Has You Hair Received The Right Diagnosis? Is it Still Low Porosity?

One of the most frequent question that I receive is on how to take care of low porosity hair.  In my effort to give the best advice possible I like to ask my clients, how do you know you have low porosity hair?  What are your hair's symptoms?   Do you find that products don't penetrate the hair easily? What's your hair routine? There may be a misunderstanding of what low porosity hair really is.  You know your hair type won't change but your hair porosity can.  There’re many factors to consider in other words we must check in with our hair often.  Do you use heavy products?  Do you color your hair? Do you use heat often?   These are important things to know because one day your hair may be at it’s healthiest then just as quickly it can change.  We know that low porosity hair is caused by tight cuticles that inhibit moisture from entering the hair.  Yes, low porosity hair is usually healthy hair that is free of chemicals or has fully transitioned from chemical usage.  But there are other factors.  Environmental harm such as sun damage, wind or winter can turn your very healthy hair into high porosity hair.

Your hair care routine can be the culprit as well.  Low porosity hair is very prone to build up.  Products with harsh ingredients or silicone can create a barrier that keeps moisture from entering your hair, the end result is dry damaged hair from the inside out.  Another problem that can cause low porosity hair to turn high porosity is co-washing or cleansing conditioners. Yes,

I know I just disrupted everything that you hold dear but it’s true.   Shampooing is a must for low porosity hair, build up is inevitable and it must be removed.  A clarifying shampoo may be a great addition to your wash day routine.  Another thing to note when you shampoo is the cuticles open a bit and that’s a great opportunity to deep condition your hair.  Opportunity doesn’t only happen during washing; pre-Shampoo is my number one suggestion for all hair types.  Apply your butter, oil or product of choice then place a plastic cap on and sit under the dryer for 15 to 30 minutes.  This encourages the product to penetrate the cuticle to deeply condition the hair.   Healthy hair maintenance is achievable, sometimes it's just a matter of changing your routine.  I'll cover how to take care of high porosity hair on a future post