Moisturizing Low Porosity Hair in a Protective Style
Knowing your porosity is the first step to maintaining moisture in naturally textured hair. Moisture is an essential ingredient in a healthy hair regimen, and low porosity hair requires a bit of TLC in this area, because it repels moisture.
(NOTE: moisture = water, you don’t drink oil when you get thirsty)
Low porosity hair is characterized by a tightly closed cuticle, which takes the hair longer to become saturated during shampooing, is often resistant to chemical treatments and takes longer to dry.
Low porosity hair often doesn’t appear to have elasticity or volume.
Moisturizing requires effort. Under normal circumstances, moisturizing low porosity hair requires heat or some other method of forcing the hair cuticle to open. So how does low porosity hair get moisturized when it’s in a protective style???
A key to retaining moisture in low porosity hair is layering lightweight products to prevent buildup. To prevent mildew in your protective style, you hair has to have time to dry, particularly with protective styles like crochet braids and sewins.
Starting with warm water and/or a liquid leave-in conditioner to dampen and help open the hair cuticle to allow moisture in. Depending on your preferred LOC/LCO method and the type of protective style you’re wearing, you might skip creams and butters and follow with a lightweight oil like almond, jojoba or grapeseed to seal.

If you’re wearing twists, braids or and updo you can opt for (again) a light moisturizing lotion, like Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Daily Hair Conditioner, Giovanni Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner, or Kinky Curly Knot Today.
Since low porosity hair requires more effort to dry, it would be a good idea to sit under a hood dryer to ensure that your hair you don’t end up with smelly head. An important part of your bedtime natural hair care regimen should also include sleeping with a satin hair covering or on a satin pillowcase. Cotton fabrics wick moisture from the hair and can cause frizz.
Note: You SHOULD be cleaning your scalp regularly while wearing a protective style, regardless of your porosity.
Natural hair thrives in moisture, and your chosen hairstyle shouldn’t prevent you from keeping your hair in its best condition to avoid breakage.
