In the last article, we talked about the hair porosity test and why it's important for hair care. Today we're focusing on low porosity hair and how to take care of it and what are the things you need to pay attention to. You will know whether your hair has low or high porosity by doing the test. If it's low, your hair will float on the surface of water in a cup and that means the spaces between your hair cuticles are very small so it doesn't absorb moisture easily. But at the same time, if the moisture does go in, the hair doesn't lose it, it keeps it in, benefiting and making the most out of it.
What is the Hair Porosity Test? Why Is it Important for Hair Care?
Low porosity hair is relatively healthy but needs help with care and moisturizing, while taking into account and carefully selecting the right products for it because it is very easy for it to look too oily or very dry. To ensure its health, be careful not to expose it to high heat or harsh chemicals like hair dye, especially with bleaching, because it destroys the hair and will quickly transform your hair from low porosity to high porosity, which is more difficult to treat.
Low Porosity Hair Characteristics:
- Low porosity hair needs time to feel saturated with water when washing it, meaning that it absorbs water very slowly, so exposing it to water for a short period will not be enough for it to get completely wet compared to medium or high porosity hair.
- Just as low porosity hair gets wet slowly, it also takes too much time to dry and could stay wet until the next day. It is possible that when you wash your hair at night before bed, you'll still wake up to it being wet and it could even remain wet up until the next night, especially if you've tied it
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Note: There are other factors that affect the drying time of hair, such as the thickness of a single hair and the thickness and length of the hair.
- Low porosity hair does not get tangled easily, but it tends to be more frizzy and dull due to the difficulty of conditioning curly hair and giving shine to straight hair.
- In some cases, if you pass a strand of hair between two fingers (the thumb and forefinger), you will feel that the hair is mostly smooth and doesn't have bumps like the ones with high porosity hair.
- Another test that you can do to make sure your hair's porosity is low is to spray drops of water onto washed and dry hair to see the droplets remain on the surface without being absorbed by the hair.
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Low Porosity Hair Care Routine:
- The first thing you need to do when caring for low porosity hair is to choose products that are light and not too thick to make it easier for the product to pass into the hair. a light thickness to facilitate their passage to your hair and to avoid using products with high viscosity.
- When using a hair mask make sure it gets some heat to stimulate the hair to absorb moisture. Either by applying a thermal bonnet to your hair or indirectly exposing it to a hair dryer, just make sure it's at a low temperature so it's not damaging. Do a lot of moisturizing masks and oil treatments every week to keep your hair healthy and shiny.
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- Because hair with low porosity does not absorb products easily, it's more likely to get dandruff and it is easier for products to accumulate on it and look crusty. Therefore, it is better to wash your scalp regular and your traditional shampoo. If you only wash your hair with conditioner, make sure to wash it well every three days.
- Diluted apple cider vinegar wash is your best friend for dandruff and product buildup on the hair. It restores the pH balance in the scalp and leaves your hair shinier and stronger.
- Make sure to use ingredients in your products that increase the absorption of moisture into the hair, like aloe vera gel and white honey, especially when using a hair treatment or deeply moisturizing hair mask.
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- For those with low porosity hair, you do not need to use Leave in Conditioners that are left on the hair without rinsing. You can use lighter products like serums, Moisturizing Milks and light oils like sweet almond oil and Argan oil.
- Like we said before, hair with low porosity needs some to help it absorb moisture, so it is recommended to use relatively hot water when washing your hair, before applying conditioner and then always finish it off with cold water to ensure that the pores are closed and the shine is maintained.
- Low porosity hair rarely needs protein, so be careful when picking products for your hair with protein, it can start to feel more dry because of too much protein. Also, don't use egg masks, mayonnaise, bananas and other heavy masks, on your hair because they can cause breakage and damage.
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- If your low porosity hair is straight, you won't have to struggle much with styling your hair with a traditional brush. But if your hair is curly, always make sure to brush it with a wide-toothed comb or with your fingers to loosen it when it's wet or has conditioner in it to avoid breakage.
- Oils suitable for low porosity hair when making hot oil treatments: jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, argan oil and coconut oil.
Note: Many find coconut oil to be not suitable for their hair, and there are misconceptions that coconut oil is heavy for low porosity hair or that it contains protein. That's not true because it's actually one of the lightest oils and one of the oils that are most capable of penetrating the hair. It doesn't contain protein but rather it mimics protein, which is why certain types of hair don't do well with it, regardless of the porosity of the hair.
- When using oils, it is preferable to put a few drops on your fingertips, massage the scalp with it, and then leave it on for some time before washing it, instead of completely coating the hair with oil.
Main Image Credits: Instagram @koolkelsey
