Like low porosity curly hair, we always meet various problems with our hair and every day ask ourselves what is the best way to deal with it?!
Some problems may be nothing but because we didn't understand its mechanism. We make a mountain out of a molehill (make a dome out of a grain) and solve the problem by complicated solutions that don't need it at all.
By talking about the mechanism we should mention what's the porosity of the hair especially low porosity curly hair but first, let's take a look at the hair porosity concept.
Hair Porosity concept:
The porosity of hair means the degree of absorption, penetration, and retention of water in our hair cuticles, and of course, this includes hair products such as oils, creams, shampoos, conditioners, even pigments, and so on.
To approximate the meaning of the porosity concept by analogy with low porosity curly hair, you can imagine 3 types of soil: gravel, sand, silt, and how much of each one of them can penetrate and keep the water inside it.
The gravel represents high porosity it takes and loses easily while, the slit represents low porosity, it takes and loses hard.
Lastly, sand in-between both of them.
Now well, so what !!
What is the point of knowing all of this?
Truth be told, this is the key to solving most of our problems with our hair.
If we know what type of hair we have, we will deal with it by using the best products to keep its vitality and dampness, Let's cut it out and understand this important information together by taking our subject of low porosity curly hair as an example.
History and features of low porosity curly hair:
First of all, we need to know what's the meaning of curly hair and low porosity?
Curly hair:
It's one of four basic hairstyles or cuts(straight, wavy, curly, and coily)
You remember the red hair of princess Merida in Brave movie, that's the hair which we talk about.
Low porosity hair:
The capability of hair for humidity is very low, It does not easily absorb water and hair products
History of low porosity hair:
Using unsuitable heat on the hair or wrong products don't make the hair be of a low porous type, it's often due to genetic causes although if the opposite happens, using unsuitable products or heat may cause high type porosity.
Now we come to talk about its properties.
Properties of low porosity hair:
It takes a long time to be completely wet, also a long time to be completely dry, maybe continuing to the next day, due to the difficulty of entering and exiting the water from the pores of the hair.
This applies, by all means, to the products which you use like oils, creams you observe that just stay on the surface of your hair, maybe also find it on your hand if you try to touch your hair.
How do I know the type of porosity of my hair?
Many ways can detect if you have low porosity curly hair or have other types of hair such as 3S (Spray, Slide, and Sink test).
But first, be careful to get a more accurate result. You should first clear your hair well from previous products (oils and creams…).
Because that may change or even affect the results of this test, forms a barrier, and prevents the water absorption well consequently you can think your hair is low porosity while it's not so after good cleaning by shampoo, rinsing, and drying it well without a dryer.
You can choose the test do you like:
Spray test:
You just splash a few drops of water and observe, this is called "spray test":
1- If the water droplets just remain on the surface of the hair this means it's low porosity hair.
2- But if the opposite happens and the water droplets disappear this means a high porosity hair.
3- If it takes a short time then absorb the water droplets this means medium porosity.
Sink test:
Another way to determine the type of porosity by doing this test which is called the" Sink test":
You bring a cup of water and put a strand of hair and watch:
1- If it sinks immediately or takes a very short time to sink this means you have a high porosity type of hair.
2- If it just stays or floats on the surface this means you have a low porosity type.
3- If you are lucky because your hair strand is just stuck in the middle not completely floating or sink which means you have a medium porosity type.
Slide test:
You can take the easiest way and apply the "Slide test":
By feeling the texture of hair strand by your tip finger from the end to its origin in the scalp.
If you feel the rough and irregular texture of the hair strand this means you have high porosity but if you feel it smooth you have low porosity.
All of these ways and tests can detect low porosity curly hair after first determining your hairstyles; straight, wavy, curly, and coily.
Now, can you determine if you have low porosity curly hair or not?
How about you take a test and tell us the result? We are looking forward to knowing that.
Caring for low porosity curly hair:
General care routine for curly hair type:
1- Do not overuse shampoos and use pre-shampoo treatment(conditioner).
2- Use a wide-toothed comb with water spray To detangle knots of hair.
3- Avoid heat styling tools and hot water because they damage your hair and make it brittle so start with lukewarm and finish with cold water to seal the pores and keep its humidity.
4- Use a pillowcase made from silk to reduce friction with hair during sleep.
5- Use light oils to moisturize, such as coconut oil.
Those are some general guidelines for taking care of low porosity curly hair.
From now on I will tell an amazing story about two friends who had the same porosity, what changes have occurred, and how they deal with all of that;
And also taking some specific guidelines for our subject low porosity curly hair.
Now we see what do each of them with her hair after doing the test and know which type of hair they have.
The first one of them detected that hair is low porosity, it resists water and other products from penetration so she decided by hook or by crook to overcome that by the following:
Some specific guidelines for low porosity curly hair:
The first step
By avoiding shampoos containing oils or butter; simply it sticks on the top of the hair, you will look like crying for the moon if you put it on and hope your hair absorbs it because this will never happen. Instead of that, she used shampoos containing honey or glycerine.
Second step
By using conditioners protein-free and using them while the hair is already wet to be easy to absorb by the hair and don't accumulate many residues.
Lastly,
The Process acceleration key is heat by putting a hot towel or heat cap to make pores more susceptible for absorption.
Also completely avoided heavy oils and depends on light oils (water-based) like Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba oil.
In general, this is the ideal way to deal with low porosity curly hair.
Some specific guidelines for high porosity curly hair:
It's the second girl's turn who had low porosity curly hair from the beginning but, because she didn't know her nature of hair at that time she used the same products and ways which her sister use it for her high porosity hair, and of course this was unsuitable ways for her type of hair and caused some damage, so it became high porosity type.
First step
By providing necessary hydration and elasticity, also use oil-based products to make a good sealing for the humidity of hair as Argan oil, Castor Oil.
Second step
Don't use heat in good faith, heat doesn't work with high porosity at all; on the contrary, It gives the opposite result and without an end, you should keep an eye on that matter to avoid actions of hot water, high weather(sun)on the cuticles of the hair.
Conclusion:
We all know that our hair is affected by many factors like health, nutrition, hormones, stress, heat, mechanical and chemical factors, some medicines, the environment, and so on. Therefore we can say hair problems are multifactorial however low porosity curly hair isn't a big problem if you follow the proper care for it and don't go too far, the result will be wonderful and you're going to enjoy the healthy shiny hair
Written by: Eman Eldwansy
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