Frizzy, Soft Curls? You May Have Low Porosity Hair That's Over Conditioned

Have you tried hair oiling, deep conditioning, and leave in moisturizing products but still have stubborn, frizzy curls? We try and try to condition and moisturize away the frizz, but maybe your hair actually has low porosity and is over conditioned.

It can be frustrating when despite our best efforts to condition and moisturize our hair, the frizz just won't seem to go away. Low porosity hair tends to have difficulty absorbing moisture, which can lead to a build-up of products. This build-up can prevent moisture from penetrating the hair cuticle effectively, resulting in frizz and a lack of definition in your curls. Over-conditioning can leave your hair feeling limp, greasy, and weighed down.

If you suspect that your hair may be low porosity and over-conditioned, it might be time to reassess your hair care routine. Consider using lighter, water-based products that can penetrate the hair shaft more easily. Clarifying shampoos can help remove product build-up, allowing your hair to better absorb moisture. Additionally, incorporating protein treatments into your routine can help strengthen your hair and improve its overall health.

Remember, finding the right balance of moisture and protein is key to maintaining healthy, bouncy curls. By understanding your hair's unique needs and making adjustments to your routine accordingly, you can achieve smoother, more defined curls that are free from frizz.

With that said, let's look at hair porosity, how to tell if you have low porosity hair, and the details of exactly what you can do to fix over conditioned hair to bring back bouncy curls and shine.

What is low porosity hair and how can you tell?

Hair structure, texture, density, and porosity all play a big role in determining the right ingredients, products and styling techniques specific for your hair. These are our hair types, and figuring out your hair type can be super helpful for giving your hair the ingredients it needs to look its best. Our hair type chart can help you find the exact hair type categories you fall under.

If you just want to know about low porosity hair, you're in the right place. Low porosity hair type has a tightly closed cuticle, making it difficult for water and other molecules to penetrate the hair shaft, resulting in slow moisture absorption. This hair type takes longer to absorb water or products, but once absorbed, it retains moisture well. Products may sit on the surface of the hair rather than being absorbed, leading to potential buildup.

How can you tell if your hair has low porosity? The easiest way to test your hair porosity is to see if it floats in a glass of water. You can take a 2-3 inch strand of hair and put it in a tall glass of water. Low porosity hair will float because it doesn't absorb the water easily. Another way to tell is to think about how your hair dries. If it takes a very long time for your hair to dry, you probably have low porosity hair.

How does your hair feel after you apply product? If it feels like it doesn't soak in, but instead sits on top of the hair, you have a low porosity hair type.

I have low porosity hair, now what?

Low porosity hair is definitely not a bad thing. You hold in moisture, which is great. However, sometimes low porosity hair types will end up over conditioned. This can look like frizzy hair, especially in curly hair, making you want to run for the deep conditioning treatments and oils to try to tame the frizz which certainly won't help in this case.

If your hair is frizzy, first decide if it's a soft (almost too soft) frizz or a dry frizz. If you have low porosity hair and it's really soft, you have over conditioned hair. If it feels too dry, you are probably dealing with high porosity hair and should check out what to do for high porosity hair.

For frizzy hair that is soft to the touch, let's check out the steps to take for over conditioned hair to bring back that balance. Signs to look for in over conditioned curly hair:

Combatting Conditioner Buildup in Low Porosity Hair with Clarifying Shampoo

The first thing you will want to do is clarify, clarify, clarify! Use a clarifying shampoo or try a natural hair clarifier to remove product and moisturizer build up. Clarifying shampoo and treatments for your over conditioned hair deeply cleanses and restores natural shine and volume while ensuring that future conditioning treatments work more effectively.

What sets clarifying shampoos apart from regular shampoos? For starters, they contain potent cleansing ingredients that surpass regular shampoos in terms of strength and effectiveness. These ingredients are known as surfactants.

Surfactants are soap-like substances including cetyl-fatty alcohols, chlorides, bromides, and ammonium-sodium lauryl sulfate. Clarifying shampoos are considered perfectly safe for low porosity, curly hair when used in moderation and advisable for a deeper occasional clean. However, they should not be used too often. Only when you feel like you have build up and need a deep clean.

Types of Clarifying Shampoos

• Sulfate-Free Clarifying Shampoos

• Chelating Clarifying Shampoos

• Deep Cleansing Clarifying Shampoos
  

Natural Methods for Clarifying Hair

• Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

• Baking Soda Paste

• Lemon Juice Rinse

How to Use a Clarifying Shampoo

Essentially, clarifying shampoo is used in the same way as regular shampoo and conditioner for curly hair. In fact, the appearance and texture of clarifying shampoo are so similar to regular shampoo that you may not even realize you are using it until you notice the final outcome.

Step 1: Lather

Just squeeze a bit of the shampoo into your hands and start massaging it into your hair. Start at the roots and work it through your curls. If it's your first time clarifying to get rid of product buildup, the shampoo might not lather as much as you expect but that is normal.

If you’re using a clarifying shampoo for the first time or you’re looking to clarify excessively oily or over conditioned hair, performing a double wash can be beneficial. You can repeat with the clarifying shampoo, or switch to your normal, more gentle, sulfate-free shampoo you would normally use.

Step 2: Rinse

Once you’ve tackled your scalp & worked the shampoo through all of your curls, it’s time to rinse it. Rinsing thoroughly is super important, so be diligent about this step.

Step 3: Condition

Because of the strength of clarifying shampoos, you should always condition after using them. More about the best conditioners and moisturizers for your low porosity, curly hair is in a section further below.

Revitalize Low Porosity Hair with Protein Treatments

Protein treatments can help restore low porosity hair that has been over conditioned by strengthening the strands and improving their structure, adding resilience and body.

Protein treatments work by adhering to the surface of the hair shaft and filling in gaps and cracks in the cuticle layer. This helps to temporarily repair any damage and reinforce the structure of the hair, making it stronger and more resilient.

Common proteins found in hair care products include keratin, collagen, silk proteins, and wheat proteins. These proteins can vary in size and structure, allowing them to penetrate the hair shaft to different degrees.

Hydrolyzed proteins, which have been broken down into smaller pieces - smaller molecules - through treatment with acids or fermentation, are particularly effective in penetrating the hair shaft and providing deep conditioning benefits. Hydrolyzed proteins can be beneficial in several ways. They form a clear, flexible film over your hair that slows water loss. Some of the proteins even penetrate below the outermost cuticle to keep hair hydrated at slightly deeper layers.

For low porosity hair choose smaller proteins (any amino acids, any peptides or hydrolyzed: silk, keratin, collagen).

While protein treatments can be beneficial for low porosity hair, it's important not to overdo it. A little goes a long way. Too much protein can lead to protein overload, causing the hair to become stiff, brittle, and prone to breakage. It's recommended to use protein-based products in moderation. For low porosity hair, once a month protein treatments after clarifying should be plenty. Avoid shampoos and conditioners with protein.

Conditioning Products and Ingredients for Low Porosity, Over Conditioned Hair

For moisturizing low porosity hair, think lightweight. You want to avoid heavy moisturizers that might not be absorbed into your hair strands and will just sit on top and weigh your hair down. Sealing oils will be your best friend to seal in moisture, but keep your volume and shine.

Sealing hair oils are lighter in consistency and seal moisture into the hair shaft. They contain molecules that are able to coat the outer layer of the hair, forming a protective barrier that helps to lock in moisture that is already present.

Common sealing oils include lightweight oils such as jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, or argan oil.

Remember that tighly closed cuticle in low porosity hair? Because of this, you will want to stick to products that contain lightweight oils such as argan oil, grapeseed oil, or jojoba oil because they can penetrate the hair shaft without weighing it down.

Other sealing oils that are beneficial include sweet almond oil or apricot kernel oil because they create a protective barrier on the hair's surface, helping to lock in moisture and prevent evaporation.

After Care to Prevent Low Porosity Hair From Becoming Over Conditioned

We hope this has helped you to better understand how low porosity, curly hair can become over conditioned and how to treat this. Now, how to keep your curls shiny and bouncy?

Stick to gently shampoos that do not contain sulfates or protein. Sulfates are harsh on hair and strip too much of your natural moisture when used on a regular basis. Proteins can be too much of a good thing on low porosity hair. Stick to using a protein treatment or conditioner as needed. Once a week is usually ideal, but sometimes even once a month will suffice.

Use conditioners that contain lightweight oils including argan oil, grapeseed oil, or jojoba oil, and avoid using heavy moisturizers such as avocado oil, coconut, or olive oil. Again, you should probably avoid the proteins.

For leave in treatments, use a sealing oil to lock in moisture and avoid heavy conditioning treatments.

We love to hear from you about your hair journey. Please drop us a line any time for questions or comments. And...don't forget the OOF! t-shirt hair towel for your hair care routine. No matter your hair type, avoiding terry cloth and microfiber will help to prevent breakage, frizz, and tangles.