You can find hair experts discussing the dos for low-porosity hair. But did you see a lot talking about the don’ts? I can bet there are few you’ll find. However, you must know what ingredients to avoid for low-porosity hair.
No matter how many of the best ingredients you apply, low porosity hair products, if you don’t stop putting on the wrong ingredients, eventually you’ll damage your hair.
In this article, I will focus on the don’ts that mean hair products and ingredients you should not use if you have low porosity hair.
What Is Low Porosity Hair?
Low porosity hair means the quality of your hair pores in each strand and scalp will be a bit low, which tells that the pores are tightly closed with a minimal opening. It includes the cuticles, hair strands, and the hair cortex.
As the pores are not so wide and bound tightly, it is tough for low-porosity hair to take the moisture, let alone hold it.
That’s why you must be careful while choosing the best ingredients for low-porosity hair and avoid ingredients that can damage your hair.
What Ingredients To Avoid For Low Porosity Hair
Here is a list of ingredients to avoid for low-porosity hair.
- Heavy Oils And Petroleum Products
- Protein-Enriched Hair Products
- Silicone Products
- Sulfate-Based Shampoos And Hair Products
- PEG, PPG, EO Based Products
- Thick Homemade Hair Mask
- Leave In Conditioners
- Ammonia Hair Dyes
Other than the things on the list, you should know that any substances or hair care products enriched with thick elements should be avoided.
Because your low-porosity hair won’t be able to deal with the thickness of the product, rinsing off the product won’t be easy.
Thus, there will be product build-up. These things can end up ruining your hair totally if continued.
Heavy Oils And Petroleum Products
Heavy hair oils and petroleum-based products are two of the primary ingredients used in hair care products since the invention of hair cosmetics.
They are cumbersome and not easily applicable to low-porosity hair.
However, they were primarily prevalent due to having few previous options.
But now you’ve got several alternative lightweight oils like Jojoba oil, Coconut oil, and other products that don’t use crude petroleum-based solutions.
Protein-Enriched Hair Products
Protein-enriched hair products are typically thick, so you should avoid using them.
Hair packs containing egg, milk, or avocado may feel stiff when applied to your low-porosity hair.
They also have the potential to leave product residue on your hair.
Silicone Products
Silicone products contain Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Phenyl Trimethicone, and Cetyl Dimethicone.
You must check the ingredients list of the hair product you want to buy.
If you find any of these ingredients, it has Silicone. Besides, you can feel the viscosity of silicon just by touching some of it with your hands.
You must avoid Silicone-based products for low-porosity hair.
Because using this will create a coating in your hair and prevent the water and moisture from going through; moreover, prolonged application of Silicone in your hair may damage the hair in no time.
Sulfate-Based Shampoos And Hair Products
Sulfate is a detergent agent generally found in shampoos. The ingredient causes the creamy and heavy foam you find while applying shampoo.
This cleansing agent is strictly harmful to your low-porosity hair.
Well, for cleaning purposes, I suggest using sulfate-free shampoo.
While buying one, look for non-sulfate anionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants, and amphoteric in the ingredients list of the shampoo.
They all mean the shampoo is sulfate-free.
PEG, PPG, EO Based Products
As processed synthetic is highly used in most cosmetics now, PEG, PPG, and EO are some of the petroleum-based elements used to make it.
Although synthetic processing and making the final product, manufacturers use other solutions to give it a more watery appearance.
However, the main ingredients remain the same. So, if you find Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Polypropylene Glycol (PPG), and Ethylene Glycol (EO) in any hair care product, that’s not for you.
Look for something with a comprehensive percentage of watery base and the above elements free.
Thick Homemade Hair Mask
Besides avoiding ingredient-based hair cosmetics, you should also avoid thick homemade hair masks. Any hair mask containing Banana, Heavy milk or milk cream, Avocado paste, Butter, or Egg counts in a thick hair mask.
As most of these hair masks contain heavy protein, applying them on your hair may affect your low porosity hair. Regular usage of these masks will also damage your hair.
So, no matter how well these natural homemade hair masks work for others, they won’t work for you but rather destroy your hair.
Leave In Conditioners
It means the conditioners do not require washing after applying. It dries out naturally within the hair and keeps your hair conditioned.
But using leave-in conditioner can harm low-porosity hair very easily and quickly.
As any product residue harms low-porosity hair, leaving a conditioning product can affect your hair the same way other products will. So, avoid leaving in conditioners and use diluted conditioners.
Pro Tips: Make sure to wash the product away correctly. I recommend using Apple Cider Vinegar as an excellent cleansing element in this case.
Ammonia Hair Dyes
People who dye or color their hair often know that Ammonia is one of the most used ingredients in hair dye.
But did you know that Ammonia in hair dye can damage your hair?
- The natural pH of our hair is 4.5 or 5, meaning it’s acidic.
It talks about healthy hair. When you use Ammonia-based hair dye, the pH increases and makes it alkaline. It is because Ammonia is Alkaline.
It will eventually dry your hair more, increasing dandruff and no moisture. That’s why using Ammonia hair dye can cause severe damage to your low-porosity hair soon.
Wrap Up
Making strategic choices about ingredients in your hair care products is at the core of managing this type of hair.
Above, I list all of the ingredients to avoid low-porosity hair.
The top ingredient to avoid is protein. Hair products high in protein often leave a residue that can build up and cause the hair strand to become stiff and dry.
