If you have low porosity hair, you know by now it can be difficult to nourish and strengthen your tresses. 

Most products cause buildup and leave your locks limp and lifeless. Shampoos tend to stay on the surface of the strand. Conditioners can load the tresses and make them feel heavy!

It won’t be the case with our recommendations. We even have solutions for you to find the best leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair! 

Hint: it’s all about lightweight, natural formulas.

 Table of Contents:

• What is low porosity hair?
• How to tell if you have low porosity hair?
• What shampoo and conditioner should you use for low porosity hair?
• Should you use a leave-in conditioner if you have low-porosity hair?
• What’s the best leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair?
• What’s a good leave-in?
• Should you use a water-based leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair?
• Is shea butter good for low porosity hair?
• Is apple cider vinegar good for low porosity hair?
• Which hair oils are suitable for low porosity hair?
• Should you use aloe vera if you have low porosity hair?
• Tips & tricks to make treatments more effective on low porosity hair

What is low porosity hair?

Low porosity hair is characterized by overlapping cuticles, which create a barrier, stopping moisture, water, and nourishment from entering the hair. 

It can be hard to take care of low porosity hair. Especially if you’ve just discovered you have this hair type.

How to tell if you have low porosity hair?

Have you noticed your hair takes longer to saturate with water? Have you noticed shampoos, conditioners, and styling products tend to bead up on the strands but take longer to penetrate them? 

In this case, you have low porosity hair. 

To make sure, place a strand of hair in water and see how it reacts in the next two to four minutes. If the strand floats, water isn’t penetrating the shaft. If it sinks quickly, your hair saturates with hydration.

What shampoo and conditioner should you use for low porosity hair?

While high-porosity hair needs thick products that seal in moisture, the hair fiber with low porosity needs lightweight formulas. 

That’s why watery conditioners and leave-in conditioners with little to no protein are the best choices. 

Such light formulas are easily absorbed by this hair type, which requires moisture but can’t handle heavy products. 

Should you use a leave-in conditioner if you have low-porosity hair?

Does low porosity hair need deep conditioning treatments or a leave-in conditioner? 

The thing with low porosity hair is that it contains a lot of protein. Sometimes, people think this hair type doesn’t need a leave-in conditioner. 

But it does! 

Low porosity hair can get frizzy, dry, tangly, or even damaged, so a good leave-in conditioner is required. 

What’s the best leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair?

When it comes to low porosity hair, you should avoid protein treatments. Low porosity hair contains a lot of protein, often being dry, vulnerable to breakage. 

You need to look for products rich in moisture, with no mineral ingredients, and leave them on as much as possible. 

A good leave-in conditioner can be a hair saver, offering a lot

What’s a good leave-in?

One that has a light formula, ideally water-based. Make sure you go for natural ingredients. While silicones may feel great in the shower, leaving your tresses instantly soft and silky, they coat them with a gunky buildup that leaves the hair frayed and prone to breakage. 

Should you use a water-based leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair?

Yes!

A lightweight leave-in conditioner is what your hair needs. Such formulas help because they have smaller molecules, easily entering the medulla, the midsection of the hair. 

They are also your best option because they don’t create a gunky, grimy pellicule on your hair, a real risk with low porosity hair.

Is shea butter good for low porosity hair?

While heavy conditioners are not indicated for low porosity hair, you should look for moisturizing ingredients such as avocado, aloe vera, and shea butter. 

They offer plenty of moisture, which low-porosity hair is parched for. And... they don’t leave buildup.

Is apple cider vinegar good for low porosity hair?

When it comes to natural ingredients, apple cider vinegar is not one of the best solutions for low porosity hair. 

Having an acidic pH, apple cider vinegar causes the cuticle to contract and flatten. That’s how it seals in hydration. 

Low porosity hair doesn’t need that since it’s already pretty tightly shut. This hair type requires alkaline ingredients to enhance moisture retention.

Which hair oils are suitable for low porosity hair?

When choosing a deep conditioner or a leave-in conditioner for low porosity hair, you need to keep this in mind! 

The struggle is to choose ingredients that penetrate the scalp and hair, offering moisture and nourishment, plus avoiding product gunk. 

Low porosity hair can be fully coated with product and, at the same time, parched, depleted of moisture because the cuticle is tightly sealed. 

That is why such hair needs humectant oils that provide plenty of hydration. Sweet almond, Argan, jojoba are some of your best choices. 

Make sure not to overlook this step. After clarifying with shampoo, adding humectants with conditioners, using a leave-in with oils can seal in the moisture. 

Wow 10-In-1 Hair Oil contains a mixture of healing oils, ideal for low porosity hair. Extra virgin olive oil, sweet almond oil, Moroccan argan oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, Bhringraj extract, vitamin E, rosemary essential oil, tea tree essential oil in this product help fill in the gaps caused by damage to the hair shaft. They calm down the cuticle, offering the tresses repair without leaving buildup.

Should you use aloe vera if you have low porosity hair?

Aloe vera is one of the best herbal ingredients for low porosity hair. It is deeply penetrative and provides plenty of moisture without causing buildup. 

it’s one of those ingredients that reduce friction, preventing frizz from appearing. Aloe vera, a humectant, acts like an adhesive, attracting moisture and helping nourishing ingredients bind to the hair.

Tips & tricks to make treatments more effective on low porosity hair

Steam your hair

Using steam loosen and lift the tightly shut cuticles of low porosity hair. 

Try the greenhouse effect

Using a steamer, the steam in the shower, and even a head-cap can help the conditioner reach the deeper layers of the hair.

Use humectants! 

Humectants should be the first layer. They penetrate the hair shaft and leave the tresses soft and shiny. Products with humectants such as aloe vera, honey, panthenol, glycerin, flaxseed gel provide hydration without creating residue on your tresses. 

Use a hair clarifying shampoo!

Low porosity hair needs a deep cleanse because it’s vulnerable to buildup. Washing your hair with warm water and a clarifying shampoo will open up the cuticle, enhance hydration and purify the hair of mineral and product buildup. 

Clarifying shampoos help low porosity hair. They break down the protein structure, and the humectants and conditioners can enter the hair fiber deeper. 

If low porosity hair is not properly washed, your tresses will not absorb moisture from conditioners. 

Make sure you choose a sulfate-free, clarifying shampoo, one that doesn’t strip your hair of its natural oils. 

When you deep condition, use heat

Using conditioners packed with fatty acids such as natural oils will help the lipids bind to the hair shaft. 

Adding heat to the equation allows penetration to be deeper. 

While low porosity hair may be a little high-maintenance, it can become more manageable, more luscious, and with extra volume!

After all, you’ll appreciate the effort of maintaining it, and people will see the marvelous results.

Explore the WOW Skin Science website and choose the best products for your low porosity hair.