Everyone’s hair needs tender love and care to grow strong and healthy. But not all hair is created equal. Some hair types need an extra hand in letting moisture sink into the hair shaft – like high porosity hair. When you have hair that needs help when it comes to nourishment, a deep conditioner is your best friend. So, what’s the best deep conditioner for high porosity hair?
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What Are The Benefits Of A Deep Conditioner?
Deep conditioners are much thicker and more heavy-duty than your daily conditioner (which you should also be using if your hair feels dry and tangly).
It’s a great 30-minute hair pamper session to make the hair shiny and smooth while calming and reducing itchiness on the scalp.
While deep conditioning is a more rigorous once-a-week treatment vs. your daily shampoo and conditioner, it should not be confused with protein treatments.
How is a deep conditioner different from a protein treatment?
The biggest difference between deep conditioners and protein treatments is their role in hair care.
Deep conditioners moisturize the scalp and hair, effectively forcing the cuticles to absorb as much of it as possible to make it soft and silky.
On the other hand, protein treatments are meant to strengthen and fortify the hair shaft when it’s brittle and easy to break.
If you notice that your hair is quite dry and frizzy, a deep conditioner might help.
If you have weak and brittle hair, you should opt for a protein treatment to help make your locks stronger.
But like I said, some locks require special attention and more TLC.
Some hair types need to incorporate both deep conditioners and protein treatments into their hair care routines.
High porosity hair is one of these sensitive hair types.
What Is High Porosity Hair?
Hair porosity is something that’s often overlooked when we talk about hair.
People tend to focus more on length, color, and shine when talking about hair care.
But understanding your hair’s porosity is one of the key ways to care for your hair properly.
The definition is pretty self-explanatory. When hair is high porosity, it means it’s more porous than normal hair.
The cuticles, or the tiny “pores” on the outermost layer of hair, are wide open and far apart. Because of this, the hair absorbs moisture very quickly. Yay, right?
Well, not really. Because the cuticles are always open, high porosity hair has a hard time locking in all that hydrating goodness.
It releases moisture as quickly as it absorbs it, almost as if just passing through without really nourishing the hair. Easy come easy go.
What are the signs of high porosity hair?
Some signs can help you tell if your hair is quite porous.
One is dry and overly frizzy hair. High porosity hair can’t retain moisture, so the hair is often dehydrated and rough.
Another is if your hair gets drenched as soon as you step into the shower, and is quick to dry once you hop out.
One way to be sure you have high porosity hair is the floating test.
Take a clean strand of your hair and drop it in a glass of water. If it sinks, you have high porosity hair.
If your hair floats on the surface, then you have low porosity hair. Finally, if it floats somewhere in the middle of the glass, congrats! You have normal porosity hair.
High porosity hair can be a result of genetics – or it could be self-inflicted.
If you were not born with naturally porous hair, then your locks’ high porosity could be a result of damage from relaxers, bleach, color, or heat.
Either way, it needs extra attention to make sure it absorbs all the nourishment and vitamins it needs to be moisturized, strong, and shiny.
One of the best ways to do it is deep conditioning.
Best Deep Conditioner For High Porosity Hair
There are various brands of deep conditioners you could use to nourish overly porous hair.
Here are my top picks:
Camille Rose Algae Deep Conditioner
Deep conditioners work best when they have a blend of different moisturizing oils and butters.
This algae conditioner from Camille Rose has that and more.
The formula of this deep conditioner contains nourishing oils and butters like coconut, hemp, and jojoba oils.
It also has shea butter, another deeply moisturizing agent.
Aside from these, it’s also infused with aloe vera and honey, which are great hydrating agents that can help calm flaky skin on the scalp.
This sweet-smelling cocoa and mango butter deep conditioner also helps in promoting hair growth, so it’s a great option if you’re trying to grow out your hair.
The deep conditioner also helps strengthen the strands in the hair to prevent the strands from breaking.
It also contains vitamin E, which is a big help in making the hair softer and promoting elasticity.
Moreover, this product can make the hair shinier and bouncier through deep moisture infusion.
Pros
- Contains many moisturizing oils and butters
- Promotes hair growth
- Helps strengthen hair strands and prevent breakage
- Contains vitamin E to help with hair elasticity
- Can make curly hair bouncier
- A little goes a long way
Cons
- It doesn’t give much slip
TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask Deep Conditioner
One of the most annoying things about having high porosity hair is having to deal with frizzy, tangle-prone hair on a daily basis.
What you need to manage that properly is a mask that softens and moisturizes the hair intensely, and that’s precisely what TGIN’s honey deep conditioner does.
The honey in this formula hydrates the hair, making it soft enough to brush through without wrestling with endless tangles.
The hydration also helps keep the hair shiny.
Dry, flaky, and itchy skin on the scalp can also benefit from honey.
This sweet ingredient helps relax and soothe the skin, getting rid of distracting itchiness.
This deep conditioner is infused with olive and jojoba oils that help lock in the moisture in the hair.
They are also rich in antioxidants and vitamins A, E, and D, which can strengthen and repair the hair when it’s damaged.
Pros:
- Honey hydrates the hair to make it smooth and shiny
- Reduces itchiness and flakiness on the scalp
- Strengthens and repairs the hair
- Helps detangle and get rid of frizz
- Softer hair makes it more manageable
Cons
- The formula contains alcohol
Obia Naturals Babassu Deep Conditioner
A vegan option for a deep conditioner is this one by Obia Naturals, which uniquely puts Babassu oil at the heart of their formula.
Babassu oil is a South American oil that deeply moisturizes and repairs the hair in one go.
It helps to prevent breaking and shedding of the hair and adds a glorious, glamorous shine to it too.
Other ingredients in this 100% natural deep conditioner include avocado oil, which has good fat that nourishes the hair even more.
It also contains rosemary essential oil, which gives the mask a relaxing herbal scent and aids in repairing damage as well.
But if you’re looking for a mask that can take care of loss of protein too, sadly this isn’t the deep conditioner for you.
It is protein-free, so it caters more towards those with a vegan lifestyle or who are protein-sensitive.
Pros
- Babassu oil nourishes and repairs hair
- Avocado and rosemary oil also moisturize the hair
- Adds a healthy shine to your hair
- Prevents hair breakage and shedding
- Suitable for all hair textures
- Has great slip
- 100% natural and vegan
Cons
- Does not contain any protein to aid in strengthening
Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque
If you have natural hair and are looking for a fuss-free, simple yet extremely effective deep conditioner, then you’ll love this one from Shea Moisture.
This hair mask contains pure, raw shea butter to moisturize the hair and scalp deeply.
It also contains oils like argan, castor, and avocado oils for added nourishment.
Argan oil provides vitamin E, which is known to strengthen the hair and promote its elasticity.
This can help high porosity hair look and feel stronger, healthier, and silkier.
Because this mask makes the hair more moisturized and stronger, it actually prevents hair fall and breakage.
It’s highly recommended for those with incredibly dry and brittle hair.
Pros
- Deeply moisturizes super dry, straw-like hair
- Prevents hair fall and breakage
- Argan oil provides vitamin E for strengthening
- Tames frizz
- Leaves hair smooth, soft and shiny
- Great for natural hair
Cons
- The smell isn’t appealing to some users
Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Hair Mask
While deep conditioners are almost always moisturizing, having hydrating ingredients to draw water into the hair is actually kind of unique.
This shea butter hair mask by Maui Moisture does both!
First of all, it has organic aloe vera juice and coconut water that can quench the thirst of dehydrated hair.
These hydrating ingredients are great at bringing hair to life again.
The deep conditioner also contains creamy shea butter and very rich coconut and macadamia oils to lock in all that healthy hydration and make the hair have a radiant shine.
This product is free from parabens, gluten, and has no synthetic dye.
You can even use it as a leave-in treatment!
Pros
- Contains aloe vera juice and coconut water for hydration
- Prevents and mends split ends
- Can be used as a leave-in treatment
- Leaves hair softer and more manageable
- Makes it easy to detangle hair
- Great for hair extensions too!
Cons
- Can weigh down some fine hair types
amika the Kure Intense Repair Mask
For damaged, overprocessed hair that is sensitive to protein treatments, here’s a hair repair solution for you!
This intense mask by amika has shea butter and borage oil to deeply moisturizes tresses.
They are rich in omega fatty acids with vitamins and minerals for strength.
This deep conditioner softens hair to make it shiny and manageable.
Sea buckthorn oil promotes the production of collagen to make the hair more resilient.
This is a fantastic option for dry, damaged hair lacking moisture.
And because it isn’t exactly a protein deep conditioner, you can use it once a week without getting rough and crunchy tresses.
Pros
- Restores moisture to heal overstressed hair
- Shea butter has fatty acids to soften damaged hair
- Borage oil makes hair shiny and more manageable
- Sea buckthorn oil promotes the production of collagen
- A damage repair mask you can use weekly
- Doesn’t contain parabens, sulfates, phthalates
- Has a light, pleasant smell
Cons
- Can leave an oily residue
The Mane Choice Peach Black Tea Therapy Mask
Reach out for this deep conditioner if you have finer hair that needs moisturizing, volumizing, and repairing, but isn’t exactly friends with protein.
This mask intensely hydrates and moisturizes the hair with glycerin and fatty acids from coconut to make it shiny and lustrous, for a healthy look.
It gives a bounciness to the hair that makes it full of body.
While it’s rich, nourishing, and volume-adding, it feels almost weightless!
It also has vitamins C, D, and E along with other botanical oils that help strengthen and condition the hair, helping to protect it from environmental aggressors.
These blend of nutrients also prevents hair shedding to keep your locks thick and healthy.
Pros
- Brings back shine and luster through intense moisturization
- Has vitamins and nutrients that conditions and protects the hair
- Makes the hair voluminous and bodied
- Prevents shedding of hair by strengthening it
- Feels weightless in the hair
- Suitable for more delicate hair textures
Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Treat 1-Minute Hair Mask with Papaya Extract
Sixty seconds is all you need to repair hair damage without the crunchy feeling a heavy protein treatment leaves behind!
This papaya deep conditioner moisturizes the hair to strengthen and restore it from heat styling and pollution.
The mask is infused with papaya extracts, known to have enzymes that condition and soften hair.
Rich oils from soybean, sunflower, and coconut help moisturize the tresses to keep them silky, bouncy, and shiny.
No time for a tropical vacation? No problem! What Garnier Fructis loyalists love about this mask is that it has a fresh and exciting fruity scent reminiscent of summer.
Pros
- Nourishes and repairs hair damage in just one minute
- Papaya extract is known to have enzymes that condition the hair from the root
- Soybean, sunflower, coconut oils moisturize the hair
- Has a fresh and powerful fruity scent
- Consists of 98% naturally derived ingredients
- Free from silicone, parabens, and artificial coloring
Cons
- Can leave the hair feeling oily and sticky
Conclusion
Having dry, high porosity hair shouldn’t keep you from loving your hair.
In fact, it should encourage you to treat and pamper it even more!
Do it with a deep conditioning session at home and get that bounce back in your curls and waves.
People who want deeper moisture penetration can consider deep conditioning with heat.
Deep conditioning with heat helps to open and lift the layers of the hair cuticle so that the interior part of strands is thoroughly moisturized.