High porosity hair, why moisture leaks (and how to make it stay longer)
I have always been curious about my hair.
It would expand as the day went on. Get frizzier. The curl pattern I had fresh out of the shower would slowly loosen and change by mid-afternoon i always needed wet my hair everyday to get back som curl activation. And I wanted to understand why.
That question led me to porosity. And once I understood it, everything clicked. My hair was not doing something wrong. It was doing exactly what high porosity hair does. I wasn’t giving it what it needed.
What is happening inside high porosity hair
Your hair has an outer layer called the cuticle made up of tiny overlapping scales. In high porosity hair, those scales are lifted rather than lying flat. This can be genetic but often the result of colour, heat styling or chemical treatments over time, each one nudging the cuticle further open.
An open cuticle absorbs moisture easily. Which sounds like a good thing and in some ways it is. But it also means moisture escapes just as easily. Your hair drinks it in and loses it almost as fast. That is the high porosity cycle and it is why no matter how much you condition, the feeling does not always last.
Why it also affects definition
When the cuticle is lifted, your hair reacts to everything around it. Humidity, temperature, dry air all of it affects an open cuticle more than a closed one and therefore affects your hairstyles. This is also why high porosity hair can feel unpredictable. It is not. It is just very responsive.
How to help it
The goal is not just to add moisture it is to keep it inside longer. That means working in layers. Start with something that supports the hair from within. Ingredients that reinforce bonds and replace what damage has taken away work at the cortex level not just on the surface. This is the foundation.
Then smooth from outside. A good leave-in or conditioner helps the cuticle scales lie flatter, which slows moisture loss. This is your sealing step.
Finish with a styler rich enough to hold everything in. For high porosity hair a cream with a good emollient base will almost always outperform something lightweight the richer texture works with the open cuticle rather than against it.
Apply everything on soaking wet hair. The more moisture in the hair when you apply product, the more you are locking in. Do not let it dry between steps. High porosity hair is not difficult. It is just responsive. Once you understand what it needs and in what order it becomes one of the most rewarding hair types to care for.
Always rooting for you,
— Sarah/ Staunch