Low Porosity Hair: 4 Pros & Cons

Low Porosity Hair: 4 Pros & Cons

I’ve accepted that I have low porosity hair. I've been learning how to work with my hair which makes us both happy, with less frustration with each other. That's why, in this blog, I wanted to chat about some of the pros and cons of having low porosity hair. If your hair is similar to mine, read this first and tell me what you think in the comments below.

low porosity hair
Photographer: Alieza Rizvie | Source: Unsplash

4 pros of low porosity hair:

1st Pro - our hair is strong and resistant. People with this hair generally have thicker strands. Compared to those with thinner hair, thicker strands make it harder for our hair to get damaged.

2nd Pro - low porosity hair is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water. This attribute makes it harder for our hair to suffer from hygral fatigue (over moisture). Also, you can check out my previous video that discusses everything about hygral fatigue.

3rd Pro - this hair holds water better. Yes, it may take forever to get that moisture into our hair. But, once it's in there, it retains moisture longer.

4th Pro - you don't need to apply that many hair products. And consider using lighter products as they are best with low porosity hair.

low porosity hair pros and cons
Get Slick Hair Smoothie for Low Porosity Hair

And so some of the cons of having low porosity are:

1st Con - low porosity takes forever to absorb moisture. More often than not, products sit on top of our hair. So we have to do more for our hair to absorb those products.

2nd Con - this hair doesn't always have a defined curl pattern and doesn't clump that easily. Notice how your roots are poofier yet, the ends have a defined curl to them. That's because your ends are more porous from weathering.

3rd Con - low porosity hair makes product buildup occur easily. That's because our hair doesn't absorb the product so, it sits on our hair. So you want to avoid using raw oils, kinds of butter, and waxes. Stick to water-soluble products such as Wonder Curl!

4th Con - low porosity takes longer to dry. Yeah, I know. wash day is always a pain, however, it has a great ability to lock in moisture.

If you have more pros and cons, please feel free to put them in the comments below.

Read more tips:

How to detangle your curly hair

Beginner’s guide to moisturizing your hair

Do oils & butters seal in moisture?

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1 comment

I have low porosity hair but my hair is thin. I have been natural for at least 20 years I never been able to find a product to moisturize my hair and get curl definition. Do you have sample size products? I don’t mind spending money on products that will work for my hair but I have been a product junkie for a long time now and I have not been successful in finding a product that works.

Rhonda Barnett

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