It is a myth or misconception rather, that afro-textured hair is porous or has high porosity. I and many other women I’ve come across on their natural hair journeys have low porosity hair. Since our hair is not exactly the “norm” it is hard to find methods that work exactly for us. Here are some tips on how to care for low porosity hair that have worked for me.
What is Low Porosity Hair?
Low porosity hair tends to be very shiny, initially repels water rather readily absorbing it, has flat cuticles and is difficult to chemically process. Basically this means it is difficult for anything to penetrate the hair shaft. On the flip side it is also difficult for anything to leave the shaft.
Wash Day Tips
Many natural heads are not shampooed daily, if at all. One thing virtually all do is condition. If you have low porosity hair, you need to work a little longer with your regular and deep conditioners. For regular conditioning rinse hair with warm water first to open the cuticle and then apply your conditioner. Leave on hair for about five minutes then rinse with lukewarm water.
For deep conditioning, apply your deep conditioner (DC) generously to hair. Next cover hair with a plastic cap and sit under a warm dryer for 30-minutes or wrap a warm towel around your head for 45-minutes. The heat will help the conditioner penetrate the hair shaft. Rinse hair with lukewarm water.
DC Note: Some like to use protein packs as their DC. Use protein packs sparingly and only if you notice damage like excessive breakage or dryness from heat damage. When low porosity hair is healthy, added protein will lay on hair making it dull-looking, dry and feel straw-like.
Post-Wash Conditioning
On wash day you can use a leave-in conditioner or use a light conditioner that has slip to it as your leave-in. Use very little of the conditioner on hair while it is still wet. You will need to smooth the conditioner through hair, gently squeezing hair to remove excess conditioner. Then apply an oil, anti-frizz serum or hair gel to seal while hair is still wet.
Refreshing Your Hair
Probably once or twice between washings you may need to refresh your hair. This mean you will need to rewet it or dampen it with water or a liquid leave-in conditioner and seal it with oil. Healthy hair with low porosity should not require daily refreshing as your hair does not lose moisture as quickly as high porosity and normal porosity types do.
Using Styling Products
When using styling products you need to use a light hand with them. If you use too much product on hair it can leave a white residue on it or make hair feel dry because it will build up on the hair. Here is what I do:
- Section hair into at least four sections.
- Place no larger than a quarter-sized amount of product into palm.
- Rub my palms together briskly to warm and thin the product out.
- Then I place the section of hair between my hands and smooth my hands over the section repeatedly until I see no trace of the on hair.
- Repeat the process for the remaining sections.
These tips take you from wash to styling. Caring for low porosity can feel like a challenge at first. Once you figure out the right products to use and the right amount of each product to use it becomes easier. Once you get your process down, you may find it to be more low-maintenance than you initially thought.
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