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Delving into the big world of natural hair care usually starts by determining your hair curl pattern and porosity. The curl pattern is understandable for most, but the porosity part could get confusing. You do the test, your have low porosity hair, “then what?” you ask yourself. We are here to answer all the questions you might have with some valuable tips on top!
What is Low Porosity Hair?
Every strand of hair consists of three layers, the outermost one being “the cuticle”. The cuticle is a transparent scaly keratin layer that protects the hair, gives it shine and keeps hair moisture inside. Hair porosity refers to how porous the cuticle layer is, so if the scales of the cuticle layer are lying tightly and flat on the hair strand it would be of low porosity, and if they’re not as packed or flat on the hair it would be of high porosity.
Low porosity strands are more reflective of light and more lustrous, and due to the tightly packed cuticle it can resist being moisturized. After finally being moisturized, low-po hair is good at retaining it in comparison to high porosity hair. As a person who has low porosity hair, your utmost goal will be to moisturize your hair and keep that moisture in, let’s head onto our tips and tricks!
Don’t Skip Deep Conditioners
Deep conditioners are your best friend no matter what your hair type is. Choose a suitable deep conditioner and use it no less than once a week, increasing the frequency of usage if needed. Don’t forget to apply indirect heat!
Apply Indirect Heat with Any Conditioning Treatment
Indirect heat is the biggest key to solving low porosity hair issues because it helps lift the cuticle so the hair strand can accept moisture from conditioning treatments. There are several ways to apply indirect heat and we will explain them.
- Steam: Steam is great to open up hair cuticles and the easiest way to steam your hair is by getting into a steamy shower and it will allow your hair to absorb more moisture.
- A plastic cap and hot towel: For more indirect heat, wrap your hair in a plastic shower cap, and wrap a wet hot towel over it for 15 minutes. The cap will trap heat coming from the towel and your scalp for a pronounced conditioning effect.
- A thermal cap: There are many thermal caps available on the market, but most could be unsafe since the operate with electricity. Then there’s the Infusion Hood that only uses the heat coming from a blow dryer as the source, making it magnitudes safer than electric caps.
Get The Infusion Hood and try it with your hair conditioner and masks for marvelous moisture here.
Use Protein-free Products
Many hair products contain proteins to repair damage and strengthen hair, but with low-po hair you most likely don’t need it. Adding protein to low porosity hair will most likely make it brittle, so you need to tread lightly with them. Opt for products with little to no protein, and they’re clearly stated in the ingredients so they’re impossible to miss.
The L-C-O Method
L-C-O stands for “Leave-in conditioner – Cream – Oil” which is basically the sequence of applying styling products to low porosity hair. Start by applying the leave-in conditioner of your choice, followed by a styling cream, and finally seal it with a few drops of a lightweight oil. We recommend using products that are lightweight and not full of butters, and also with no proteins. As for the sealing oils, lightweight oils such as Jojoba, Sweet Almond, Avocado and Grapeseed oil will do wonders!
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