Best natural butters and oils for high porosity fine hair

If you are a high porosity natural, you have heard so many times that heavy butters like Shea butter or heavy oils like Castor oil are the best for your hair.

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But when you have fine strands, shea butter and castor oil may not work for you because they will weigh your hair down or just sit on your hair making it hard for your hair to stay moisturized. You don’t have to worry because there are other butters that will work perfectly fine for your fro.

Dealing with high porosity is often a matter of trial and error especially when it comes to finding the right products to keep your hair moisturized.

Characteristics of high porosity hair

If you don’t know what high porosity hair is or you are unsure that your hair is highly porous, here are the characteristics of high porosity hair.

• Hair easily absorbs water, however, it requires more products.
• Hair often looks and feels dry.
• Hair easily gets tangles and knots
• Hair is very prone to frizz and flyaways.
• When washed, high porosity hair dries very quickly

When you have high porosity hair, you need heavy butters and oils to withstand certain weather conditions, especially winter during winter where hair is easily affected by outdoors and indoors conditions (heating). Having fine strands with hair that is highly porous, I turn to other butters to keep my hair moisturized and I hope these butters and oils will help you too.

Butters

Avocado butter

Avocado Butter is obtained by the process of extracting  the flesh of Avocado fruit through hydrogenating cold-pressed Avocado Oil with other vegetable oils. 

Avocado Butter is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, D, and E. It is light in consistency but highly moisturizing.  It is a softer butter as compared to other butters and melts fast when in contact with the skin. Avocado butter protects damaged hair and acts as a good conditioner which allows to maintain a good scalp and keeps the hair healthy.

Cupuacu butter

Cupuacu pronounced [kuppu’assu] butter is obtained through extraction of  the fruits of the Cupuaça tree, related to the cocoa tree, which grows wild in the Amazon rainforest. This butter is rich in monounsaturated Omega 9 and saturated stearic acid. Cupuaçu butter has a very good ability to retain water (better than lanolin, sheep’s wool fat, which is otherwise considered to be the fat that can hold the most moisture) and is therefore excellent even in small amounts in emulsions and as a moisture-binding ingredient in moisturizing skin and hair care products.

Kokum butter

Kokum butter is extracted from the seeds of kokum Kokum tree’s (Garcinia Indica) fruit. It has a smooth dense texture suitable for cosmetic, confectionary and toiletry applications. Kokum Butter is highly resistant to oxidation and often used as a Cocoa Butter substitute.

Kokum Butter is one of the most stable kinds of vegetable butter. It has high stearic acid content. The butter is flaky, dry and hard but immediately melts up when in contact with the skin. It is widely used in making soaps, lip balms, body butters and lotions. It promotes hair elasticity, prevents dryness which helps to fight breakage, and restores damaged hair. It is also very moisturizing due to its high content in oleic acid as compared to other butters.

Murumuru butter

Murumuru butter is extracted from the seeds of the Astrocaryum murumuru palm tree, which is native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation. MuruMuru butter is rich in fatty acids and Pro-Vitamin A. Murumuru is a natural hair moisturizer. It locks in moisture, making your hair strong and healthy. Restores natural shine and softness of hair, making dry or frizzy hair more manageable. Because Murumuru butter is less heavy it does not weigh hair down or gives the feeling or any appearance of greasiness.

Mango Butter

Mango Butter is a natural fat-containing butter which is obtained by pressing the seeds of the fleshy mango fruit and then scent and the color are also removed. Mango butter is solid at room temperature but melts once in contact with the skin. A grainy butter in nature, it contains antioxidants and high amounts of Vitamins A and E. It promotes hair growth and protects hair against sun damage. It is a powerful moisturizer and increases hair elasticity which contributes to reduced breakage.

You can also purchase your natural butters on Etsy. You can also purchase samples of butters to know which ones are suitable for your hair.

Oils

To be able to retain moisture, high porosity hair needs oils that contain or are rich polyunsaturated fats, that is oils that are liquid at room temperature but when chilled turn solid. They also contain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The hair that is highly porous absorbs large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Highly raised cuticles mean that it is better to choose oils with large particles. The hair shaft needs to seal in the moisture because of the gaps in the cuticle thus increasing moisture retention.

Extra Virgin Olive oil

It is the most popular oil for those with high porosity natural hair because of the high content in fatty acid. Olive oil increases is also rich in hair smoothness. It is able to penetrate the hair shaft and can be used to see moisture in the hair without weighing it down. It is my favorite oil for sealing moisture in my high porosity hair and I always incorporate this wonderful oil into my DIYs.

Jojoba Oil 

Another one of the best oils for high porosity hair is jojoba oil. With a reputation for being the closest natural oil to the sebum, the oil that is naturally produced by our scalp. Jojoba oil comes from a shrub called Simmondsia chinensis. This slightly nutty smelling oil is good for high porosity hair since it is slightly waxy, but not too waxy. It will help seal in moisture without leaving a residue.

Hemp seed oil

Hemp seed oil is derived from the seeds of the plant called Cannabis sativa, this oil has a high fatty acid content that makes it great for high porosity hair. It can help in several different ways. Hemp seed oil is a great way to add sheen, elasticity, and moisture retention to your hair. It can also serve to strengthen hair since it has fatty acids that help with keratin bonding.

Wheat germ oil

Wheat germ carrier oil is extracted from wheat grain which consists of three parts – the husk, germ, and endosperm. It is the richest source of Vitamins (A, B, D, E), proteins and Minerals. It has a heavy smell and a dark color. Vitamin E as we know is a natural antioxidant and used as a preservative to increase the shelf life of the carrier oil, naturally. It has a medium absorption rate and does leave a slightly oily feel on the skin. Along with nutritious benefits, it’s a great ingredient for beauty.

There are other oils suitable for high porosity hair such as safflower oil, walnut oil, soy oil, corn oil.

What butters and oils do you use in your natural hair? let us know in the comments section. Don’t’ forget to follow us on our social media channels.