Anyone and everyone with highly porous hair

[rena]

Hey everyone! I need your wisdom yet again :)

So I believe that I have discovered my hair's main problem: high porosity.

I have all the symproms: hair absorbs water and moisture easily and quickly, and loses it just as fast, resulting in dry, unmovable, rough, tumbleweed-like hair for me after washing, even with CO washing :(
I am honestly not surprised since for about 7 years straight I neglected it, washed it with harsh shampoo, probably shrugged off conditiong more than enough times, and, while it was short of sopping wet, raked through it none too gently with a BBB every single time (all while recieving very little new growth in the mean time due to stress and other problems) Later I would resort to rough towel drying.

Sorry for the graphic details, but in my defense, I really didn't know any better. Mum did the same thing and I was just monkey see monkey destroy her own hair :rolleyes:

My query is for everyone suffering (and I mean suffering) from highly porous hair is:

1) How do you treat it? I know it can't be repaired, but is there anything that will help make the cuticles tighter so the hair doesn't dry out so badly?

2) I know porous hair is damged hair, but could it also be natural too? I really don't think so, but just in case...

Thanks!

[Honestwitness]

I believe my BSL hair is pretty porous, partly from heat damage, but also partly from the fact that it's superfine like spider silk and mostly white from age. I have just recently stopped using any heat, and even more recently, I've been using a little olive oil with my shampoo. My hair is definitely better, but it's still dry and flyaway, if there's not a humidifier going in my home or office at all times, at least in winter.

I wash first with shampoo only, concentrating mostly on my scalp, but I do use shampoo on my length every time, albeit very gently and only for a few moments before rinsing. Then for the second lathering, I use about a quarter teaspoon of shampoo (Suave Green Apple Shampoo is my favorite) and about an eighth to a fourth of a teaspoon of olive oil, poured into my palm and mixed by rubbing the palms together.

I'm happy enough with the olive oil/shampoo combination that I intend to continue experimenting with it. I perceive that using the combination of olive oil with about an equal amount or a bit more of shampoo does a better job of distributing the oil through my hair than if I apply it on damp hair after washing and towel drying. If it's too greasy-feeling after I rinse the oil/shampoo out, I just use some diluted conditioner to take down the greasiness a notch, without completely stripping it out again.

I also use Suave Coconut Conditioner, the cheap stuff, as a leave-in on my length, after towel drying. This gives it some more weight and keeps it more moist. I've tried stretching washes to every 3 or 4 days, but my hair gets too lank and lifeless. So, I seem to be happiest with washing every other day.

[kitten1986]

I think my hair is pretty porous too :( definitely not naturally though I am afraid it is due to years of straightening and permanent hair dye damage but I have recently moved to a new city where the weather is really different, so it has become alot more apparent recently :( I used to live in a tropical humid climate and now i live in a very dry climate I am sad to say that my skin is suffering too seems as though I cant get enough moisturiser onto myself

It gets waterlogged really quickly and dries out really quickly leaving me with horrible bushy dry hair

dont crucify me buy perhaps you could think about doing a really good deep condition
then seal it with something coney (if cones are ok with you and if you clarify regularly to get rid of the buildup) have you tried a lemon juice/vinegar/lime juice rinse yet?

This is what I am going to try to do to keep it managable until I can just chop off the damage, I could cut the damage off now and be done with it but that would mean going from APL to shoulder and it was SUCH a struggle to grow through that stage that I am not keen for that option, so babying it, it is!

[dernhelm]

My hair is very porous and the individual strands are very fine. Just like your hair, mine can never hold onto moisture. Even on the same day that I wash, at the end of the day it feels very dry and tangly.

I don't know why my hair is so crazy porous. I don't color or use heat. I suppose it could be from the extremely hard water I had to use for five years (no more hard water now, thankfully).

My hair loathed co-washing. It was terrible. You'd think with all the moisture it was getting it would have helped, but co-washing made my hair even drier and more tangly to the point that it was snapping off if i tried to touch it.

I'm still trying to find a routine that will lead me to healthy, long hair. I am not much help to you, just wanted to pop in to commiserate because I know what it's like.

What has been working for me so far are shampoo bars, acv rinses, coconut oil, leave-in conditioner, avg, and flax seed gel. I think my hair needs more protein than moisture. If I use to much moisture my hair gets weighed down and greasy looking (like when I OD on the coconut oil). Oh, and CASSIA is my new found love. I did my first treatment not too long ago. I can't believe I waited so long to try it. It is definitely a staple for my now.

Will be watching this thread...

[spidermom]

Try the movie star oil shampoo method.

[Delila]

How about Porosity Control shampoo (http://www.sallybeauty.com/porosity-control-shampoo/SBS-700814,default,pd.html?) and conditioner (http://www.sallybeauty.com/porosity-coditioner/SBS-700815,default,pd.html?)? Sally Beauty stores sell them both.

For years I did a monthly treatment with a heavy protein conditioner, which I would then follow with a heavy moisture treatment, the Porosity Control corrector/conditioner and then a bit of oil. (30 minutes under a heat cap for all but the oil.) I did it mostly as a preventive measure while I was growing out my hair, but also to kind of give myself to do that didn't involve scissors, LOL!

[Fairlight63]

I also have dry porous hair. It is really fine, thin, tangly & flyaway. I am still experimenting on what works for me.
So far what is helping is to load it down with olive oil & braid it over night then wash it the next day. It seems to keep it from being so dry & not feeling like cotton candy or something.
I wanted to try the oil shampoo method, but didn't understand how to do it. Thank you HonestWitness for telling your way of doing it, sounds easy that way. I will have to try it next time & see if it helps.

[wendy51]

1 word! chelating!
I used to have HIIGHHLLLY porous hair, they were in very bad shape. What restored them in 5 shampoo day is using a chelating shampoo: it removes calcium and sediment build up and all chlorine in your hair and restore moisture. You can also do an ACV rinse. Personnally i did chelating shampoo and my hair were soft normal and retained any oil! *-*

[hazelnut]

Alas, my hair is highly porous as well, but it's from years of flatiron abuse. I try to do deep conditioning treatments every week and oil my hair daily with coconut oil or jojoba oil. It helps.

[Annalouise]

1 word! chelating!
I used to have HIIGHHLLLY porous hair, they were in very bad shape. What restored them in 5 shampoo day is using a chelating shampoo: it removes calcium and sediment build up and all chlorine in your hair and restore moisture. You can also do an ACV rinse. Personnally i did chelating shampoo and my hair were soft normal and retained any oil! *-*

I second the above advice.:)
My experience is I get buildup really fast, and once you have that buildup what are you going to do? You have to clarify.

I just learned this recently and I swear its the holy grail of hair care. Clarify and do a moisture treatment or deep conditioning. (my hair hates protein though). And voila! Normal hair.:) (I am not sold on the acv yet though, the jury is still out on that one for me).

[Cailie]

For those who want to consider, I believe henna (maybe cassia too?) helps reduce porosity.
From experience anyways (please contradict me if needed, I might be wrong).

[MissCharizard]

I was just reading about this on an ethnic haircare site, and was looking at some articles about it.

Mostly it mentions what other people have already said, using stuff called "Porosity Control," chelating, and ACV rinses.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/367189/hair_porosity_help_for_dry_damaged.html?cat=69

[Gilly]

Can sombody explain or post a link so I can find out why chelating helps with porous hair???
I am confused!:confused:

[rena]

Thanks for all your input!

[Annalouise]

I was just reading about this on an ethnic haircare site, and was looking at some articles about it.

Mostly it mentions what other people have already said, using stuff called "Porosity Control," chelating, and ACV rinses.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/367189/hair_porosity_help_for_dry_damaged.html?cat=69

Thanks for that article:)
I have to agree with the point it made about detergents SLS and ALS being bad for porous hair. I've heard people with porous hair say that detergents are "evil" for them. I think this is because they damage the hair if used on a regular basis and gentle cleaner is all that is required for porous hair. So dilute your shampoo, and use a sulphate free shampoo or a soap.

Also, the purpose of an acv rinse is to smooth the cuticle.

The problem I have with acv rinses is that my hair feels soft in the shower wet, and then I put the acv rinse on my hair and my hair suddenly stiffens and feels hard. - I don't know why that is?

Maybe there is another way to smooth the cuticle besides acv.:)
EDIT: It just occured to me that I add an herbal tea to the acv rinse instead of water and is it possible its the herbs that make my hair stiff and not the acv?

[SpinDance]

I have porosity issues and have been learning that oiling helps and cones, for me, don't. Lately I have been getting good success with cone-free CO washes alternated now and again with oil shampooing. I do regular heavy, overnight oilings, mainly with coconut oil as well. The more and longer I use oils the less trouble I am having with porosity.

[jujube]

I also suffer (!) from porous hair. Clarify, ditch the cones and sulfates, moisturize a lot, and most porous-haired like the occasional protein treatment.

ETA: I'm also confused about chelating? Which shampoos can I use for this and why does it help with porous hair? I read the article in the link above and nothing was mentioned.

[Cailie]

About chelating, this might help understand (?)

http://en.mimi.hu/beauty/chelating.html

[Deborah]

Just a side note. Several fine-haired people mention having porous hair. My hair is extremely fine textured, but it is strong and not at all porous, so I don't think fine hair is a factor in porosity. Even back when I used shampoo, my hair was not porous, just a bit dry and much more prone to static.

[Gilly]

So it would be best to use a cheleting shampoo occasionally then use sls and cone free everything else all the time?????

[wendy51]

By the way! Chelating and Clarifying is different: If you clarify, you only remove product+oils build-up, whereas with a chelating shampoo, it's all calcium and mineral deposit that are neutralized. =]

For chelating shampoos, there is Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) brand Creamy Aloe Shampoo (that i use and works!), Joico Chelating shampoo ( i heard good reviews on it), Nexxus Aloe Rid,ect..

[Monkie]

I'm blonde and in my experience blondes have a naturally high porosity. There's not a lot that can be done about it besides taking great care of it. My ends tend to dry out very quickly.

[Alma Petra]

Looking for new ideas to overcome high porosity and dryness.. Does anybody else feel that water leaves their hair more dry than before?

[Alien Girl]

Looking for new ideas to overcome high porosity and dryness.. Does anybody else feel that water leaves their hair more dry than before?

I see you have dark hair... Would you consider trying henndigo? (henna+indigo) Or just henna alone?

My hair is overprocessed (bleached) and was severely porous. Mushy when wet, took forever to dry, crunchy when dry. Henna "filled" my hair and now my hair is in much better condition.

[CheshireGrin]

I believe I have porous hair naturally although I've never done a porosity test. I always thought thick and curly hair was more prone to being porous? I can use a lot of oils/creams/butters in my hair without it looking greasy because my hair just soaks it up. I could oil my hair pretty heavily before bed, braid it and when I wake up most of the oil will be gone except for at the roots. At the same time I do get product build-up pretty easily but that could be due to hard water. I've found ACV rinses to help with most my problems as some people have already mentioned. I didn't know you could do anything about porosity before except moisturizing as much as possible so I'm glad to have found this thread!