Learning about yourself, your body, your hair and your skin is a process, it will take time to unravel the mysteries and secrets but let us assure you that when you get there, it's all going to be worth it. All of us have different hair types, what might work for some may prove to be worthless for you but it is with trial and error that you'll find out what is best for you. Time and time again, we keep saying that you need to know yourself before investing and reinvesting in products and accessories, and not become part of a herd. So today, we've brought you some wonderful tips and tricks for all you low-porosity hair types.
Let us start from the very beginning, some of you might be thinking, wait what is this low porosity that they are emphasizing so much upon? We've tried explaining it to the best of our ability, hope it helps you!
What is low porosity?
Having low porosity hair precisely means that your hair finds it difficult to gain or absorb moisture. With low porosity hair the cuticles, the outermost layer of hair, overlap each other and are firmly packed together. Since they're closely packed together it makes it difficult for water, hair oils, conditioner or any kind of moisture to enter the hair shaft.
If you're confused about whether your hair is low porosity or not then we've certain signs or ways which you can determine instantly:
- Products don't sit in your hair- this is because moisture is not allowed to enter your hair, so if you begin noticing that unusual product buildup or dry rough hair, then it's highly likely that you have low porosity hair.
- No elasticity or bounce- well let's face it, all of us have at least once imagined to be in those tv commercials promoting healthy, bouncy, fluffy hair right? That's why we take extra care of ourselves on the first hair wash day and make plans accordingly as well but what if even after freshly washing your hair it's brittle and has absolutely no elasticity? Yeah, that's an almost accurate measure of low porosity.
- It takes an unusual amount of time before your hair gets completely damp- this is basically because your cuticles don't allow moisture to enter and thus, this is one of the first signs of low porosity hair.
Now that we've covered the base, we know what porosity refers to and what are the consequences of it. Let's see if there's an instant method to determine the porosity of your hair. The above-listed ones will take a few days or months for you to notice so we have a way to let you know right away. It's easy and accessible, don't thank us so soon, this article is going to be filled with lots of brownie points for you guys!
- Step 1- first make sure that your hair's all washed up and there's no product build-up. We don't want to get skewed results now, do we?
- Step 2- take a strand of your hair and drop it in a glass of water.
Now here's the real test and observation which will tell you how porous your hair actually is.
If the strand is floating on the top and/or is taking a long time to sink, you've low porosity hair since it's taking a long time for your hair strand to absorb water.
However, if the hair strand immediately sinks to the bottom then again you're still in a problem so don't be too happy, it means that your hair is too porous. Now you might think that's a good thing and your hair will always be moisturized and shiny but wait um let us hold you right there. You're absolutely wrong! This is because even though your hair can absorb moisture quickly it is unable to retain it which thus, results in dry, frizzy hair.
Now if your hair is floating in the middle of the glass then we're in equilibrium, ie, an ideal situation where you don't have to make a lot of life-changing decisions for your hair.
If you guys identified with situation 1) we empathize with you, it's tough to deal with, frustrating and just plain infuriating. We've all been there, so don't worry, we've got your back. Here are some secrets that helped us tame and understand our hair just a little better-
DO's:
1. Clarify your hair
Clarifying your hair simply means that you're stripping it of all the things that have caused buildup in your hair. Clarifying your hair regularly helps it to get rid of unnecessary product buildup and breathe freely. For this, you can either go for a clarifying shampoo or if you don't want to spend extra, you can simply use lightweight products.
2. Steam your hair
Steaming your hair every now and then, gives the cuticles an opportunity to open and for moisture to be absorbed. When heat is applied to low-porosity hair, cuticles naturally lift up making it easier for your hair to absorb moisture. You can go for a steaming cap for this purpose.
3. Wash your hair regularly
Washing your hair at least once a week will ensure no product build up and make it easier for the moisture to be absorbed. Again, wash your hair with warm water so that the cuticles can open easily and then cold water at the end to seal in the moisture.
4. Humectants are your best friend
Less porous hair automatically makes humectants your best friend. For those of you who don't know what a humectant is, it's a substance which attracts moisture from the air or from deep within the skin. We like to call them as our little moisture magnets and they're absolutely essential for low-porosity hair. Glycerin is one of the many humectants that you can give a try.
DON'Ts:
1. Using heavyweight products or too many products
This should come as no surprise for using way too many products and way too often can cause product accumulation and it would be further detrimental to the health of your hair.
2. Avoid protein treatments
All of us wanna pamper ourselves every now and then but protein treatments for low-porosity hair are a bad idea, as they can cause product build up and further minimize the chances of hair absorbing moisture.
3. Butters
Substances such as shea and cocoa butter which smell amazing can again be fatal to the cuticles of your hair. They're very thick and repel water, so if used in large amounts or frequently they can form a coating outside the hair shaft and make absorbing moisture practically impossible.
That was a crash course in low porosity hair and how to take care of it. We hope these few hacks help you out immensely and do wonders to your hair as they've done to ours. Till then, good luck!
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