Is my hair highly porous?

snowpuffs

I just recently found out that my hair LOVES heavy oils like castor oil. It'll curl up no problem but it gets very greasy. This seems contradictory to me but I can't use lighter oils to form the level of curl heavy oils make. My hair also hates it when it's drenched in water while product is applied. It prefers to be damp but still dries in 3-6 hours. I CAN'T create a heavy gel cast as it just creates feizz. The last thing I noticed is that my hair curls more with cold water.

If my hair is highly porous then can anyone explain the build up of oil I tend to get?

Guide 65

Drying in 3-6 hours sounds like low porosity, but none of those other things are indicators for porosity, one way or the other.  You're getting build up from oil because oil is heavy and isn't being removed with whatever wash method you're using.  Oil and water don't mix, and if the oil is heavy enough, then water just isn't moving it off your hair.  You can use a clarifying shampoo to clean it all off.  If you cowash, then use a low poo.  Or if you already use a low poo, try a sulfate shampoo.

Therese1

Maybe you could look for a leave-in conditioner that contains castor oil. That would be a more balanced product and might not leave your curls so greasy (I assume you are using straight castor oil).

snowpuffs

Therese1 said:

Maybe you could look for a leave-in conditioner that contains castor oil. That would be a more balanced product and might not leave your curls so greasy (I assume you are using straight castor oil).

Great idea! Let's hope they're plentiful.

snowpuffs

Guide 65 said:

Drying in 3-6 hours sounds like low porosity, but none of those other things are indicators for porosity, one way or the other.  You're getting build up from oil because oil is heavy and isn't being removed with whatever wash method you're using.  Oil and water don't mix, and if the oil is heavy enough, then water just isn't moving it off your hair.  You can use a clarifying shampoo to clean it all off.  If you cowash, then use a low poo.  Or if you already use a low poo, try a sulfate shampoo.

Ok. I'm just confused as to why my hair likes heavy oils now.

Soj

How fast your hair dries has little to do with its porosity and way more to do with how MUCH hair you have - how thick it is (length also affects drying time).  Thick as in how close together your hair strands grow.  Not thick as in each individual strand.

My GUESS (untested) is that low porosity hair would dry FASTER because its all on the surface.  Very little "soaks in".  When water DOES "soak in" to your hair it tends to pull good stuff out and deposit bad stuff.  Which is why people with HIGH porosity hair often benefit from sealers - not just to keep "good stuff" in, but to keep "bad stuff" out.

If your hair likes castor oil it just likes castor oil.  It has little to do with the porosity of your hair.  My high porosity hair benefits most from oils with "small" particles, like hemp and almond oil.  Coconut oil seemed to be good for it (which is supposedly a "heavy" oil) but I only used it IN PRODUCT and while my hair loved it, it hated my scalp.  I use hemp oil 90% of the time now, sometimes with almond oil. Eventually I'll probably blend them, or just stick with the hemp oil.  The hemp oil has benefits to my scalp which the almond oil lacks.  Sunflower oil, which is a "heavy" oil recommended for people with coconut allergies, was tacky and gross in my hair.  Didn't seem to soak in at all, unlike the hemp oil.  Won't use it again.  Guess I'll have to cook something with it instead, LOL!

I have high porosity hair that used to be very very long, all the way down my back.  It used to take forever to dry.  When it got short (due to breakage, thank you very much Mr. Pantene) it dried faster.  Now that I've done a protein treatment and started using the high porosity Mongongo/Hemp masque from Shea Moisture, it is once again taking a longer time to dry.  My hair is still highly porous, but there are lots of OTHER things going on that affect dry time WAY more than the porosity of your hair.

You get build up because NO oil that you apply to your hair will soak all the way in.  My hair absorbs Hemp oil the best of anything I've tried, but it still needs to be washed out. 

What type of hair do you have?  Oil in MY hair pulls the curl right out.  I can't leave ANYTHING in my uber baby fine hair.  If lack of curl is the problem, oiling is not the only potential solution.  Have you tried a protein treatment?