14 Crucial Signs Of Low Porosity Hair

Last Updated on September 11, 2022 by The Blessed Queens

There are signs of low porosity hair which everyone needs to hear about. I know the feeling of not knowing in which category your hair falls into… you can feel lost and unsure. But stick with me, there is hope!

Today we are talking all about 14 Crucial signs of low porosity hair and what can you do about it!

14 Crucial Signs Of Low Porosity Hair

• Cuticles?! They are all closed and resistant to moisture
• Products always sit on your hair
• Hair color or treatments does not absorb well
• Oh snap, Water beads up on hair
• What time is it?! Hair takes a long time to dry!
• Looks healthy but where is the elasticity?
• Your hair + conditioners = not so friends!
• Heat + conditioners = Works better
• I Just got it washed! There’s always buildup and dirt in your hair
• You get more dandruff than others
• The choice is yours…Your hair is too oily or too dry
• It also Tends to resist Chemical treatments like Colour etc.
• Your hair reacts better using humectants
• Clarifying your hair works wonders

Before we dive into each one of these signs of low porosity hair let’s answer few of the most basic questions you might have when it comes to low porosity natural hair.

What is Low Porosity hair?

Before we can understand the signs of low porosity hair we need to know what are the types of porosity and what exactly is low porosity hair.

There are 3 types:

1. Low Porosity
2. Medium Porosity
3. High Porosity

Low Porosity hair is simply when your natural hair finds it difficult to absorb moisture easily.

If you are unsure of your porosity level you can always follow this porosity test:

Why do you have low porosity hair?

• It could be down to your genetics
• Or you are not deep cleansing your hair properly

It could be down to your genetics

Some people have low porosity due to genetics and there is nothing you can do about that.

A good thing to do is to actually check other family members (mostly women) and if you identify with their symptoms there you have it.

In this case of genetics low porosity hair, you need to embrace it and learn the best way to work with it!

Or you are not deep cleansing your hair properly

Another reason you could be having low porosity is that you’re not deep cleansing your hair.

When I talk about deep cleansing what do I mean?

I mean clarifying your hair with a good clarifying shampoo!

Note that it can be drying so a good practice is to clarify once a month and follow up with a moisturizing shampoo to restore moisture.

How do I know my hair porosity?

The quickest way to find out if you have low porosity hair is by doing a strand test shown above.

I will break down the steps for my Queen’s that can’t really watch the video at the moment:

1. Clean your hair with a clarifying shampoo
2. Fill a glass with distilled water
3. Cut a strand of hair
4. Drop it in the glass of water
5. Let it sit for 3 minutes
6. Finally, check if you hair floats or sinks

If your hair floats with ease at the top, then it’s cursed with low porosity.

Let’s get into the 14 Crucial Signs Of Low Porosity Hair:

Cuticles?! They are all closed and resistant to moisture

When you notice that your hair cuticles seem to be close to moisture is a sign of low porosity hair.

Why?

Simply because low porosity hair is known for its ability to resist moisture which means..

Not enough moisture penetrate through your hair cuticles.

Products always sit on your hair

Have you ever felt that you’ve tried so many products that have given so many people great results?

Yet they seem to be sitting at the top of your head?

No matter what inversion method you perform (okay that’s for another day!) it’s unmovable.

Always sitting at the top of your strands.

Yep, that’s another sign you have low porosity hair.

Hair color or treatments does not absorb well

So you have this amazing idea of coloring your hair.

Cool!

Then you go for it and the color seems totally different from what you asked for.

Sounds familiar?

Yes, that could be a sign of low porosity hair doing its thing.

Meaning…

Not absorbing well the color treatment.

It’s always good to know your porosity level and notify your hair stylist.

Oh, snap, Water beads up on hair!

Yeah, so you follow this tutorial that says…

Soak your hair in water.

You go ahead and do that and you find out that water beads up or else are known as…

Sits on top of your hair strands.

Yes, that’s another one of the signs of low porosity hair!

What time is it?! Hair takes a long time to dry!

It’s okay, you have an hour to do your hair so you start by washing your hair.

You’re done and waiting for your hair to dry.

Waiting… and waiting…  and waiting…

That’s another sign of low porosity natural hair when it takes you forever to dry.

Note that I’ve realized that in winter seasons depending on your location it might naturally take longer to dry.

But if that repeats itself in every or most of the seasons, girl…

Low porosity on the horizon! (love this post on different drying method for your natural hair)

Looks healthy but where is the elasticity?

Our natural hair can trick many people into thinking it’s super duper healthy.

But you alone know what your hair feels and acts like.

When you notice that your hair looks kind of lifeless with not much elasticity it could be that your hair low porosity.

Again you should pay attention to the cleansing routine you have because you might need to switch it up.

Your hair + conditioners = not so friends!

Who doesn’t love conditioners?

I do!

And here is why.

They do so well when you’re in the shower, washing your hair and you want to detangle.

The slip is a lifesaver right there.

But you might also want to use it for moisture purposes or treatment.

When you feel that your hair is not really liking the conditioner you’re using there could be two reasons.

One: You need to try another one.

Two: you have low porosity hair which takes me to my next sign of low porosity hair below.

Heat + conditioners = Works better

A beautiful morning this great idea comes to your mind.

Why not heat my conditioner?

I mean warm it up, We don’t want your hair to start cooking itself (lol).

Then you actually try it and it works amazingly well for your hair. (This post on how to heat your conditioner will be helpful)

That’s another sign of low porosity hair because while it might not work previously with a simple conditioner, now that you warmed the same conditioner it works.

I Just got it washed! There’s always buildup and dirt in your hair

This is not cool at all.

You’re there, sweating yourself washing and cleaning.. then you are done and in a matter of days, your hair feels dirty again.

Say what?

I said… it feels dirty again!

Oh okay 🙂

I have come across this and it’s really frustrating because you are ready for few days of clean scalp and carefree strands and you find them all buildup of the world having a meeting on your head.

Okay, that’s gross but you get the picture.

That could also mean you need to wash more often due to the amount of products you use.

Or just use fewer / lighter products.

You get more dandruff than others

Hmmm… I won’t talk much about this because it’s so tiring.

Dandruff is something we all have come across in one way or another.

If you’ve lived and not seen dandruff on your scalp.

Girl, leave me a comment because I want to congratulate you!

Dandruff is really annoying but exists especially if you have low porosity hair.

(This post here will help you learn how to treat dandruff)

The choice is yours…Your hair is too oily or too dry

Now some ladies have asked me how often they should oil their scalp.

The answer is right in your hands.

But again your hair might end up too dry from not moisturizing and sealing enough.

What should you do?

First of all, I recommend you trying the waters in order to see how well your hair reacts to moisture.

If build up does not come in you can stick to that routine.

It also Tends to resist Chemical treatments like Colour etc.

So previously we talked about the fact that your hair cant absorb color or treatments well.

We had to heat the conditioner to get it working well.

Now there is a possibility that your hair might resist those treatments totally.

When you notice that pattern repeating itself then you’re probably in the low porosity gang!

Your hair reacts better using humectants

A humectant is great when it comes to helping your hair consume moisture.

Many don’t really like them but when you notice that your natural hair is loving them, that could also be added to the signs of low porosity hair.

Clarifying your hair works wonders

Last but not least, we don’t get to clarify as much as needed.

I don’t do it monthly but I will start implementing this.

Why?

Because clarifying help you get rid of all the build-ups and stuff that’s sitting on your strands.

Give your hair some breathing space once in a while.

If you notice that once you clarify monthly your hair responds better, that could be a sign of low porosity hair.

So now that we know the signs of low porosity hair, what are some things we need to avoid when it comes to our hair?

Here are few Tips on What to Avoid if you have low porosity hair:

• Some of them are low pH (which force the cuticles to shut)
• And some are too thick to break into the hair strands.
• Proteins
• Low pH products (They close the cuticles)
• Natural oils and heavy oils (Castor oil, Coconut oil)
• Co-wash products
• Leave in conditioners
• Heavy butter (like raw shea)

This is not a list of horror! You just have to do your best to use them with caution.

Note that what works for most of the low porosity ladies might end up not working for you.

I always encourage my Queens (You’re one of them) to always try things for themselves before jumping to conclusions.

Difference between Low and High Ph

• Low pH: Closes your hair cuticles
• High pH: Opens your hair cuticles

What is Your Hair Porosity level and which of these signs of low porosity hair was helpful to you? (Leave me a comment below!)

Hey Low Porosity Hair Natural, What to Read Next?!
Check these awesome posts out:

• Amazing Low Porosity Hair Characteristics You Must Know!
• The Ultimate Low Porosity Hair Regimen Strategy
• How To Master The LCO Method For Low Porosity Hair
• 13 Amazing Oils For Low Porosity Hair That Works Wonders!
• 19 Best Clarifying Shampoo For Low Porosity Hair
• 83 Best Products For Low Porosity Hair You Need to Try!
• 14 Crucial Signs Of Low Porosity Hair
• How To Master The LCO Method For Low Porosity Hair

xo, Queen