Low porosity....what do I do now?!?!

After being fully natural for almost 2 years (and transitioning for 2), I am JUST NOW figuring out that my hair has low porosity. Which essentially means the majority of what I have been doing to care for my hair has had little to no effect on the overall health of my hair. My hair is extremely dry, no matter what product I put on it. So, my question is what do I do now? What products are good for hair that is low porosity? I have researched Curl Junkie Curl Rehab and will purchase that soon but does anyone have any other suggestions?

I believe I have low porosity as well. Have you tried Roux Moisture Recovery. Pretty much any of the Roux products should help with porosity issues and pH balance.

There is a section on NC about low porosity. Check it out.

I also have low porosity hair. You want to make sure you are using very moisturizing products. Everyone's hair is different but water based and Aloe based products work for me. Deep conditioning with heat can also help the conditioner absorb more into your hair.

how would one know their porosity level ? i did test a while back and seems mines was pretty normal but is there any other test that can be done ?

creolebeauty1 wrote:how would one know their porosity level ? i did test a while back and seems mines was pretty normal but is there any other test that can be done ?

Check out post from yesterday on the blog about Fine Hair. There is a list of 3 things you can do.

I also have low porosity hair. Like Krazy Coils, my hair loves water based and aloe vera based products.

My hair is low porosity as well.

I've found that I need to use shampoo because the cuticle doesn't seem to let in any moisture otherwise.
I have to use moisturizing products.
Ones with protein build up really bad and make my hair hard, crunchy, and dry.

Oh, and deep conditioning works 100x better when I use heat.

I my Mastex Heat Cap.

creolebeauty1 wrote:how would one know their porosity level ? i did test a while back and seems mines was pretty normal but is there any other test that can be done ?

I did the water test where you take a strand of hair and put it in a cup of water. If it sinks immediately you have high porosity (lifted cuticles), if it sinks slowly you have normal porosity, and if it stays floating on top of the water you have low porosity (sealed cuticles, very difficult for moisture to get in). Let' sjust say I put my hair in the cup and by the NEXT MORNING it was still floating on top of the water!! LOL. So, yes, my hair has difficulty soaking up moisture, which means it is very dry.

Janique wrote:I believe I have low porosity as well. Have you tried Roux Moisture Recovery. Pretty much any of the Roux products should help with porosity issues and pH balance.

I have researched the Roux stuff but I am afraid because it seems like it is mostly for high porosity hair. It is used after a chemical process to help the cuticles close back. It sucks because I sometimes do ACV rinses which is just closing my already closed cuticle even more tightly.

Duchess52 wrote:There is a section on NC about low porosity. Check it out.

Thansk! I did look at the post but they didn't really give any product solutions, unless I missed something.

Aunt_Lola wrote:My hair is low porosity as well.

I've found that I need to use shampoo because the cuticle doesn't seem to let in any moisture otherwise.
I have to use moisturizing products.
Ones with protein build up really bad and make my hair hard, crunchy, and dry.

Oh, and deep conditioning works 100x better when I use heat.

I my Mastex Heat Cap.

I have a huetiful steamer and I must say my hair feels so happy when I use it but unfortunately, I don't always make time to steam like I should. I guess I need to change that.

Okay...so I tried the water test. Does it matter that when you put the strand in, you give it a little boost? Otherwise mine would def. be sitting on top...but I pushed it in just until the strand was under & within seconds it was at the bottom of the cup. Did I do it wrong?

I just did the waer test (here at my desk at work, lol) and mine is floating, even after giving it a dip with my finger, it's been 4 hours and still floating. I chopped a curl off and tried it again, yup, still floating.

Does this explain why my hair grows so slow?

Should I not use light weight products?

Should I focus on coconut oil stuff more since it penetrates the hair shaft????


Now I have tons of questions

makeupvixen wrote:I just did the waer test (here at my desk at work, lol) and mine is floating, even after giving it a dip with my finger, it's been 4 hours and still floating. I chopped a curl off and tried it again, yup, still floating.

Does this explain why my hair grows so slow?

Should I not use light weight products?

Should I focus on coconut oil stuff more since it penetrates the hair shaft????


Now I have tons of questions

Whoa! You chopped a curl off to see if it would float in a cup of water?

You're hardcore!

Shoot, growing natural hair aint for babies or the weak at heart, lol. I will chop it in a heartbeat, and I don't care if it's even right now, my hair grows in different areas, lengths and phases so a curl wont hurt to chop it, lol.

makeupvixen wrote:I just did the waer test (here at my desk at work, lol) and mine is floating, even after giving it a dip with my finger, it's been 4 hours and still floating. I chopped a curl off and tried it again, yup, still floating.

Does this explain why my hair grows so slow?

Should I not use light weight products?

Should I focus on coconut oil stuff more since it penetrates the hair shaft????


Now I have tons of questions

I don't think porosity has anything to do with your growth rate but dryness of your hair can contribute to breakage which may make it seem like it's not growing. We definitely have to focus on moisture, not protein. I am still researching for products that are specifically for low porosity. If I find anything I will let you guys know.

hopefulcurls wrote:Okay...so I tried the water test. Does it matter that when you put the strand in, you give it a little boost? Otherwise mine would def. be sitting on top...but I pushed it in just until the strand was under & within seconds it was at the bottom of the cup. Did I do it wrong?

Good question...I'm not sure but I will say that even when I pushed mine a little it still didn't sink so IMO maybe your hair isn't low...

Aunt_Lola wrote:My hair is low porosity as well.

I've found that I need to use shampoo because the cuticle doesn't seem to let in any moisture otherwise.
I have to use moisturizing products.
Ones with protein build up really bad and make my hair hard, crunchy, and dry.

Oh, and deep conditioning works 100x better when I use heat.

I my Mastex Heat Cap.

Are you using shampoos with sulfates or without?

jada07 wrote:

Aunt_Lola wrote:My hair is low porosity as well.

I've found that I need to use shampoo because the cuticle doesn't seem to let in any moisture otherwise.
I have to use moisturizing products.
Ones with protein build up really bad and make my hair hard, crunchy, and dry.

Oh, and deep conditioning works 100x better when I use heat.

I my Mastex Heat Cap.

Are you using shampoos with sulfates or without?

With sulfates.
I don't think non-sulfate shampoos raise the cuticle, but I could be wrong.

I've only tried a couple of sulfate free shampoos and even after using conditioner my hair felt drier.
I can only think it's because the cuticle wasn't raised.
My hair is happiest when I use a clarifying shampoo followed by a deep condition with my heat cap, but I don't always have time for that. So I'll use 'regular' shampoo(Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Nature's Gate(older version w/sulfates- I haven't tried the new one without), Aveda, Suave for clarifying) followed by a regular conditioner or deep conditioner depending on how dry my hair is.

Another weird thing is I think my hair absorbs watery conditioners better than thick ones. I always go for the thick ones thinking they'll work miracles, but they don't usually. Right now I ran out of the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter conditioner so I was using Alaffia's Everyday Shea in lavender and it made my hair sooooo soft and moisturized but it's really watery. I read a few bad reviews for it on the napp forum but it works surprisingly well for me... For a leave-in I had been using Shea Moisture's leave-in, but I used a lavender scented shea butter that I have and my hair is still soft days later.

Oh, and I wash my hair whenever it feels gunky or dry which can be every day, every other day, twice a week at the least.

I know you didn't ask for all that, but maybe it'll help somebody. lol

Ok ladies... I may have over analyzed this...
(I'm at work by the way, lol)

I got a cup of cold water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of warm water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of hot water and tested a strand of hair: sank, after a few light pushes to make sure it was fully under water.

I mean, water is water, but I wanted to see how my hair would have reacted with different temperatures of water, or if there was a difference!

Since I am paying close attention to my natural hair, I have noticed that my hair sucks up whatever I put in, but I also think that I have NOT found the right product yet...

Reading the previous posts of a few ladies saying "My hair has Low porosity, and it sucks up moisture"... So I assumed, ok my hair sucks up moisture to, but my hair strands sank... I do know of a moisturizer that I used back when I rock braids, and it worked wonders. So I think I have a better chance going back to that!

Cupcake415 wrote:Ok ladies... I may have over analyzed this...
(I'm at work by the way, lol)

I got a cup of cold water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of warm water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of hot water and tested a strand of hair: sank, after a few light pushes to make sure it was fully under water.

I mean, water is water, but I wanted to see how my hair would have reacted with different temperatures of water, or if there was a difference!

Since I am paying close attention to my natural hair, I have noticed that my hair sucks up whatever I put in, but I also think that I have NOT found the right product yet...

Reading the previous posts of a few ladies saying "My hair has Low porosity, and it sucks up moisture"... So I assumed, ok my hair sucks up moisture to, but my hair strands sank... I do know of a moisturizer that I used back when I rock braids, and it worked wonders. So I think I have a better chance going back to that!

Hi Cupcake415,

Usually when you test your hair in the cup of water if it sinks quickly then your hair is Highly Porous. I think your hair may be highly porous instead of low porosity. This means that it absorbs moisture quickly but it also loses moisture quickly. HTH

jada07 wrote:

hopefulcurls wrote:Okay...so I tried the water test. Does it matter that when you put the strand in, you give it a little boost? Otherwise mine would def. be sitting on top...but I pushed it in just until the strand was under & within seconds it was at the bottom of the cup. Did I do it wrong?

Good question...I'm not sure but I will say that even when I pushed mine a little it still didn't sink so IMO maybe your hair isn't low...

Yeah jada07, you're probably right! It shouldn't matter if I gave it a little nudge. (: So, that means my hair is most likely highly porous, I'm guessing. This is a great thread! I have been natural for 10 whole months--almost 11--& I am just starting to learn so much more about my "laila"! LOL! I am still not 100% on the hair typing thing, but I consider my "laila" to be fine 4a. I will figure it out though.

krazy coils wrote:

Cupcake415 wrote:Ok ladies... I may have over analyzed this...
(I'm at work by the way, lol)

I got a cup of cold water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of warm water and tested a strand of hair: sank
I got a cup of hot water and tested a strand of hair: sank, after a few light pushes to make sure it was fully under water.

I mean, water is water, but I wanted to see how my hair would have reacted with different temperatures of water, or if there was a difference!

Since I am paying close attention to my natural hair, I have noticed that my hair sucks up whatever I put in, but I also think that I have NOT found the right product yet...

Reading the previous posts of a few ladies saying "My hair has Low porosity, and it sucks up moisture"... So I assumed, ok my hair sucks up moisture to, but my hair strands sank... I do know of a moisturizer that I used back when I rock braids, and it worked wonders. So I think I have a better chance going back to that!

Hi Cupcake415,

Usually when you test your hair in the cup of water if it sinks quickly then your hair is Highly Porous. I think your hair may be highly porous instead of low porosity. This means that it absorbs moisture quickly but it also loses moisture quickly. HTH

@krazy coils
Thanks girl... I was thinking Low porosity meant it sucked up Moisture... But yes, I see that my hair had sank, which means it was trying to suck up moisture, right? Makes sense, lol

I did this test the other night to and found that my hair has low porosity as well. Even after giving the strand a little push to ensure that it was under the water it stayed right at the top and didn't sink. 3 hours later it was still in the exact same place and never sank to the bottom. I do find that I have to use a ton of product and M & S every night or my hair is extremely dry. I would also love to know some products that are specifically good for low porosity hair.