Hair porosity is one of the most important factors when it comes to how a hair behaves and functions. How porous your hair is can influence everything from how easily the hair can be styled to how much moisture and hydration the hair strand can retain. And yet, hair porosity remains a rather misunderstood concept, with articles few and far between.
So what exactly is hair porosity? In simple terms, hair porosity describes how tightly packed the outer cuticle layer of your hair is. The average cuticle layer is loosely packed, with small pockets allowing for moisture to pass into the hair strand to be absorbed by the inner layers. However, some hair types have extremely tight cuticle layers, which prevents moisture from getting into the hair strand. As a result, low-porosity hair is not only extremely susceptible to dryness and dehydration, but it can also become greasy and oily when one tries to moisturize the dry hair, as the oil pools at the surface as opposed to absorbing.
Thankfully, there are a handful of oils that are perfect for low-porosity hair. If you have low-porosity hair, keep these oils on hand to keep your hair looking sleek and moisturized!
Jojoba Oil
If you have low-porosity hair, you’re probably far too familiar with oils that pool up on the cuticle and scalp, leaving you a greasy, messy mess. Jojoba oil, on the other hand, is considered the closest oil to our natural hair sebum, which makes it a lightweight, deeply penetrative oil that keeps the hair as hydrated as naturally as possible.
Argan Oil
One of the richest oils available, argan oil is so effective at keeping the hair moisturized and hydrated that it creates a protective coating around the hair strand, allowing the hair to remain moist and sleek until it has been washed off. Add some argan oil in winter for an extremely protective treatment to prevent excessive dryness.
Sweet Almond Oil
For an oil that is easily absorbed by the hair strand and can easily penetrate the tight cuticle layer, you can’t do much better than sweet almond oil! This oil’s low molecular weight allows it to penetrate tighter cuticle layers much more effectively than other oils. As a result, this oil can intensely moisturize even the least porous of hair types.
Baobab Oil
Taken from the baobab tree, this oil is incredibly rich and intensely moisturizing, allowing it to provide a massive boost of hydration to even the driest of hair types. Even better, this oil is chock-full of fatty acids and vitamins, allowing it to enhance the hair health, prevent breakage, and promote shine and softness.