Shampoo with warm water, rinses with cool water
Gently rub shampoo through your hair and work it in with warm water. It’s important that the water is warm because the steam will combat any clogged pores your scalp has; on the other hand, hot water is not ideal because it will remove all of the oils you just put in your hair–resulting in drying.
After you’re done shampooing, rinse your hair with cold water to seal the cuticles and preserve the oils in your hair. Make sure not to skip this step; you need to keep your hair as hydrated as possible, and rinsing with hot water will only further dry out your hair.
Use a protein treatment, then deep condition
High porosity hair is fragile enough on its own, but can experience a lot more shedding and breakage after being braided up for so long. Apply a protein treatment like ApHogee 2 Step* Treatment or Palmers Coconut Deep Conditioning* Protein Pack to strengthen and define your curls.
If you use a protein treatment that comes in the form of a hair mask and already has hydrating and/or conditioning properties, you may be able to skip deep conditioning*. However, the protein itself is absolutely drying and definitely not a moisturizer, so you should probably still deep condition just to be safe.
Because high porosity hair needs all the moisture it can get, heat the deep conditioner* up and let it sit on your hair for the maximum recommended time for the best results. If you’re afraid to heat the product, wrap a warm towel around your head or blow dry your hair while wearing a protective cap before you rinse everything out.
Moisturize and seal
By this point, you have to be tired of both the action and the word “moisturizing”! I know you have to do a lot of it but constantly moisturizing your hair is a MUST, due to your hair’s slightly raised and/or chipped cuticles. And chances are, your hair didn’t get all the moisture it needed when it was in box braids.
Coat your hair with whatever moisturizer you’d like, but make sure that the sealant is heavy and effective. The key to healthy high porosity hair is retaining moisture so you’ll want a butter or oil that is going to penetrate the hair shaft and keep the moisture in. Some good examples of an effective sealant are olive oil, shea butter*, avocado oil*, and coconut oil*.
This is the most important–and ongoing–part of the routine because high porosity dries quickly and is often unable to retain moisture. Make sure you are constantly feeding your hair with natural products that will keep it soft, defined, and hydrated.