The porosity of your hair plays a huge role in the hair treatments you use. If you have low porosity hair, it is vital that you find an oil that will nourish your hair. Otherwise, you might spend money pointlessly trying to get any positive results. What are the best oils for low porosity hair?
Hair porosity is the determining factor in what your hair routine will look like. It influences the products you choose. Hair with low porosity doesn’t retain much moisture, making it challenging and difficult to look after.
Many girls and women around the world face this problem. But there is a solution, do not worry. Let’s talk about some of the great oils for low porosity hair.
Why Does Porosity Matter?
Before we get to some of our recommendations for oils for low porosity hair, let’s talk about why porosity matters in the first place. Understanding your hair’s porosity will play a crucial role in developing an effective natural hair care regimen.
What exactly is hair porosity? Simply put, hair porosity is the ability of your hair to absorb and hold moisture. What factors affect porosity? Mainly, the flexibility of the outer hair layer known as the cuticle, determines how moisture and oil pass in and out of your hair.
There are different types of hair porosity. Those include normal or medium porosity hair, low porosity, and high porosity. Within each scale, you can be on the lower, middle, or higher end.
What Is Low Porosity Hair?
Today, we will talk about some great oils for low porosity hair. Now, the question is what is low porosity?
When we talk about low porosity hair, we talk about hair where the cuticle layer is rather flat and tightly drawn to protect the hair.
The result is this type of hair makes it difficult for water to penetrate. In the same spirit, moisture cannot be properly absorbed.
What happens is you experience product buildup, and you think your hair is dry and greasy all the time.
Because of all that, a low porosity hair requires a longer process and saturation with water and products that will provide and hold moisture.
How To Tell That You Have Low Porosity Hair?
Hair experts call it the float test. You can easily do it at home and determine whether you have high porosity hair, low, or normal porosity hair.
What you do is take a couple of clean hair strands off your hair. Make sure they are clean because oils, creams, and hair products can alter the result.
So, once you have clean hair strands, place them in a glass of water at room temperature. Wait and observe what happens within two to four minutes.
If the hair strands are still floating, that is your confirmation you have low porosity hair. If they instantly sink, you have high porosity hair. When the hair strands are not sinking nor floating, that is normal porosity hair.
What Type Of Oils Are Best?
Now let’s talk about the main subject of our article, and that is the best oils for low porosity hair. Generally speaking, light oils are better because they do not block the cuticles. Instead, lighter oils penetrate into the hair shaft and improve your hair health.
Here are some ideas.
Argan Oil
Some people call it Moroccan oil. In any case, Argan oil is among the rarest hair oils in the world. At the same time, it is the most precious one.
Argan oil can moisturize your hair in ways you didn’t think were possible. By its nature, Argan oil has moisturizing properties that form a layer around your hair.
By using this type of oil, you can finally have moisture locked in until your next wash. Think of this great oil as your natural deep conditioner, hair mask, and hair styling product.
Besides moisturizing, the oil provides benefits that strengthen your hair and nourish it with vitamin E, unsaturated fatty acids, and more.
Jojoba Oil
The next great oil on our list is jojoba oil from the Jojoba plant in North America. Considered a popular oil, it promotes natural hair oil. Made of fatty acids and esters, jojoba is one of the hardest to get rid of your hair.
This is why we love it for low porosity hair. Jojoba oil will provide the moisture and nourishment that your hair desperately needs. Plus, it is easy to be absorbed and quite light.
Sweet Almond Oil
Extracted from the Almond tree, this excellent low porosity hair oil contains a unique combination of elements that provide moisture. Some of them include Vitamin A, Vitamin E, protein, potassium, and zinc.
This amazing oil also has acids that are great for moisture retention. Do you need any more proof it is great for your low porosity hair? Sweet almond oil adds radiance and softness to your natural hair as well.
Sesame Seed Oil
Derived from the seed of the Sesame plant, the sesame seed oil is another great option. Produced by cold-pressing the seeds to extract the oil, it is rich in vitamins, natural antioxidants, and proteins.
Basically, this oil contains all the healthy ingredients your hair needs. And its moisturizing ability will deeply penetrate your hair, providing moisture and nourishment.
Grapeseed Oil
Do you want to know the perfect lightweight oil? Consider grapeseed as your new go-to favorite. Extracted by cold-pressing, it is one of the lightest oils in the world. Because of that, it is great for even the thinnest hair.
If you have an oily scalp, thin hair, or any similar problem, this magnificent oil will seal in moisture without being heavy on the hair.
The best part is this oil is often used as a heat protectant before heat styling. So, do you need a natural alternative for heat protection for your damaged hair? You have it here!
Baobab Oil
This amazing low porosity hair oil might not be as popular as the others, but you should learn more about it. Women with low porosity hair will love it.
It provides extreme nourishment and moisture to your hair. As a rare oil, it contains omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 fatty acids, and omega 9 fatty acids. There are not many other oils that provide as much nourishment.
On top of that, baobab oil has all the crucial vitamins like A, C, D, and E, providing benefits to your low porous hair.
Avocado Oil
When you talk about natural oils, avocado always comes to mind. Considered a superfood, avocado is a great product in any form or shape. Now, it is considered a heavier oil compared to the others, but it is still a good choice for low porosity hair.
What makes avocado oil so amazing is its ability to penetrate deeply into the hair strands and moisturize them. And that is all because of its abundance of fatty acids.
Pomegranate Oil
As the name suggests, pomegranate oil is extracted from the fruit itself. One of the best things about it is that you need only a minimal amount to enjoy the benefits.
Another bonus point, pomegranate oil is largely scented. It will make your hair smell beautiful. And speaking of amazing hair, pomegranate oil helps with hair growth.
Apricot Oil
Apricot oil is ideal for low porosity natural hair because of how easy it is absorbed by the hair. It enables your hair to retain moisture for a longer period of time.
It barely leaves any residue when applied. At the same time, it provides long-lasting effects, namely the softness of your hair.
Because of its light lubrication process, you will find this oil to be light and gentle on your healthy hair.
Sunflower Seed Oil
Extracted from the sunflower plant, this fan-favorite oil is used by those with low porosity natural hair because it is light. It doubles its function as a moisturizer and a deep conditioner.
Use it when your hair is not in the best shape when conditioned. Because it is a natural oil, sunflower seed oil promotes hair growth, hair strength, and luster.
Bonus points: your split ends will be a thing of the past.
Safflower Seed Oil
No matter your hair type, the safflower seed oil is an amazing choice for your hair strand. This edible oil has found common use in cooking and medicine. It is a thick liquid, but it is actually a lightweight oil.
Rosehip Oil
This is one oil that not many people consider at first glance. But they should. The only downside is the slightly nutty smell.
If you want a light oil that will promote hair growth and help with moisture, rosehip oil is the way to go. It is rich in vitamin A, one of the most important vitamins for your scalp.
Be Wary Of Olive Oil
When we talk about the best oils for low porosity hair, we have to warn you about a great oil that is not so great with low porosity hair. And that is olive oil.
A lot of people might turn to it because it is such an amazing oil. It might provide lots of benefits, but not if you have hair with low porosity.
Olive oil is heavy oil and will weigh down your hair. In the end, you might cause more harm than good.
Tips For Taking Care Of Low Porosity Hair
Let’s finish off with some extra tips on how to care for your low porosity hair. If you follow these tips, your hair will be in perfect condition.
- Use products rich in emollients to soften the cuticle and promote moisturizing the hair
- Always use light oils for your hair
- Use humectant products during the warmer months
- Go for products that are low in proteins, as they have a tendency to build up on low porosity hair
- Try to use heat to open up the cuticle and allow moisture to penetrate the hair
- Use warm water when washing your hair to open up the pores of the scalp and allow cuticles to aid moisture
- Rinse your hair with cool water to seal the hair cuticle and lock in moisture
