Straightening Low Porosity Hair In 4 Simple Steps 2023

Low porosity hair needs to be understood in order to establish the right low porosity hair routine. If you’ve been wondering about straightening low porosity hair, you first need to establish proper hair maintenance, we are talking about how to moisturize low porosity hair and the right products that are in order.

Porosity, in general, is the hair’s ability to absorb or retain moisture. According to experts, low porosity hair retains more water therefore it is more difficult to dry and style. As intimidating as it may sound, when you do your research and learn what your hair needs, straightening low porosity hair and its overall maintenance should be easy peasy.

Before you get to straightening low porosity hair, logically, you first need to set healthy hair bases. This leads us to talk about clarifying shampoo low porosity hair, best oils for low porosity hair, and all round healthy low porosity hair routine.

Low porosity hair loves products lighter products that provide moisture, this means you should stay away from heavy products that tend to sit on top of low-porosity hair and therefore are hard to remove. If you can relate, you are in the right place as we’ll be sharing with you what you need to know about straightening low porosity hair and more.

Introduction To Low Porosity Hair

Low porosity hair features tightly aligned cuticles that act as a ‘stop’ sign for moisture trying to enter and exit the hair shaft. It typically occurs in straight hair types and is generally associated with fewer ‘pores’ in the hair cuticles, the outer protective layer of your strands.

This hair type tends to be shiny and smooth, but it could feel very dry and straw-like if you’re dealing with product buildup because this hair type doesn’t retain moisture for long.

If your hair does not sink in a beaker of water, consider you have low-porous hair.

Low Porosity Pros

  • Retains moisture better: This hair type has the best moisture retention level of any porosity level because the cuticle layer is locked down tightly. Without product buildup, this hair type won’t easily lose moisture or appear dry.
  • Shiny and smooth appearance: A flat, tightly closed cuticle layer leaves strands smooth and better able to reflect light. In contrast, medium and high porosity hair has rougher strands thanks to the lifted cuticle layer and won’t look as shiny or smooth.
  • Doesn’t tangle: A smoother cuticle means fewer knots, snags, and tangles, thanks to the sleek texture of strands. High porosity hair, in contrast, has a very rough cuticle layer and is easily tangled.

Low Porosity Cons

  • Trouble absorbing moisture: The tightly-arranged, flat cuticle layer is what makes this hair type so great at retaining moisture, but the flip side is that it’s hard for this type to absorb moisture in the first place. Heavy moisturizing products and conditioners may just sit on the hair instead of penetrating and absorbing.
  • Prone to breakage: When it isn’t absorbing enough moisture, brushing, styling, and even sleeping on the wrong pillowcase can all trigger unwanted hair breakage.
  • Longer time to dry: This hair type makes it hard for water to enter or leave strands, so it takes a long time to leave once water works its way in. Air drying can take a lot longer with some reporting it takes up to 24 hours to completely air dry their hair.
  • Specific products: If you have hair with low porosity, you need to consciously avoid products containing any form of protein.

Low Porosity Hair Routine Tips

Products

Selecting products that help hair with low porosity hair is absolutely essential for a healthy, manageable mane.

Moisturizing products that are too heavy won’t benefit your hair at all because they can’t penetrate it. Instead, you need lightweight moisturizers and techniques that gently introduce hydration deep into strands.

Picking a good shampoo suitable for low-porosity strands is the best way to start. Low-porosity hair-friendly shampoos offer a lightweight clean with no harsh ingredients or protein.

Hair Treatments

Your styling products should follow the same rules: Nothing too heavy and no protein ingredients. Look for mousse, styling foams, and serums that can help you perfect your style without weighing your hair down or suffocating it with protein and buildup.

Styling & Processing

Since air drying can take several hours, you can speed up the process by blow drying or using a styling brush the right way.

When it comes to styling or straightening low porosity hair, it’s always a good idea to go for the lower heat settings or invest in a low-heat hair dryer, so that it won’t leave you with heat-damaged locks.

If you want to create curls, look for a volumizer brush or tools that set the shape of your style as the hair is dried with heat. Remember to start off with a good heat protectant to avoid causing heat damage.

Processing time tends to be longer for low-porosity hair, if you want to shorten the needed processing time, use a clarifying shampoo for low-porosity hair to remove any product buildup from your hair and make it a little easier for color.

Straightening Low Porosity Hair Steps


Step 1 Use a gentle shampoo: MATRIX Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo

On wash day, start with a pre-shampoo hot oil treatment to lift the cuticle and penetrate the hair shaft. Low-porosity hair is more likely to get build-up from products that your hair can’t absorb as easily.

This build-up creates another barrier between your hair and your moisturizing products. The best you can do is to use a gentle, cleansing shampoo, and clarifying shampoo with low porosity hair is the best.

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We recommend MATRIX Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo. This anti-frizz, clarifying shampoo with shea butter helps control rebellious, unruly hair and manages frizz against humidity for smoothness, leaving hair smooth, shiny, and defrizzed

With shea butter to seal the cuticle, Mega Sleek provides frizz control for silky-smooth hair. Mega Sleek is best for coarse, untamed, frizz-prone hair.

Smoothing shampoo with shea butter helps control rebellious, unruly hair and manages frizz against humidity. Conditions to help control rebellious, unruly hair and manage frizz against humidity.

How To Use MATRIX Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo

  • Apply to damp hair
  • Lather, and rinse

Step 2 Deep condition: Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate Mask

A deep conditioning treatment, like a hair mask, is the best way to moisturize low-porosity hair. Apply a mask, to wet hair and cover it with a shower cap for 15 minutes once a week before rinsing out.

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You can try this Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate Mask, with a rich blend of this restorative vegan hydrating mask treatment that contains 100% aloe vera as the first ingredient along with nourishing shea butter, coconut oil, and macadamia oil.

This 12-ounce container of Maui Moisture Heal and Hydrate and Shea Butter Hair Mask deeply quench and nourishes dry, damaged hair to help repair and soften curls and mend split ends.

Ideal for wavy to tight curls and medium to dry moisture levels, the in-shower hair mask doubles as a deeply hydrating leave-in conditioner that is suitable for daily use and safe on color-treated hair.

Straightening Low Porosity Hair: Step 2, apply a mask, to wet hair and cover with a shower cap for 15 minutes once a week before rinsing outPin
Straightening Low Porosity Hair In 4 Simple Steps 2023 13

Step 3 Seal moisture: Motions Nourish & Restore Active Moisture Leave In Detangler

Use a leave-in conditioner followed by a lightweight oil to seal in moisture.

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You will love Motions Nourish & Restore Active Moisture Leave In Detangler, is it protein free and it is a leave-in detangler that leaves hair smooth with a healthy shine.

It provides lasting moisture without surface build-up. It also protects and moisturizes hair from roots to ends. Your hair has never felt so soft and silky.

How to use Motions Nourish & Restore Active Moisture Leave-In Detangler:

  • Generously spray product all over clean, damp hair and comb through
  • Do not rinse
  • Blow or air-dry and style as usual
Straightening Low Porosity Hair: Step 3, se a leave-in conditioner followed by a lightweight oil to seal in moisture
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Straightening Low Porosity Hair In 4 Simple Steps 2023 14

Step 4 Straighten: NITION Professional Salon Hair Straightener

Once you are done moisturizing, your hair is ready for blow drying. For naturally thick hair, blow dry using the lowest heat settings and only wet hair for about 30 seconds before finishing with a cool blow dry.

When straightening low porosity hair, make sure not to run it through your hair too many times and use a low-medium heat setting.

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We like the NITION Professional Salon Hair Straightener, it features a 5-IN-1 Ceramic coated Heating plate which is also infused with Nano Silver, Argan oil, Tourmaline & Titanium.

Those great elements do benefit the hair by locking in natural moisture and transforming it frizzy, it avoids pulling or damaging hair while styling, leaves hair more shiny, sleek and healthy, anti-static.

With a revolutionary design the best flat iron for silk press, allows you to operate by the end of the straightener.

Ceramic coating plates glide through hair without pulling and tugging, reducing breakage and damage to hair. The plates heat up fast and distribute heat evenly saving more time when styling.

How To Use NITION Professional Salon Hair Straightener:

  • Hold a bundle of hair around 5-6cm in width.
  • Move the hair iron straight from the top to the end.
  • To straighten the rest of your hair, repeat steps 1 to 2.
Straightening Low Porosity Hair: Step 4, straightening low porosity hair and make sure not to run it through your hair too many times 
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Straightening Low Porosity Hair In 4 Simple Steps 2023 15

Straightening Low Porosity Hair Additional Tips

  • Low porosity doesn’t make your hair fragile, but you shouldn’t abuse it with lots of extreme heat, chemicals, and rough styling. Opt for gentle, low heat, avoid chemical services when you can, and be gentle on your hair when brushing and styling to avoid breakage.
  • Switch up your sleep routine with satin pillowcases and scrunchies as they absorb less moisture from your hair than cotton.
  • Use a thermal conditioning cap or bonnet dryer attachment to ensure oil treatments can penetrate.
  • If you’re having trouble getting moisture into your hair, you can try scrubbing your scalp with baking soda in the shower and thoroughly rinsing before applying your conditioner or moisturizing treatment.

Common Questions About Straightening Low Porosity Hair

How to determine if you have low porosity hair?

  • Hair appears shiny and smooth when healthy
  • It is very water-resistant, requiring extra time to fully saturate in the shower
  • It takes a long time to fully air dry
  • Heavy oils, creams, and hair products seem to sit on the hair without absorbing
  • Hair treatments have trouble penetrating your hair
  • Protein-enriched products make your hair feel dry and straw-like

Is heat good for low porosity hair?

Usually, if you have low porosity hair, it’s due to genetic factors. Using chemicals and heat on your hair typically doesn’t cause low porosity hair.

This hair type cannot withstand heat or harsh chemicals, so avoid excess blow-drying, heat styling, coloring, and bleaching.

Can straightening low porosity hair change porosity?

When heat or styling does damage the cuticle layer, it’s more likely to result in high porosity hair. That means the cuticles are raised and have spaces between them.

If your curls are exposed to too much heat (e.g. straightening iron, a too-hot blow-dryer, or the sun), it destroys the cuticle thus making it highly porous.

How often should low porosity hair be washed?

Your low porosity hair routine should in fact include washing once a week to keep it soft, moisturized, and free from buildup until your next wash.

How often should you oil low porosity hair?

Usually, a couple of times a week works for extra-dry hair. For everyone else, once a week should do the trick.

If your hair feels dry every day and you’re wondering how to moisturize low porosity hair daily, you can hydrate using water and a leave-in conditioner.

For this, you need to consider the best oils for low porosity hair. Look for shampoos, conditioners, and styling products that are sulfate-free and have natural ingredients.

What Should low porosity hair avoid?

Ingredients to avoid for low porosity hair products include heavy ingredients such as mineral oil, petrolatum, lanolin, etc., because they can lead to build-up on the hair shaft.

How to moisturize low porosity hair?

It needs heat so that moisture can penetrate the hair shaft and stay locked in. That means indulging in hot oil treatments and applying gentle heat using your hair dryer while deep conditioning.

A steamer or steaming cap is a great option to gently steam hair, help products penetrate, and hydrate.

Straightening Low Porosity Hair Video Tutorial

Products Mentioned In This Article

  1. MATRIX Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo
  2. Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate Mask
  3. Shea Moisture Baobab & Tea Tree Oils
  4. NITION Professional Salon Hair Straightener

Author

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Author
After graduating from an apprenticeship program in 2010, color specialist Doris began working behind the chair. She started with color corrections and then moved on to creative color. Currently, she works with blonding and grey-blending clients. Sarah views hair color as both an art form and a science and is passionate about salon education, which is the main reason why she started this blog. She has the Invisible Bead Extension Certification and the Bellami Master Certification for extensions.
Photo of author
Author
After graduating from an apprenticeship program in 2010, color specialist Doris began working behind the chair. She started with color corrections and then moved on to creative color. Currently, she works with blonding and grey-blending clients. Sarah views hair color as both an art form and a science and is passionate about salon education, which is the main reason why she started this blog. She has the Invisible Bead Extension Certification and the Bellami Master Certification for extensions.