Is your hair glassy and smooth? Then it's probably not porous at all. This is because the low porosity hair strands are sealed and smooth, making the hair appear reflective and shiny.
Not sure what your hair porosity is? There's an easy test you can do at home. Simply take a strand of your hair and place it in a cup of water. If the strand sinks, you have low porosity hair. If it floats, you have high porosity hair. If it sinks but then floats back up, you have medium porosity hair.
Low porosity hair is not very absorbent. It is less able to take in water and hair treatments, so products may accumulate on the surface. Compared with high porosity hair, it is less prone to breakage. The above information is from the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC).
So when it comes to deep conditioning low porosity hair, hot oil treatments are a great option. Oils such as grapeseed, jojoba, argan, and coconut oil are suitable for this treatment. Applying oil treatments to clean, damp or dry hair is best. All you have to do is mix your oils of choice in a heat-safe bowl.
In fact, the cuticle layer is so tight that water molecules cannot penetrate the hair shaft. This means that low porosity hair is practically resistant to moisture. It is very difficult for water (or other hydrating ingredients) to be absorbed into the hair to keep it moisturized.
Avoid Heavy Products and Buildup 🧴
Heavy creams, thick oils, and butters are the enemies of low porosity hair.
Cold water is often suggested to close cuticles. However, hair with low porosity benefits more from warm water.
Low Porosity Hair:
Hair may feel weighed down or greasy if over-washed. - Wash Frequency: Low porosity hair typically requires less frequent washing, approximately every 1-2 weeks or as needed.
For low porosity hair, light oils like jojoba, argan, avocado, and almond oil are ideal as they easily penetrate the tightly bound cuticles without weighing the hair down.
Additionally, your hair's natural oils struggle to travel from the roots to the ends due to the tightly packed cuticles. As a result, low porosity hair tends to be: Dry and/or frizzy, especially at the ends. Prone to product build-up, resulting in weighed-down or limp hair.
Yes, people of all races and ethnicities can have low porosity hair.
Low porosity hair: The cuticles in low porosity hair are tightly packed together, this makes it difficult for moisture to enter the hair shaft. Due to this, pure coconut oil may not be beneficial to this porosity type.
Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up it, toward your scalp. If you feel small bumps along the way, you may have high porosity. If the shaft is smooth, your cuticle is bound tight and you may have low porosity hair.
Easy! The Slide Test: Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the shaft from the ends towards the scalp. If you feel little resistance and your fingers glide smoothly, your hair is likely high porosity. If you feel some resistance but can still slide your fingers easily, you have medium porosity hair.
We tend to think of curly hair as dense and prone to dryness. Low porosity curls tend to be looser, wavy, or S-shaped. The curls are distinct with a tight, flat cuticle that prevents moisture from entering and exiting the hair. This is why low porosity hair can often look limp or flat.
Beware of Protein
However, low porosity hair is protein-sensitive because the cuticles are already tough and tightly packed together. Adding additional protein to a low porosity hair care routine can cause the hair to become stiff and fragile, so instead of stronger hair, you're left with hair more prone to breakage.
Here are some things that low porosity hair should avoid: Products with silicones: Silicones can create a barrier on the hair, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate. Look for products that are silicone-free or use water-soluble silicones.
Appropriate moisture is the secret to happy tresses. But when they refuse to absorb moisture easily, they become dry and lose their natural curl definition, leading to dry hair and limp curls. It means there is a need for conditioning low porosity hair.
We know how relaxing a long, blazing hot shower can be at the end of a long day, but all that heat can dry your strands—which is the last thing low porosity hair needs. Switch to lukewarm water and aim to keep your showers on the shorter side to help protect your strands from unnecessary moisture loss.
Hair with higher porosity absorbs more moisture and swells more when exposed to water or humidity, resulting in greater shrinkage. Lower porosity hair, on the other hand, may shrink less due to its ability to resist moisture absorption and retain shape.
Because they struggle to retain moisture, low porosity hair can also be dry and dull, and take longer to dry. To prevent product buildup and intensely hydrate this type of hair, it is crucial to use lightweight oils.
Simply take a clean, product-free strand of loose hair and put it in a glass of water. If the hair floats at the top then it is low porosity, if it sinks slowly or settles in the middle it is medium/normal porosity, and if it sinks straight to the bottom then it is high porosity.