How to Manage Your Low-Porosity Hair

Before we dive deep into this blog post, one of the biggest mistakes most naturals have is not knowing their hair porosity is. So what is hair porosity? Hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture. There are three categories when it comes to hair porosity: low, normal, and high porosity. Knowing how to manage your low-porosity hair will help you avoid spending unnecessary money on products that may or may not work for your hair.

There are several tests you can take to find your hair porosity. I used the floating water test, which in my opinion, is the easiest. You take a clean strand of hair and place it in an 8 oz cup of water. Let it sit for about two minutes, no more than four. If your hair strands float in the middle, you have normal porosity; if your hair sinks immediately, you likely have high porosity hair. And if your hair sits above the water or right at the waterline, welcome to the low porosity club! Understand that your hair porosity changes based on any chemicals you put in your hair.

If your hair is chemically treated, it will react differently than someone with virgin hair. Low-porosity hair has difficulty absorbing moisture, but once it’s locked in, it’s there. One way to determine if you have low-porosity hair is the length of time it takes for your hair to become soaked on wash day.

Finger Detangling Your Low-Porosity Hair

Because natural hair can become tangled, use your fingers to detangle any knots before washing or styling your hair. You don’t want to be rough with your hair because doing so can cause unnecessary breakage. A hair tool is okay and should be used more if your hair is thicker and longer. Just remember to be gentle. Try not to finger-detangle dry hair. I repeat, NEVER finger detangle on dry hair. You always want to have some product in your hair. Don’t be fooled by what others may have said; you can manage your low-porosity hair without damaging your strands.

Pre-Poo

Pre-poo prepares your hair for shampooing. Earlier in My Natural Hair Journey, I used to pre-poo faithfully, and now, I only pre-poo when I feel my hair needs it. If you wear a lot of wash-n-gos or protective styles, I think pre-pooing your hair is essential. Finger detangling while in the pre-poo stage will help your wash day go by with ease.

Shampoo

Most naturals assume that shampoos are harmful, but this is untrue. How often you shampoo your hair depends on your hair care needs. Finding the right shampoo is vital. You want to ensure you find a cleansing but not stripping shampoo. This will help you retain the natural oils in your hair. I enjoy clarifying shampoos such as Aunt Jackie’s Oh So Clean Moisturizing & Softening Shampoo and Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse. The purpose of a shampoo is to help you cleanse your low-porosity hair from all products you’ve been using. Remember to shampoo your hair with warm water. This helps to open your cuticles.

Deep Conditioner With Heat

Because low-porosity hair cuticles are closed, adding heat to your deep conditioner will help! Adding heat is a bonus to help manage your low-porosity hair. You can use a hood dryer or steamer. Besides those, you can wrap your hair with a plastic cap, and a towel does the job. How long should you deep condition? You can deep condition your hair for about 20-30 minutes; I like to deep condition my hair a little longer (30-45 minutes). I recently wrote a blog post on the best deep conditioners for low-porosity hair; check out my recommendations. Again, giving the product enough time to work in your hand strands is the ultimate key to maximizing your strands’ hydration.

Protein Deep Conditioner/Protein Treatment

You may be torn by knowing whether your hair needs a protein treatment. Or how often you should complete this process. But too much of anything is not good. That goes to say about your deep conditioners with protein. Low-porosity hair doesn’t need as much protein as high-porosity hair strands, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need any. I like to do a lighter protein treatment every 6-8 weeks and a more substantial protein treatment every six months. I will use the Aphogee Two-Step Protein Treatment and the Aphogee Balancing Moisture. If you listen to your hair, it will show you when and what it needs.

Stylers for low-Porosity hair

To manage your low-porosity hair, finding a suitable styler is important. Depending on your hair’s density (how thick or thin your hair is), choosing the best styler will help you achieve your style. A suitable moisturizing styler is important because it helps avoid re-moisturizing your hair between wash days. Since I have medium-density hair, I have noticed that thicker stylers are better for me. That said, I usually can wear a style for about four days without having to re-moisture my hair. I have used lighter stylers and a gel that helps me define. Here are a few of my favorites.

Tailored Beauty Curl Antidote Curling Cream

Miche Beauty Quenched Hydrating Twist & Butter

TGIN Twist and Define Cream

Don’t let having low-porosity hair defeat you. Having low-porosity hair is not the end of the world. I hope these tips can help you with your low-porosity hair.