Everything You Need To Know About Low Porosity Hair
Have you ever noticed that your hair is smooth and shiny, but it gets greasy just from the oil? Have you ever noticed that it takes a while to get your hair completely wet when you wash it? If so, you probably have low porosity hair. Do you know what low porosity hair is? It doesn’t matter if you don’t know about it. In this article, we are going to tell you everything about low porosity hair, keep reading.
What Is Low Porosity Hair?
Porosity is a measure of the hair's capacity to absorb and retain moisture. It is an indication of how easy it is for moisture to penetrate the hair. Porosity is dependent on the structure of the cuticle - the outer layer of the hair. The low porosity hair has a tightly bound cuticle, making it harder for moisture to penetrate (but also more challenging for moisture to escape once it is in the hair).
How Do You Know If Your Hair Is Low Porosity?
Are you wondering if you have low porosity hair? Here are a variety of methods to help you judge. If you have an interest in them, you can have a try.
1. The float test
Fill a bowl with cold water, then take a strand of hair, place it in the bowl, and watch how the hair reacts. If it sinks to the bottom quickly, it means you have hair with high porosity. If it sinks somewhere in the middle, it means you have medium porosity hair. If it's still floating, it means your hair has low porosity.
Please note that all hair types will eventually sink to the bottom once the water warms up, as the hair cuticle will eventually open up and allow moisture in, so it is important to be aware of how your hair behaves when you put it in.
2. The slip ‘N’ slide test
Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers through the strand, from the ends to the roots and upwards towards the scalp. If you feel small bumps on the way, your hair is highly porous. If it is smooth, your cuticle is tightly bound, which indicates that your hair has low porosity.
3. The spray bottle test
Take a small section of hair and spray it with a spray bottle. Then watch carefully: if the water beads up on your hair and is not absorbed quickly, then your hair is low porosity. If it absorbs rapidly, then it is high porosity hair.
How to Care For Low Porosity Hair?
While it’s hard to get moisture in with low porosity, it just requires a hair care routine and products that are appropriate for your hair type. Once you learn how to properly lock in moisture, your hair will be healthier, shinier, and more bouncy. Here are some ways to care for low porosity hair, you can look at them one by one.
1. Choose a light oil
If you are looking to strengthen your hair by hydrating it, then you can opt for a light oil as it is more absorbent and ideal for low porosity hair. In addition, they will not weigh down your hair and can penetrate deep into the hair shaft. If you need to, you can opt for jojoba oil, shea butter, argan oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil which are all lighter oils and won’t build up on your scalp.
2. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
As we all know, shampoo and conditioner are essential when washing your hair. But you need to be aware that if you have low porosity hair, then you must not choose shampoos and conditioners with drying sulfates or heavy silicones. Because they can damage your hair, leaving it dry and dull.
What's more, you need to massage your scalp to remove the stubborn products and rinse thoroughly before using the conditioner. Because massaging the scalp also activates natural oils, which help keep the strands moisturized.
3. Avoid protein
We all know that protein is good for our hair, ensuring our hair grows normally, increasing the elasticity of the hair, and improving the shine of the hair. But this doesn’t work for low porosity hair. Because low porosity hair is sensitive to protein, it hardens and stiffens the hair, making it more moisture-resistant, brittle, and dull. Therefore, if you have low porosity hair, then you need to try to avoid products that contain protein.
4. Do a steam treatment
Steam treatment is one of the best ways to care for low porosity hair. A steam treatment is the application of moist heat to help open the hair follicles, lift the cuticle on the hair, and allow conditioners and conditioners to penetrate each strand, allowing the hair to better absorb moisture. If you have low porosity in your hair, the steam treatment allows moisturizing products to penetrate deeply into your hair and maximize moisture balance.
5. Deep condition your hair
Deep conditioning plays an important role in soft, healthy hair with elasticity. Your hair may become dry and brittle if you don’t focus on deep conditioning it. If you want to try it, you can apply conditioning products to your hair and then use a hot cap or hooded hair dryer to heat your hair. This is because the heat will open the tightly woven cuticle and allow the conditioner to push moisture into the hair shaft. Finally, rinse off the moisture with cold water, thus closing the cuticle.
However, you need to be careful that you do not deep condition your hair too often as this can also damage your hair.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you must have a good understanding of what low porosity hair is and the various ways to care for it. If you are interested in them, you can try them. In addition, if you have any other tips for low porosity hair, please put them in the comments below, we’d love to hear them.
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