Is your hair low porosity? Or is it because of your hair care regimen?

Is your hair low porosity? Or is it because of your hair care regimen?

Almost everyone with curly, coily, and wavy hair still uses hair texture or curl pattern to determine which products to use; so knowing your hair's porosity is a far more essential predictor of how to care for your hair.

“Porosity refers to your hair's capacity to absorb and retain moisture.”

Photographer: Audrey Fretz | Source: Unsplash

What is Low Porosity Hair?

Let's take a closer look at the hair and its structure before figuring out what low porosity hair is.

It consists of three main layers - The cuticle, cortex, and medulla.

  • The cuticle is the hair's outermost protective covering. It is made up of cells that overlap.
  • Your hair's body and pigment are made up of the cortex, including fibrous proteins and keratin filaments.
  • The hair's innermost layer is called the medulla. It is made up of a narrow core of translucent cells with air holes between them.

When you have low porosity hair, the cuticles are packed tightly together with no gaps, making it impossible to penetrate water, oils, or conditioner.

What Low Porosity Hair looks like.

  • Without the use of heat, drying takes a long time.
  • Rather than absorbing, products tend to stack up on the surface.
  • Added oils do not penetrate quickly and remain on the surface of hair strands.

Now, How do you identify Porosity in your Hair?

You can follow the given steps to identify Porosity in your hair:

Step1 - Wash your hair properly with the Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo Bar.

Step 2: Always use a hooded hair dryer or diffuser to dry your hair using gentle heat.

Step 3: Pluck a strand of hair and place it in a glass of water. If a strand of your hair floats to the top of the water, it means you have porous hair.

Low Porosity Haircare

In this section, we will talk about some do’s and don’t for Low Porosity Haircare.

So, the do’s are given as follows.

  • Use Lightweight products.

Lightweight products absorb your hair strands more easily. When searching for hair products, look for lighter consistency to allow for moisture retention and high absorption. Look for shampoos that contain honey or glycerin.

  • When washing and rinsing your hair, use warm to hot water.

For hair with low porosity, always wash your hair with warm to hot water. Washing hair with cold water is an ineffective approach. You should always start and finish your wash with hot water.

Because those with low porosity hair have tightly closed cuticles, the hot water helps to open up the cuticle, allowing moisture to infiltrate. It's akin to deep conditioning your hair using heat.

  • Wash your hair with the best clarifying shampoo.
low porosity hair
Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo Bar

You must ensure that your hair is free of buildup from the products you use if you have low porosity hair. Because low porosity hair has difficulty absorbing moisture, products tend to rest on top of it, making it even more difficult to absorb. As a result, you should use a clarifying shampoo to remove all of the build-ups in your hair and allow moisture to infiltrate your strands.

Now, I’m going to cover up the don’ts.

  • Don’t apply products to dry hair.

Apply products to soaking wet hair instead for the best results. Using a spray bottle for extra water when you apply your products will make sure your hair stays nice and wet.

  • Don’t use too many products.

Applying too many products at the same time will simply sit on top of your hair and accomplish nothing.

  • Use a small amount of protein in your hair as necessary.

Hair with Low Porosity is too sensitive. Always check the product’s label while buying. As a result, the less protein you use on your low porosity hair, the better.

  • Don’t use heavy butters and oils.

Thick butters and oils build up quickly, resulting in product buildup and dryness, especially when used multiple times between wash days. Instead, consider light oils and light refreshers to rejuvenate your curls if you like sealing your hair at the end of your routine and refreshing your hair throughout the week.

Is your hair really low porosity? We discuss how your hair care regimen can affect this.

Okay, that concludes the low porosity hair care dos and don'ts. If you follow these suggestions, I guarantee your low porosity hair will react and look better than you ever imagined.

If you have other suggestions, please share them in the comments below. Be sure to like & share this video if you found it helpful.

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