How To Grow Low Porosity Natural Hair

Last Updated on September 11, 2022 by The Blessed Queens

Today we will learn How To Grow Low Porosity Natural Hair with simple and easy steps, yes girl! Your hair is actually a collection of dead cells that are arranged in a distinct, three-layer pattern.

How To Grow Low Porosity Natural Hair

• The cuticle is the outermost layer of your hair. It comprises individual cuticles that overlap each other, like the tiles on a roof.
• The cortex is the middle and thickest layer. It contains fibrous proteins and pigments that give your hair its color.
• The medulla is the central, innermost layer of the hair shaft.

The cuticles of low porosity hair tend to overlap and are closely packed together. Water, as well as treatments like oils and conditioners, have a tougher time getting moisture to the hair shaft since there are no gaps between the cuticles.

So here is the big question that will help in understanding how to make low porosity hair grow!

What is low porosity hair?

Cuticles in low porosity hair are closely packed together, with no gaps between them. Water and other compounds like as conditioners and oils have a hard time penetrating the hair shaft due to the shortage of space.

Hair porosity refers to the ability of the hair to absorb and retain moisture. The porosity of your hair is determined by how open or closed its cuticle is. The cuticle is the hair strand’s outermost coat. It is made up of separate cuticles that overlap one another.

If you have low porosity hair, you may notice that the water drops will bead up and roll off after a few minutes rather than being absorbed immediately.

This makes it hard for water to saturate the hair during a wash.

Because low porosity hair is moisture resistant it also becomes a challenge to process and style.

Whilst hair porosity is determined by genetics, when low porosity hair is exposed to mechanical, chemical and thermal damage, the porosity may be altered. The cuticles get raised and have more spaces in between them. This makes it hard for your hair shaft to retain moisture. Ensure you have moderate exposure of your hair to heat, chemicals and styles to avoid damage on your strands.

Characteristics of low porosity hair

• With low porosity hair the cuticles are close together this makes it hard for products to penetrate. When applied your hair absorbs a little amount and the rest forms build-up.
• Hair products tend to sit on your hair instead of being absorbed.
• It takes a long time for low porosity hair to get wet and dry because there are fewer spaces between the cuticles.

Low Porosity hair care tips

Caring for low porosity hair involves practices that will enhance the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture and nutrients from products. Best tips include clarifying the hair to remove product buildup, using heat to deep condition among other tips.

Here are the best tips on how to grow and care for low porosity hair.

Here is how to test if you have low porosity hair:

Try the Sink or Float Test

“You’ll take a few strands of hair that have naturally lost from the scalp and fill a cup with room temperature water,” Rullan adds for the sink or float test. “Remember that hot water opens the cuticle, so if the water is too hot, the hair will fill up with water and sink, regardless of the porosity.

Because the hair has a high porosity, it absorbs water quickly and sinks to the bottom of the cup. Hair with a low porosity is water-resistant, thus the strands will float to the surface even after a few minutes.

You have medium or (normal) porosity if your hair is in the center and absorbs and retains water well.”

Test with a Spray Bottle

Next is the spray bottle test. “You’ll simply mist a section of the hair and closely watch,” instructs Rullan. “If the water beads up and fails to absorb, maybe even rolling off of the hair after a few minutes, you have low porosity hair.”

Use the Slide Test

The final test is the slide test, which is to be done on dry hair. “Take a strand of hair and slide your fingers up the hair shaft towards the scalp in the opposite direction of the cuticle layer. If you feel tons of bumps, likely, you have high porosity hair.”

Now that you know that you have low porosity here are some great tips on how to grow low porosity natural hair:

Steam your hair: how to make low porosity hair grow with heat!

Steaming your hair every now and again is a good way to get your cuticles to open and for moisture to be absorbed.

A good way to do this is to use a steaming cap like this. Both of these options are fairly inexpensive and will make the world of difference to how your hair grows in the future.

When you apply heat to your hair the cuticles will naturally lift making it easier for moisture to be absorbed into the hair strand.

Choose the right Oils!

As you now know, low porosity hair has a hard time absorbing moisture. Because it has a tightly bound cuticle layer that repels moisture, you need lighter products that can penetrate those strands. Oils like olive and coconut oil just won’t cut it, they’re too heavy.

The best oils for low porosity natural hair is:

• Argan Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Jojoba Oil
• Almond Oil
• Baobab Oil

Using lighter oils like this can help you moisturize your hair effectively. Aside from using light oils, using the right shampoos and conditioners in your regimen is just as important.

How to make low porosity hair grow using the greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is another great way to get your cuticles to lift.

You can moisturise your hair as you usually would then put on a shower cap over your hair.  You can do this overnight or during the daytime if you are not going out.

If you are a little creative you can do it even when you are going out by covering the shower cap with a headscarf.  I have done it many times in the past and no one had a clue what was going on under there.

You will notice that when you take off the shower cap there will be lots of steam and it will feel quite warm.  This is exactly what you want to happen. The heat that is trapped in the shower cap will help the cuticles of your hair to open up.

You can get yourself some really cheap disposable shower caps here

It’s a great and easy way to get some moisture into your hair if you don’t have a lot of time during your day to dedicate to it.

Clarify your hair

Clarifying your hair every couple of weeks or so is quite crucial.

If you don’t take the time to clear your hair, your strands will be covered in product build-up, making it even more difficult for your strands to obtain the moisture they require.

I know it appears self-evident because we all shampoo our hair. Low porosity hair, on the other hand, is prone to buildup. Consider how much product you use on your hair that doesn’t absorb ends up clogging the roots. This causes low porosity hair to become unclean, and who wants to look like that?

Now one thing to keep in mind is that when you are clarifying low porosity hair, you want products that will remove all that build up but won’t also dry out your hair. Natural hair, in general, is dryer than other hair types because regardless of your hair’s porosity, it is hard for moisture to travel down our curls. So, even if you don’t have low porosity hair, this tip can benefit you.

You can easily clarify your hair by using a clarifying shampoo.  If you don’t like to shampoo your hair too often then make sure you are keeping your products light so you minimise product build-up.

Give humectants a try

Humectants help your hair because they take moisture out of the air and into your hair. They can be compared to magnets in this way, moisture magnets.

Glycerin is a good example of a humectant.

Just be sure to do some further research before trying to apply glycerin directly to your hair as you may need to dilute it and it also doesn’t work as well in some weather temperatures.

Deep condition with heat

Getting into the practice of thoroughly conditioning your natural hair is a wonderful idea.

Deep conditioners are designed to penetrate far deeper into the hair than conventional leave-in conditioners or conditioners used after shampooing.

You should apply a deep conditioner in conjunction with heat for increased benefit.

Deep conditioners typically need you to leave them on your hair for 15 minutes before washing them out. To ensure that the hair strands are well soaked with moisture, use this and sit under your hooded dryer.

When it comes to moisture you need to make sure your hair is moisturized by utilizing these techniques:

 Pre-poo

Make sure you pre-poo your hair before washing it. By combining oils like sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, and grapeseed oil with other substances, you may create your own pre-poo concoctions.

You can use the greenhouse effect to apply them to your hair as described above.

Wash your hair regularly

Washing your hair weekly or every 2 weeks will keep it free of product build-up and give it another opportunity to absorb some moisture. Remember to wash your hair with warm water to open up the cuticles and then cold water at the end to seal in the moisture.

Moisturise your hair mid-week

Moisturizing your hair in the middle of the week is crucial. If you don’t do this, your hair may feel very dry and brittle by the end of the week. That’s something you don’t want to happen.

Moisturizing during the week doesn’t have to be time-consuming. You can mix a little leave-in conditioner with water in your spray bottle and give it a good spritz every time you change your haircut.

You can also apply aloe vera gel or juice to help seal in moisture. You can use a spray bottle filled with water and a small amount of aloe vera.

Seal in moisture

Always remember to seal in your moisture by using an effective oil for low porosity hair. You should be using the LOC method to do this

 Cover your hair

Always make sure when you are going to bed to use a satin headscarf or a satin pillowcase.

Using satin makes sure that any moisture that you apply to your hair will not be absorbed away by cotton or any other material. Satin does not absorb moisture which makes it really good to use at bedtime or any other time that you want to lay down.

CONCLUSION

Still wondering how to make low porosity hair grow?

Although having low porosity hair may appear to be the end of the world at first, it is far from it. Knowing how to cope with low porosity hair gives you an advantage because you’ll be able to maintain your hair more effectively.

As previously said, there are a few small things you can do to help better your situation without the low porosity hair issue working against you.

I’d love to hear any other low porosity hair care suggestions you have.

There you have it, How To Grow Low Porosity Natural Hair

What helps you grow your low porosity hair?

What to read next? I’ve got you, girl!

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• 14 Crucial Signs Of Low Porosity Hair
• 13 Amazing Oils For Low Porosity Hair That Works Wonders!