Low-porosity hair can be difficult to treat, but it's not impossible.
While this hair type is different to others, it can still be treated with a lot of regular products (especially our Give Me Cosmetics products!)
But before we get into treating it, let’s take a step back. What even is low-porosity hair?
What Is Low-Porosity Hair?
To be able to properly care for low-porosity hair, we need to understand it first.
The term ‘Porosity’ itself means:
“The quality or degree of having minute spaces of holes through which liquid or air may pass”
In other words, when it comes to hair, porosity refers to the hair shafts’ ability to take in and retain water and hair products.
The hair shaft itself is typically made of three layers, the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. The cuticle is the outermost layer and is made of plates which overlap each other, similar to the layout of roof tiles.
With low-porosity hair, the cuticle becomes tightly packed together, with those overlapping plates lying flat and leaving no gaps for moisture to enter, which makes it difficult for products to penetrate the hair.
Spotting low-porosity hair
There are a few characteristics that go along with low-porosity hair, making it easier to spot:
- Low-porosity hair takes longer to get both wet and dry
- Products sit on the surface of low-porosity hair, rather than being absorbed
Plus, there are a few tests you can do to find out if this is the hair type you’re dealing with:
Float Test:
For the float test, pluck a strand of hair and place it on the top of a bowl of room-temperature water.
If the hair sinks quickly, it’s porous, but if it floats for a while then it’s likely low-porosity.
Spray Test:
The spray test involves spraying (who’d have thought?!) some water on your hair and watching it.
Low-porosity hair won’t absorb the water, so you’ll still be able to see visible beads of water on the hair strands.
Whilst low-porosity hair is often a result of genetics, it can also come about thanks to specific grooming procedures and is a lot more common in straight hair than curly hair.
If you’re just now finding out that you have low-porosity hair, don’t panic - all you need to do is find the right products to help you care for it, and that’s exactly what we’re here for!
Caring For Low-Porosity
It’s true that styling and managing this kind of hair can be tricky because of its structure which makes it repel moisture, but finding low-porosity hair products doesn’t have to be hard.
Take a look at our low-porosity hair tips and tricks below:
Clarify
Clarifying the hair means riding it of product build-up, something which becomes more likely in low-porosity hair due to its inability to let product get into the hair.
With this in mind, clarifying the hair is a crucial step in caring for this hair type.
Our Clarifying & Exfoliating Bundle is the perfect bundle for scalp-clarifying results. It includes our Scalp Clarifying Scrub which works to exfoliate, cleanse, and remove build-up from the scalp, leaving it fresh and clean.
Paired with our Scalp Exfoliating Brush to stimulate follicles and enhance scalp health, you’ve got a match made in scalp health heaven!
Moisturise with humectants
To enjoy soft, supple hair, it needs moisture, which we know low-porosity hair lacks.
Keeping the hair regularly moisturised is a great way to make this hair type easier to manage, and using products that contain emollients like aloe, and shea butter can help with this.
Aloe is also a perfect example of a humectant, an ingredient that loves water and attracts moisture from the environment, retaining it in the hair and preventing it from getting dried out.
Our Aloe Vera & Coconut Oil range makes full use of Aloe’s moisturising properties, helping to hydrate each strand of hair and leave you with glossy, gorgeous locks.
Light oils
Light oils are more absorbent than heavy ones, meaning they’re a lot easier for low-porosity hair to absorb, too.
The Four Curls Nourishing Hair Oil is a vegan-friendly, sulphate-free, and paraben-free formula which locks in moisture, nourishes hair follicles, and smooths split ends.
Use supplements
Hair supplements can help improve the overall health and appearance of all hair types, especially those containing biotin.
The Biotin Gummies from our Glow Gummies range contribute to the overall health of hair and skin, leaving you with a radiant glow and beautifully glossy hair.
See, low-porosity hair isn’t the end of the world!
The key is to find a personalised process of care that works for you and your hair, and you can enjoy healthy, beautiful hair every day.