HIGH POROSITY VS LOW POROSITY

Hello Afro Family! I would love to welcome my readers back and if you are new, thank you for joining us! I hope you were all able to do your porosity tests, if not please read the previous blog before you continue reading this one and do that test. Today we will be discussing the characteristics of both high and low porosity hair. In addition to those characteristics, we will discuss how to manage the hair. Lastly I will be answering a question from one of my followers. I will choose one every blog, be sure to ask me on my social media platforms or in the comment section below. 

High porosity Characteristics 

• Absorbs moisture easily but losses just as fast. 
• Its easy to stretch without heat. It can be stretched using any of these protective hairstyles ( Bantu knots, braids and buns)
• It does not hold a mold for too long, meaning hairstyles like a twistout does not last for more than a day or hours depending on the weather. 
• Does not like heat. Heat damage will open the cuticles even more!
• This type of hair loves to tangle. Tangles lead to breakage.
• Dries fast after washing.

How to maintain 

• Use protein treatments often, such treatments patch up the cuticles and help them become normal for some time. You can buy hair mayonnaise or make your own treatment using eggs, olive oil and yoghurt.
• Keep it stretched to avoid tangles.
• Use apple cider vinegar to close the cuticles after washing and conditioning the hair( I use a quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar and dilute it with two  cups of water). 
• Use thick oils such as ( olive oil, avocado oil, castor oil and butters)
• Moisturise daily or nightly because the moisture does not stay in the hair. 
• Avoid glycerin it will weigh the hair down and cause frizz. 

Low Porosity Characteristics 

• Takes very long to absorb moisture but once its in it stays for days. 
• Stretching without heat is difficult but not impossible. Using indirect heat or direct heat may be beneficial as this will open the cuticles and allow moisture in. 
• It takes a long time for the hair to dry. 
• It can hold a mold. A hairstyle like a twistout lasts longer on this type of hair. 
• It creates one strand knots. The shed strand knots with other strands causing this hair to break. 
• Products build up easily on top of the hair. 

How to maintain

• Use clarifying shampoos to get rid of the build up or use apple cider vinegar to wash the hair. This must not be done regularly. 
• Use stretching to avoid one strand knots. 
• Use deep conditioning treatments to give the hair some moisture. 
• Use humectants such as glycerin and honey to add moisture from the air to your hair. 
• Use thin oils that can easily penetrate through the hair shaft such as Organ oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil and almond oil to name a few.

Question of the week: 

This weeks question comes from Ntswaki Diseko from Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Her porosity test gave her two both high and low porosity on the head, what is to be done? 

  I treat my hair as high porosity because that is the majority of my hair. When it comes to applying products I use less on the low porosity hair. You do not need to treat different sections of your hair separately, that would be impossible. Your porosity will change depending on how you treat your hair. The goal for everyone should be to get to medium porosity. 

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