased so much more :p

[ErinLeigh]

Sarah that lasted all if a hot minute. I have a product addiction. I blame my hair. If it would just cooperate I wouldn't keep looking for the magic in a bottle :)

[sarahthegemini]

Sarah that lasted all if a hot minute. I have a product addiction. I blame my hair. If it would just cooperate I wouldn't keep looking for the magic in a bottle :)

You have a good excuse, keep looking :p Now if only I could come up with an excuse for my shoe addiction ...

[dancingpoet]

Ahh, shoe addiction... I don't believe there is a cure for that (and if there is, I don't think I want it).

My hair is naturally porous as well. I have dyed it, but when it was pointed out that it is porous, it was the virgin hair that was being observed. I found so far that my hair loves jojoba oil (I use it after shampoo, let it soak in for a while, rinse it out, and then condition, or just using it and letting it soak after S&C, and then rinsing). I'm thinking about trying coconut oil. I just don't want anything that would weigh my hair down, because it is pretty fine, or anything that would make it greasier or make it look greasier any faster, as grease tends to show in my hair usually after a day and a half. I know that deeper more moisturizing conditioners work better for me. I don't usually have very adverse reactions to shampoos or conditioners (except for this one Herbal Essences kind. I can't remember what it was called or what it was supposedly for, but it had a pinkish/purplish bottle and smelled really floral to the point of making me feel sick, and my hair felt weirdly sticky and kept tangling like crazy), but my hair feels best with a good deep conditioner.