Have you ever noticed that it takes quite a while and a whole lot of water to get your hair fully drenched? That no matter how deeply nourishing your hair products claim to effectively be, they still don’t work wonders for your hair? Chances are you have low porosity hair and you’re not using the right products for it.
Now, the real question is: What does it mean to have and what does it take to care of low porosity hair? But first and foremost, how do you even know if you have low porosity hair? If you’re looking for answers to these questions, then read on to learn more about your hair porosity and how to take care of low porous locks!
What is Low Porosity Hair?
Before we dive into low porosity hair, let’s talk about hair porosity. Hair porosity is all about how your strands can or cannot absorb and retain moisture, whether it be moisture from water or hair care products. Now, hair porosity comes in three types: low, medium, and high. Ideally, it’s best to have medium porosity hair since it means you have an even balance of water absorption and retention.
Now, when it comes to low porous hair, your strands’ cuticles are tightly packed together. This can be a good thing because tightly closed cuticles will allow your hair to lock in shine and moisture, but it can also be a bad thing because it makes it difficult for you to penetrate in more moisture to your strands. To add on to that, your hair’s natural oils will struggle to travel from your roots down to your ends because of tightly packed cuticles. Because of all these, low porosity hair are most likely to be:
- Dry and/or frizzy, especially the ends
- Prone to product build-up, resulting in weighed down or limp hair
- Repelling moisture
- Difficult to process and style
It is important to note that you can only have low porosity hair if it’s in your genes. It’s one of those things that are genetically passed down to you! Just to make things clear, sure, certain hair habits can change your hair porosity type, but only to make it more porous, not less.
How Do You Find Out Your Hair Porosity?
Not sure what’s your hair porosity type? We got you – you can find out what it is in less than 5 minutes with just 4 quick and easy steps!
To do the hair porosity test:
1. Grab a glass or bowl and fill it up with lukewarm water.
2. Pluck out one clean strand from your hair. Make sure that it’s clean from any styling product, as well!
3. Drop your hair strand into the water.
4. Observe what happens to the hair strand in the water.
If it floats on top before slowly sinking, then you have low porosity hair.
If it stops to float in the middle of the water for a while before sinking, then you have medium porosity hair.
If it quickly sinks to the bottom, then you have high porosity hair. Got highly porous hair? Switch to our guide on how to take care of high-porous hair.
Source: Pinterest
Hair Care Solutions for Low Porosity Hair
Alright, you’ve just found out that you have low porosity hair. What’s the next step? Well, switching your hair products to the right ones for your hair porosity type is a very good start! This will allow you to cater to what your hair truly needs, leaving you with the best hair you’ve ever had.
With low porous hair, you most likely have some, if not a lot of, product build-up since your strands aren’t able to absorb and retain them. So, what you’ll need to do is to regularly use clarifying products to wash them away! Here are our recommendations:
Davines SOLU Refreshing and Cleansing Set (₱ 2,745)
This clarifying set is formulated to remove any residue left on your scalp and strands. Thanks to the shampoo’s rich and airy foam, you can deeply cleanse your hair from any impurities. As for the scrub cleanser, it will gently scrub away any stubborn pollutants to leave your hair feeling refreshed and soft.
AVEDA Rosemary Mint Purifying Shampoo (₱ 1,200) and Conditioner (₱ 1,200)
This purifying shampoo has a lightweight gel texture that gently clarifies your scalp and hair from any product build-up and dirt. On the other hand, the weightless conditioner helps prevent tangles and static. This plant-based duo leaves your hair feeling squeaky clean and smelling amazing with an invigorating aroma of rosemary, peppermint, and spearmint.
If you want to add more products to your hair care routine, then you can use hair oils, even with low porous hair! Just make sure to stick to lightweight oils – they will nourish your dry ends without them being too heavy and looking greasy on your strands. You can try the Wella Professionals Oil Reflections Light Luminous Reflective Oil (₱ 1,099) – it is a light, finishing oil created to deeply nourish hair without weighing it down. Simply apply 1 to 2 pumps of this oil onto your ends and mid-lengths only, avoid your roots.
Discover more of our clarifying products here.
If you’ve read this far, then congratulations! You’re one step, or one wash, away from achieving your best hair yet now that you can take proper care of your strands. For any hair concerns or questions, you can send our HairMNL experts a message to get a hair consultation for FREE.
