Without a doubt, low porosity hair can be tricky and frustrating to work with, especially when it comes to what products to use and which not to use. Low-porosity natural hair can tend to feel dry and distressed because it locks out moisture which the hair needs to stay pliable and replenish its elasticity.
Protein can be a huge enemy for low porosity hair as a rule of thumb which makes great conditioners kinda hard to find. Well, we are here to bring some relief to those low-porosity woes. Here we will list 4 types of products that can be beneficial for those with low-porosity strands.
1. Baking Soda
Baking soda, when used as a treatment, can be a low-porosity girl’s best friend. You might already understand that low porosity strands equals closed shut cuticles. The obvious problem with this is that it prevents moisture from getting into the hair shaft and any products that you may use on your hair will probably not have an effect on your strands because none of the goodies from the products can penetrate the hair shaft.
This is where alkaline treatments, such as baking soda, can save the day. Alkaline products slightly lift the hair cuticles, which is excellent for low-porosity hair strands because it allows for your conditioners and moisturizers to be effective.
How to use:
To make a baking soda treatment for low porosity hair, take about 1 tablespoon of baking soda and combine it with some conditioner. The amount of conditioner you need will depend on the thickness and length of your hair. Apply to your hair, cover with a plastic cap, and let it sit for about 30-40 minutes.
Rinse from your hair thoroughly. Just a quick note, baking soda should not be considered as a replacement for your cleanser so you should follow up the treatment with your cleansing and conditioning routine as usual.
This treatment can be done fortnightly or monthly. Doing the treatment more than this can potentially increase the porosity of your hair too much so be careful not to overdo it.
Where to buy:
You can find baking soda in any drugstore, grocery store, or convenience store.
2. A highly moisturizing humectant leave-in conditioner
When it comes to low-porosity hair, or any type of hair for that matter, super moisturizing products are your best bet. The challenge which you may have is figuring out a way to increase your absorption levels to ensure that you are getting the benefits to be had from them.
Glycerine or honey* are humectants and when mixed with water and other goodies are a great way for low porosity hair to get its much-needed moisture. Humectants attract moisture from the atmosphere, which makes them the moisturizing gift that keeps on giving.
Good store bought humectant hair products are curl activators that tend to be loaded with glycerine*.
If you want to opt for a natural route, you can create your own yummy glycerine* spray by filling up a spray bottle 1/4 of the way with vegetable glycerin and the other 3/4 of the bottle with water. You can add a little rosewater or a few drops of an essential oil for fragrance and you have yourself a wonderful moisturizing hair spray.
How to use:
Products that contain humectants, can be most beneficial when used on freshly washed damp hair before the cuticles have a chance to close. This ensures that the product will be absorbed into the cuticle and provide the aforementioned benefits.
Where to buy:
You can find various curl activators in beauty supply stores, drugstores, or online. You can find vegetable glycerin in some drugstores, health food stores or online.
i agree (:
Great article.
I did the baking soda on a few shed hair and then did the water test. I was shocked to see my hair sink almost immediately. It just absorbed the water. I did it to my entire head and loved the result
I read in another article that heavy oils are not your friend when it comes to low porosity. I’ve been using them nonetheless but i’m curious to know and would like to re confirm,
Okay, so I have read other articles and the details are a little conflicting. I have low Po hair, and suggestions involve using products on dry hair instead of damp hair and to heat up the oils I would use as sealants. Can there be a clarification please?
I don’t totally know, but for my low porosity hair, I apply products meant to primarily moisturize while damp and products meant for styling while closer to dry but still not totally dry. My hair takes about three to four hours to fully dry, so I usually apply a protein free leave in about ten to fifteen minutes after showering and apply stylers (curl activators or gels, etc) at around two hours to three hours into the drying process.
Castor oil works as a great sealant. I mix equal amounts of olive oil and castor oil together and then distribute over my hair.