If you have low porosity hair, then you already know how daunting it is to keep it moisturized. Low porosity hair features flat cuticles and tightly sealed scales, making it quite challenging to hydrate the shaft and keep the moisture seeping in.
This makes your hair feel dry, dull, and tough to manage.
In this post, we've shared some tips on how to moisturize low porosity hair, to make it fresh, shiny, and fuller all day long.
What is Low Porosity Hair?
Before we cover the tips, let's talk about what Low porosity actually means.
Simply put, low porosity means you have a closed shaft structure.
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This essentially means the cuticle layer of your hair receives less hydration, making it difficult to retain moisture. And without moisture, your hair will become dull, dry, brittle, and in certain cases, hair fall will happen.
This is the same reason why people with low porosity have a hard time absorbing moisture on their scalp.
Knowing your porosity will aid in bettering your selection of products and how effectively you can moisturize your hair. You can create a simple DIY regimen to reduce or completely eliminate the effect of low porosity.
Characteristics of Low Porosity Hair
People who have type 3C hair or have tight curls are most likely to have low porosity hair. Here are some indications that you can check right away:
- Products don't normally penetrate your strands and stay on top of your curls
- Environmental pollution and dirt remain on your hair, even after cleansing
- It takes a lot of time for your hair to get dry
- It also takes a lot of time to get your curls wet
- You have split ends
- Your hair is dull, dry, and feels a bit rough
- Lack of elasticity in hair
How to determine if you have low porosity hair?
There are three methods you can use to test the porosity of hair.
- Floating Test: Take a small strand of your hair from a comb or brush and place it into a glass of water. Allow the strand to sit for 2-4 minutes. If your strand floats to the top, then you have low porosity.
- Shower Test: When you wash your hair next time, check how long it takes for your hair to get fully wet. Low porosity hair takes a lot of time to get wet and getting dry.
- Slip & Slide Test: Take a strand of your hair and slide it on your fingers. Look out for any roughness or bumps, if your fingers doesn't slide smoothly, then you have low porosity hair.
Also Read:Â Best Essential Oils for Curly Hair
6 Tips to Moisturize Low Porosity Hair
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Follow a pre-poo treatment
A pre-poo treatment is simply the process of using hair oil and then deep cleansing your scalp with a wash. This treatment basically locks in moisture and retains the porosity strands from getting stripped of all the natural oils.
It is very helpful for weakened stands because it adds softness, weight, and slip to your hair. It also hydrates and moisturizes your scalp with natural ingredients to reduce frizz and split ends.
Now, in terms of application, you can use a mixture of hair oil, shampoo, and conditioner. The oils you can use for low porosity include:
Gently apply the oil of your choice to your scalp. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with a sulfate-free shampoo and then apply a sulfate-free conditioner. You can follow this treatment biweekly.
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Use heat when washing your hair
Because of the nature of shaft structure, low porosity hair is mostly closed. And since it's closed, there's no direct way to add in the moisturizer. To force these hair shafts to open, you can use heat when deep conditioning.
What it does, is that heat opens your cuticle hair and breaks down the fat molecules so the oil-based treatment can be easily absorbed.
There are two ways that you can use heat for deep conditioning:
- Direct Heat - Follow the deep conditioner procedure and then use direct heat from a steamer.
- Indirect Heat - Once you've followed the deep conditioner process, cover your hair with a shower cap/saran wrap, and then use direct heat from a steamer.
How you use it, completely depends on you. If you feel like the heat is too much, then you can use a shower cap.
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Use products that are softer on your strands
Since our main goal is to use let our strands absorb the moisture, why use products that are harsh or mixed with chemicals? They will usually sit on your hair and can cause a buildup that weight downs your hair.
Use light products that can easily penetrate your hair shaft and provide moisturization deep within. So, next time you're stocking up for your hair care routine, make sure to use products that are natural and free of harmful chemicals.
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Use the greenhouse method
No, No...
You don't have to go to a greenhouse to make this method work. The greenhouse method is a process of moisturizing your hair and then leaving it overnight. For this, we use a plastic bag to cover our hair and, in the morning, just wash it with a sulfate-free shampoo.
Now, the main reason why we follow this approach is that our body produces heat at night. When you wake up the very next morning, you'd find droplets of water accumulated on the hair bag.
And since heat is essential for your low porosity hair, it will effectively get your hair shaft to absorb all the essential moisture easily.
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Stick to water-based products
To help regrow your hair, add shine, and improve manageability, you need moisture. And since low porosity hair doesn't let moisture enter your shaft, you have to force it.
Now to aid this, stick with products that are water-based.
These products contain water as the main ingredient and are light on your hair. They don't let the buildup to form up on your scalp, making them feel fresh and hydrated all day long.
When shopping for water-based products, look for ingredients that contain Aloe Vera, Honey, Glycerin, and other natural extracts. A great product you can use is a detangling spray, it is a mixture of essential ingredients that will soothe your scalp and add extra shine.
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Ensure weekly cleansing
And finally, we highly suggest you to begin a weekly wash routine that includes a sulfate-free shampoo.
Keeping your hair clean is the key to maintaining healthier locks, right?
If you're not cleansing your hair and instead pilling on creams, butter, and moisturizers, it will create a build-up on your scalp.
And with this build-up, water won't penetrate your hair strands, which leads to dull and brittle hair. It's essential to opt for a shampoo that is formulated with natural ingredients and without SLS.