Low porosity Hair Routine | Detailed Guide

by Truly Beauty House
low porosity hair routine

You might have heard about the term “Hair porosity” I guess that is why you are here. Before you choose any product for your hair or start taking any hair care treatments, it’s very important to identify your hair type. Because one product or remedy might not work for everyone, it’s important to understand your hair first.

Usually, there are three basic types of hair, or you can say levels of hair porosity:

  1. Low porosity
  2. Medium or Normal porosity
  3. High porosity

Today we are going to talk about the first type, which is “Low porosity.”

What does low porosity hair mean?

If I explain hair porosity in simple words, it means how thirsty your hair is, and therefore we will say low porosity will mean low thirstiness. 

In other words, hair porosity means the ability of your hair to absorb and retain moisture. Now, it can be anything like water, color treatments, chemical treatments, or any products. So, low porosity hair means hairs with very little or low ability to hold any product or moisture. 

Now, to further explain this statement, I am attaching a picture of how a low porosity hair strand looks when you look with a microscope view.

Learn Your Natural Hair Porosity — Coil Guide

As you can see, the picture is divided into two sections. In the above sections, you will see some flakes, known as hair cuticles. A hair cuticle is the outer layer of your hair. The cuticles are little scales that will determine how much the product can do in and come out. 

Here’s another diagram of low porosity hair. If you have low porosity hair, the cuticles will be completely flat and shut, or you can say they are tightly bound together.

So this means that this hair type has high moisture retention and holds the moisture best. But, as the cuticles are closed, it will also be very hard to get the moisture in there, but once the moisture gets in, it will stay there for a long period.

Is low porosity hair bad?

Now, being an expert, people ask if having low porosity hair is good or bad. Well, the answer is yes! Because there are more cons than pros of having low porosity hair.

The advantage of having low porosity is that the cuties or pores are closed, so they will not be much affected by the environment. On the other side, low porosity hair faces trouble keeping the moisture or any product, so it can easily break and grow very slowly. Also, the product works easily on low porosity hair. They become dry, dull, and frizzy with time. 

Low porosity hair can be found in any hair type, like curly, straight, thick, or thin. But, it’s not something that cannot be treated; although it’s difficult to manage low porosity hair with a proper hair care routine, you can change the porosity of your hair. So, let’s see the hair routine for low porosity hair.

If you have permed hair then must read our guides on permed hair care as well.

Low porosity hair routine

As I mentioned earlier, hair porosity can be found in any hair type, curly, straight, etc., so I will share a proper hair care routine for each hair type.

Low porosity curly hair

Low porosity hair, especially curly ones, needs special care to maintain its texture. Being an expert, we know that not every hair routine work for everyone because some people might have thick or thin curly hair, but the hair routine we have discovered will work on every curly hair regardless they are thin or thick so let’s see what it is:

Always wash low porosity curly hair with warm or hot water because low porosity hairs will not absorb any product like shampoo or conditioner if you use cold water. Washing hair with cold water will further close your pores and prevent any product from getting in.

Avoid using products that contain silicon and sulfate because they will be harmful to your hair. Although they will temporarily moisturize and make shiny products, over time, you will see that your hair will become damaged and start to break. 

Use deep condition your hair every week. Low porosity hair becomes dry faster and needs extra moisture to keep them hydrated. 

To make the conditioning more effective, add heat that will help the conditioner penetrate better. This practice is mostly used in salons, but remember one thing: don’t burn yourself; only take heat for 20 minutes. 

Apply oil to add moisture to your hair. For low porosity curly hair, lightweight oils are best to use like

  • Jojoba oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Sweet almond oil
  • Argan oil

There are also two other popular oils that people use: coconut oil and olive oil, but they might work for everyone, which is why we do not recommend that. 

Prefer leave-in conditioner instead of regular conditioner; they will protect your hair and keep it shiny and nourished. If you ask for my recommendation, I suggest Shea moisture low porosity conditioner. This conditioner will work best on your low porosity curly hair.

The last step is to use a curl sealer to enhance your hair texture and maintain your curls. Moreover, it will keep your hair frizz-free.

Low porosity straight hair

Low porosity is very common in straight hair. Here is the hair routine you can follow:

  1. Use deep cleaning shampoo.
  2. Moisturize your hair with leave-in conditioners.
  3. Use lightweight oils.
  4. Deep condition your hair with heat.
  5. Use humectant
  6. Avoid heat-styling stools because they will further dry your scalp.

Low porosity frizzy hair

Here are some hair routines for frizzy hairs

  1. Prefer lightweight oil.
  2. Use heat after conditioning or during the conditioning.
  3. Steam your hair.
  4. Avoid using heavy products.
  5. Use water-based products.
  6. Avoid silicon-containing products.
  7. Use silk pillowcases.

Natural hair care routine

Many people also ask us to share the hair care routine for natural or normal porosity hairs, so here it is:

  1. Use a moisturizing shampoo.
  2. Use a moisturizing conditioner.
  3. Prefer protein-based treatments and conditioners.
  4. Use leave-in-conditioners.
  5. Use water-based moisturizers.
  6. Only use protective styling tools.
  7. Reduce the use of heat.

Those who prefer home remedies then the chemical products follow the below-mentioned steps, but it will be your weekly hair care routine:

  1. Always apply warm natural oil to your hair.
  2. You can use rice water as a shampoo.
  3. Use eggs for proteins.
  4. Apply onion juice to hair growth.
  5. Use green tea on your hair to lower the risk of hair fall.
  6. Follow a healthy diet to balance your hormones.

One more thing that is included in hair care is a hair wash routine. Most people still don’t know how to wash their hair properly. So, that is what I am going to teach you today:

  1. The first and most important thing is that you don’t wash your hair daily. 
  2. The second is always using sulfate-free shampoos.
  3. Then wet your hair properly.
  4. Apply shampoo to cover your entire scalp and crown, including the tips.
  5. Massage your scalp with gentle pressure for about 3 minutes. 
  6. Rinse the shampoo thoroughly and ensure that there’s no shampoo left.
  7. Apply a conditioner and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. After that, wash it off.
  8. Absorb the excess water but do not completely dry them, and always use a soft towel on your hair.
  9. Apply leave-in-conditioner on damp hairs.
  10.  Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair.

How to grow low porosity hair?

As I mentioned earlier that low porosity hairs have a very low ability to hold any product or moisturizer and therefore become dry and dull. As a result, you will have to face breakage hair fall and, thus, difficulty re-growing them. After doing extensive research and experiment, here are my recommendations through which you can grow low porosity hair:

Clarify

The first thing is to clarify or clean your hair, specifically the scalp. After every week, you make sure that you clarify your hair. Because in a week, you are applying so many things on hair like moisture, oil, and styling products, and they start piling up on hair scalp, and your hair starts getting greasy. And, as low porosity hair will not goanna absorb any product, so for that, you need to use clarifying shampoo, or either you can use home remedies like apple cider vinegar or clay mask.

Deep condition your hair with heat

This is the most beneficial step; you should always deep condition your hair after every wash. Heat will help the low porosity hairs to open up their cuticles so that the water, oil, and moisturizer can easily get in. Deep condition and heat are the perfect combos for low porosity hairs. Now, there are two ways to put your deep conditioner in a bowl and heat it; once it’s warm, apply it to your low porosity hair, in which your cuticles will open and allow that conditioner to get in. Another way is to apply your deep conditioner and put a plastic cap or sit under a hooded dryer.

Use LCO method

LCO stands for “Liquid cream oil.” This is how to apply your products when you have low porosity hairs. However, people with high porosity hair follow the LOC method, “liquid oil cream.” LOC is the best for low porosity hair. The order of applying hair products for natural hair is the same as of the high porosity “LOC method.”

Use light proteins or no proteins.

Generally, the low porosity hair is protein sensitive. Therefore they can only handle small, lightweight proteins like silk, hydrolyzed, and wheat. 

Use warm water

The last thing that will help you grow your low porosity hair is to use warm water because your low porosity hairs have already closed cuticles, and using cold water will further keep those cuticles close, which is not a good idea. Warm water will open the cuticles and allow the products to go in. Whether shampooing, conditioning, or moisturizing, warm water will be best for your low porosity hair.

Shea moisture for low porosity hair

Now, let’s talk about the most popular moisture for low porosity hair: “Shea moisture.” Shea moisture has launched 3 products in low porosity lines: shampoo, a conditioner, and a detangle leave-in-conditioner. 

After a survey and personally using this product, the collective review is that the Shea clarifying is best because it does the designed work. The scalp is clean and feels like breathing. Then there comes a conditioner; it was worth it; I mean, it’s just okay.

The consistency of the conditioner was thick, and you will not goanna feel the moisturizer; however, it helps detangle the hair. The third product was detangling the leave-in-conditioner. The consistency was thicker and felt more like a regular conditioner. However it was super easy to apply, but it was not as moisturizing as it should be. You will probably feel that the conditioner is just at the top of your hair; therefore, you will still feel dry and look frizzier.

Ingredients to avoid for low porosity hair

Now that you know which types of products are to use for low porosity hair now, let’s take a look at which types of ingredients are not good for low porosity hair and you should avoid them:

  1. Don’t use heavy butter oil.
  2. Shampoos that contain sulfate, silicon, dimethicone, amodomethicone, and Cyclomethicone.
  3. Mineral oil
  4. Waxes.
  5. Petrolatum.
  6. Drying alcohols.
  7. Protein treatments.
  8. Acidic products,
  9. Flaxseed gel.

How do you know if you have low porosity hair?

This is also a very common question: How will we know whether we have low porosity hairs or not?

Well, there are two simple low prosperity hair tests that you can do at home:

Float test

The first one is the float test; now, how you do that test is to take a single strand of your hair and put it in a cup of water. Leave it for 2 minutes and see if the hair strand sinks to the bottom of the cup. This means that you have high porosity. However, if the hair strand floats to the top, you have low porosity hair. There is also one scenario: if the strand keeps floating in the middle, you have low porosity.

Slip ‘N” test

Take a strand of your hair and slide your finger on it. If it’s more slippery, you have low porosity hair. Whereas if you feel jagged or stop a little, you have high porosity hair.

Low porosity hair types

There are four types of low porosity hair

  1. Straight hair: Type 1A, 1B, and 1C.
  2. Wavy hair: Type 2A, 2B, and 2C.
  3. Curly hair: Type 3A, 3B, and 3C.
  4. Coily hair: Type 4A, 4B, and 4C.

FAQ’S

  1. How to care for low porosity hair?

    Here are some of the tips for caring for low porosity hair:
    Use clarifying shampoo that does not contain silicon or sulfate.
    Use lightweight conditioner.
    Use a lightweight detangled leave-in-conditioner.
    Use lightweight oil.
    Always wash your hair with warm hair.

  2. Is Shea butter good for low porosity hair?

    Yes, Shea Avocado butter moisture and natural Shea butter moisture. These two are perfect for low porosity hairs.

  3. How to moisturize high porosity hair?

    Usually, deep conditioning treatments are best for high porosity hair; specifically, Shea moisture high porosity moisture correct masque is perfect for you if you have high porosity hair.

  4. Is tea tree oil good for low porosity hair?

    Yes, tea tree oil has astringent properties that help the low porosity hairs open their cuticles and maintain moisture. Also, they have antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties that will help your hair and scalp.

  5. How to hydrate low porosity hair?

    Deep conditioning with heat and water-based products is best to hydrate low porosity hair.

  6. Is jojoba oil good for low porosity hair?

    Yes, jojoba oil is the most popular oil for low porosity hair because it’s extremely light and will penetrate the moisture in your hair.

  7. Is keratin good for low porosity hair?

     As keratin is a heavy protein, applying it on low porosity hair will cause dryness and breakage

Conclusion

So that was all about low porosity. Before writing this article, I read many articles, and honestly, I found them difficult to understand; therefore, I kept this article as simple as possible so that everyone could understand it better. 

If you have any other suggestion or query in your mind feel free to let us know in the comment section or simple email us at info@trulybeautyhouse.com

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