Pre Poo Recipes For High Porosity Hair


High porosity hair takes in moisture willingly. The downside though is that it also loses this newly acquired moisture easily too. Thus, the importance of pre poo recipes for high porosity hair cannot be understated.

In this article, you will find the best pre-poo recipes to keep your locks healthy and hydrated.

Pre poo’ing your hair aims to increase the moisture and nutrient level so that even after washing your hair is left full of hydration. When your hair is fully hydrated it will be less prone to frizz. High porosity hair will soak up any available moisture, but will also lose that moisture more easily and without pre-poo can appear dry and dull.

Read on to discover how to treat your high porosity hair and banish that frizz.

Pre Poo Recipes For High Porosity Hair

Rejecting traditional shampoo in favor of using natural ingredients to clean our hair is becoming increasingly popular.

This is commonly known as the No Poo approach to hair care.

Before discussing the numerous No Poo pre poo recipes that you can make for yourself at home, read on to discover the basics of pre-poo and high porosity hair so that everything makes a bit more sense!

What Is Pre Poo?

Pre-pooing is described as conditioning your hair prior to washing.

It is a method of introducing extra moisture into your hair before washing it with No Poo shampoo, and is considered effective as protecting your hair from the sometimes drying ingredients found in shampoo.

For those of you that regularly wash your hair with baking soda, the pre-poo step is considered to be particularly important.

There are a number of benefits to pre-pooing since hair that is already dry can be made worse without the protection provided by a pre-poo session.

Some of these benefits include:

  • Protection: Pre poo increases moisture levels of hair that could have been removed by washing.
  • Reduction In Impact: If the hair shaft is fully saturated prior to washing then the cleansing action of the chosen wash will not be as strong. In the case of dry, highly porous hair, it lessens the potential damage to each hair.
  • Moisture: Highly porous hair easily takes in moisture, pre poo’ing ensures that the hair is already saturated, so environmental frizz is less likely to occur.

What Is High Porosity Hair?

High porosity hair gains and loses moisture easily, and is more likely to frizz in high humidity settings.

This particular hair type can be diagnosed through the following indicators:

1. Frizzy

High porosity hair sucks in moisture, causing frizzy hair to occur.

2. Tangles

High porosity hair often tangles more easily as the cuticles stand up and ‘catch’ one another.

Raised cuticles are also the reason your hair receives and loses moisture easily.

3. Dry

When hair takes on moisture readily it also tends to lose this moisture just as fast.

This is why your hair may seem almost permanently dry even with regular moisturizing.

4. Breakage

High porosity hair is often dry, and therefore becomes prone to damage and breakage.

5. Dull

If you suffer from dry hair you might have noticed that your high porosity hair looks dull because it doesn’t have the health to shine.

Pre Poo Recipes With Honey

There are many DIY pre poo for high porosity hair recipes available to give your hair the health and shine that it deserves.

Below you will find some No Poo recipes that you can easily put together in your own home to combat the difficulties of living with high porosity hair (sources 1,2,3,4):

1. Simply Honey

Honey is a fantastic natural ingredient that can be used in a variety of ways.

One key benefit of honey is that it is an emollient that keeps moisture in your hair as no other ingredient can.

A healthy scalp means healthy hair that is less prone to breakage and that grows well. Honey is great for your hair in this respect, as it has antibacterial properties that may improve the health of your scalp in addition to your hair.

Below is a simple honey No Poo recipe for high porosity hair:

Ingredients

  • Honey: 3tbs
  • Water: 1tbs

Method

  1. Mix ingredients together.
  2. Apply mixture to damp hair and scalp.
  3. Wrap hair in a warm towel or plastic shower cap for a minimum of an hour (or as long as your like, overnight is fine).
  4. Wash hair as usual.

2. Honey And Coconut Oil Pre Poo

Coconut oil is used in multiple stages of No Poo, from making a fabulous pre-poo, to leaving your hair soft and easy to detangle if used after a wash.

Coconut oil has long been recognized as a foundation product of hair care. It is:

  • Moisturizing
  • De-Tangling
  • The only oil that has been shown to reduce protein loss

Many No Poo’ers use a warm towel to help the oil work to its full potential. A shower cap also works as the heat from your head keeps the coconut oil warm.

Below is a useful honey and coconut oil pre-poo recipe, that is ideal for individuals with a high porosity hair type:

Ingredients

  • Honey: 3tbs
  • Coconut Oil: 5tbs

Method

  1. Mix the two ingredients well.
  2. Wet your hair.
  3. Slather the mixture through damp hair.
  4. Place hair in a shower cup or warmed towel.
  5. Leave mixture on hair for an hour, at least.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera pre-poo recipes can also produce fantastic results.

Here’s a great example of a No Poo aloe vera recipe for high porosity hair:

Ingredients

  • Aloe Vera Gel: 4tbs
  • Coconut Oil: 3tbs
  • Argan Oil: 1tsp
  • Vitamin E Oil: 5 drops
  • Lavender Essential Oil: 5 drops

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients together, except for the vitamin E and lavender oil.
  2. Once the mixture is combined thoroughly, add the vitamin E and lavender oil.
  3. Combine and mix together.
  4. Smooth product through your hair, cover with a shower cap and leave for up to an hour before washing it out.

4. Shea Butter

Shea butter is extremely popular, especially in pre-poo recipes for natural hair.

One of the best shea butter recipes for high porosity hair is the pre-poo recipe below:

Ingredients

  • Shea Butter: As much as your hair length requires, about palm-full should do.
  • Castor Oil: 1tbs
  • Avocado Oil: 1tbs

Method

  1. Heat the shea butter in a bowl, over water.
  2. Mix in the castor and avocado oil.
  3. Apply mixture to your hair and massage through.
  4. Leave product on for an hour, covered by a warm towel
  5. Wash out as normal.

How To Tell If You Have High Porosity Hair

You might already know by experience that your hair is highly porous; because you have experienced the following:

  • Hair prone to dryness and frizz
  • Hair soaks up any available moisture

If you think that this is your hair type then pre poo’ing will work well on your hair since it will help give your hair moisture, and then seal that moisture in before you wash your hair.

Knowing the porosity of your hair can help you decide the best and most appropriate products to put into your hair to keep it healthy and easy to manage.

However, if you are still not 100% sure that you have high porosity hair, follow this really simple test in the comfort of your own home:

Inventory

  • Glass
  • Water
  • Strand Of Clean Hair (with no product on it)

Method

  1. Fill glass with water.
  2. Place a strand of hair in glass of water.
  3. Leave for 2 minutes.
  4. Check the results below.

Results

Take a look at your strand of hair and determine what it is doing in the water.

Now check the results against the details below:

  • Hair Floats: You have low porosity hair.
  • Hair Appears Mid Way In Glass: You have normal hair.
  • Hair Sinks: You have high porosity hair.

Best Pre Poo Oil For High Porosity Hair

Coconut oil is probably the best oil for pre poo’ing high porosity hair.

This is because coconut oil migrates well through the open cuticles of highly porous hair and effectively seals the hair.

No Poo’ers state that this is an important factor to be aware of as damage is caused to the hair every time it absorbs up and then loses moisture. This condition is known as hygral fatigue and is an important factor to consider when looking after your hair.

If you do not have coconut oil to hand, then olive oil is almost as good.

How To Apply Pre Poo Oil

The best results will happen when you pre-poo the evening before your wash day.

  1. Section your hair to ensure full coverage.
  2. Warm the coconut oil in your palms to enable it to spread through your hair better.
  3. Smooth the oil through the hair evenly.
  4. Cover, and leave on your hair for as long as possible, overnight if you can. If you like, put a towel over your pillow just in case your plastic cap comes off during the night.

Try using this oil (link to Amazon) to see the difference in your hair after only one use.

Overnight Pre Poo Recipes

Whilst the coconut oil overnight pre-poo is one of the best recipes for your high porosity, you can also give an egg pre-poo ago.

Eggs are often used as a wash in their own right but can work wonders as a protein pre-poo, repairing damage and strengthening hair (source 1).

Here is a great egg pre-poo recipe for you to try which should leave your hair feeling smooth, manageable, and stronger than before:

Ingredients

  • Eggs: 1-3 depending upon hair length.
  • Honey: 1tbs
  • Olive oil: 2tbs

Method

  1. Beat the eggs.
  2. Mix with olive oil and honey.
  3. Spread through the hair and pay particular attention to the ends of your hair.
  4. Leave on your hair for 30 minutes
  5. Wash out.

Pre Poo Recipes For Natural Black Hair

Natural hair tends to be high porosity and dry.

Pre-poo is, therefore, an invaluable tool to keep your hair in brilliant condition.

The following products can be used as pre-poo conditioners that leave your hair in even better condition, without the need to use traditional shampoos and conditioners:

  • Oils
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Bananas

Conclusion

Pre poo recipes for high porosity hair that contain only natural ingredients are easy to make, with ingredients that are probably already sat in your pantry.

Many recipes with oils can be left on overnight which will boost your hair quality and shine even after the first use.

Related Questions

How Long To Pre Poo Low Porosity Hair?

Overnight pre-poo is less necessary for low porosity hair than its high porosity counterpart. Low porosity pre-poos can be left for up to an hour, but individual recipes have their own time frame.

Should You Pre Poo Low Porosity Hair?

Low porosity hair does not need the same pre-poo ingredients and time as high porosity hair. However, it is still a useful tool in your hair care regime to help strengthen and protect your hair.

Katrina Stewardson

Hello! My name is Katrina Stewardson, and I've been obsessed for almost ever with discovering the best natural hair methods for my own hair. For years I longed for one website to tell me everything I needed to know about the amazing No Poo Method movement. I just couldn't find one though, so I decided to create it myself! I dearly hope this website will save all you lovely ladies (and gents!) from wasting hours scrolling the internet looking for natural hair-related information like I did.

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