My old roomie/Soror/fellow granny boo is on her journey to Nubian Nappturalness (yay!) and every now and then she'll ask a transition related question.
The other day she asked me for tips regarding moisturizing her hair. And I immediately had her do a porosity test - which revealed that she had low-porosity hair. I didn't find out that I had low-po hair until last year, and once I knew how to keep Sheeba moisturized, my hair began growing and retaining a tremendous amount of length. That is when my drape game changed.
Throughout the natural hair community, you'll find posts speaking to the science of hair. I used to ignore such information until I realized its value. You don't have to be a Chemistry major to understand that what you put into your body plays as much of a vital role in hair growth and retention as what you put on your hair. PH, porosity, elasticity, etc. are all essential to healthy and long natural hair.
So back to porosity. The porosity of ones hair is essentially how well your hair soaks up and retains moisture. High porosity hair is very porous, it has no problem absorbing moisture, but on the flip-side it also does not retain moisture. Low porosity hair is virtually the opposite, it has a difficult time absorbing moisture, but once it has been moisturized, it retains it well.
Do you know the po' of your hair? Take a strand (preferably shed hair with root bulb attached). Drop it into some room temp water and wait 10 or so minutes. If it floats your hair is low-po, if it sinks it's high-po, and if it just makes its way to the middle ... well it's medium-po.
Since Sheeba is low-po, I'll highlight that today.
For the longest time I used to wonder why water and oil just 'sat' on my hair. After washing or oiling my hair, I would notice whole droplets still intact hours after. If you wash your hair and notice droplets of water sitting on top, or notice a greasy feeling after moisturizing, this post is for you. Low porosity hair basically means that each strands cuticles are laid flat and sealed tightly, making it hard for moisture to enter and leave.
So how does one take care of low- po hair? Heat.
That's actually one word I rarely use here at SoSheeba, but it's the key for keeping your hair lush.
Hot oil, heated deep conditioning, and steam treatments are Sheeba's BEST friends. Because my hair seals in moisture well, I spend a bulk of my time making sure moisture gets into each strand during my pre-poo phase.
If you have low-po hair try an olive oil and honey hot oil treatment and sit under the steamer, and thank me later.
During the spring and summer I love using humectants like glycerin, rose water, and honey that draw moisture into the cuticle. During the warmer months, I like adding a humectant to my leave-in conditioner before styling.
Another low-po go-to of mine is adding baking soda to my wash routine. Before cleansing with my coco-castille cleanser, I'll dissolve about a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of warm water and dump it on, then cleanse, and finally wash everything out. Using baking soda 'lift' the cuticles of your strands so make sure you rinse thoroughly and do an ACV rinse afterwards to seal the cuticle.
I cannot stress the importance of understanding the porosity of your hair. It took me 3 years to understand mine and then realize that my hair could have been twice the length it is now, had I known how to retain moisture. It may take you a while, but once you understand your hair, you'll know what is required to keep it healthy and growing.
Hope this helps and happy growing.
