Have you ever heard about the hair porosity term? It is used to describe how well your natural hair absorbs and retains moisture. Some have high porosity hair while others low porosity hair.  If you have low porosity hair, it means that it’s difficult for your strands to allow moisture to be absorbed into the hair shaft. Let’s take a more in-depth look at low porosity hair definition and the best low porosity hair care tips. 

What is low porosity hair?

If you follow our blog, you may know that our hair is formed with three main layers, cuticle, cortex, and medulla. The cuticle is the outermost layer that contains individual cuticles overlapping each other. The next and thickest layer is the cortex. It comprises pigments that decide our hair color. The innermost one is the medulla.

With low porosity natural hair, the cuticles tend to tightly-packed together, which has no space for water soak into the hair shaft. Also, when you are applying hair care products, like conditioner or hair mask, low porosity hair makes it harder to moisture penetrate the hair. 

Characteristics of low porosity hair

– Hair absorbs very little products: You notice that your hair gets dry, it may be due to low porosity hair. When you have this problem, instead of being absorbed, hair products still sit on the surface of your locks. 

– Wash and dry hair take more time: Low porosity natural hair care may take longer than you expect. Because water and moisture are not easily penetrated the hair shaft, you may find it difficult to get hair wet or dry. Compared to others’ hair with the same length and thickness, people with low porosity hair take a long time to air-dry. 

– Low porosity hair tends to be more frizzy: If your hair is low porosity, it does not get tangled. It is dry and frizzy as it’s difficult to condition your curly strands. 

How can I test my hair porosity?

You are unsure about the hair porosity you have, follow these simple steps to check: 

– First, shampoo your curls to remove all product buildup.

– Let the hair dry as usual. 

– Take a hair strand and drop it in a glass of water. 

– Look! If your hair floats to the surface, you likely have low porosity. You have high porosity hair if the strand sinks to the bottom of the glass.  

How to care for low porosity hair

Taking care of low porosity hair requires time and patient. It cannot happen overnight. The followings are essential tips to lift the hair cuticles, allowing the hair shaft to absorb moisture easily. 

Steam your natural hair

How to take care of low porosity hair? As a common way, the steaming method makes hair cuticle layers open and allow water and moisture soak to hair the hair shaft. 

It can help if you use a hair steam cap or steamer to do. We are sure that this treatment will give you better effects. 

When applying this tip, you can combine it with a deep conditioner. Once the cuticle layers open, moisture can be absorbed quickly into the inner. However, never apply protein treatment conditioners for low porosity hair as protein formulas may pull moisture out of strands.

Massage it with a hair mask

As one of the most common low porosity hair care products, hair masks work to nourish your strands effectively. How to use it?

Wet your curls first. Then slather the mask evenly on your hair, and massage gently to make sure that the product soaks into the hair shaft. Don’t let the mask sit on the hair surface. Let it sit as long as possible for hair improvement. 

Shampoo

Don’t forget shampoo when you care for low porosity hair. Invest in a clarifying shampoo that does not leave a lot of residue buildup. We recommend products infused with honey and glycerin. These ingredients will help cleanse the scalp while penetrating the cuticles more easily. Besides, limit using products containing alcohol. 

Best shampoos for low porosity: 

– Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo: You should buy it to care for low porosity curly hair. It leaves no product buildup, so it’s gentle enough for daily use. It gives your frizzy curls as smooth and silky as advertised. After washing with this stuff, your curls even have more definition. 

– Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Sulfate-Free and Silicone Free: For many years in this field, we notice that people with natural curly hair tend to ve low porosity. So how to take care of low porosity curly hair? This stuff can help you. As it sounds, the shampoo is sulfate & silicone-free that cannot rob moisture from your strands. Besides, it contains glycerin to add moisture to curly/frizz-prone hair. We believe it is a safe method for curly girls.

– Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying Shampoo: Washing your mane with this item once a week, and your hair may feel lighter, finer, more voluminous. But be careful not to use it too often as it will dry out your locks. This shampoo works to get rid of excess products that build up on your low porosity. 

Deep conditioning with friendly ingredients for low porosity

Repeat the treatment once a month to provide your strands with the necessary moisture. To care for fine low porosity hair, you should condition your mane with products containing aloe vera gel, white honey, etc. These ingredients help increase the ability of moisture absorption into hair strands. Remember to use these products to clean and wet hair for the best results. 

Wrapping things up

Everyone has a different hair type, so hair care is not the same. If you have low porosity hair, should spend a little more time determining your hair care tips and get the right treatment. 

Hope that our sharing on low porosity hair care is useful for you. Try and feel the difference in your mane. Your curls will thank you for it! 

If you have any other tips on taking care of low porosity natural hair, we would love to hear them.