Before you start applying oils to your hair, you should know, why cold-pressed oils and the Oil Hair Treatment in particular are so crucial.
OILS, HAIR AND MOLCEULES
There is one peculiar factor characterizing hair oils that any shampoo nor hair balm has not got. Namely, oils are built of tiny molecules that are able to penetrate all hair layers in order to deliver deep nourishment and regeneration.
The molecules in oils work as a well-organized renovation crew which is able to restore your hair – brick by brick.
Though that is not all. Oils are completely natural and safe therefore, they constitute an effective treatment for scalp and hair bulbs. You should be aware of the fact that this is the very place (inside scalp and hair follicles) where the beauty of your hair begins – a hair bulb is the health factory of your strands. Without proper hair bulb care, strands simply perish, start falling out, stop growing, become thin and brittle.
HAIR POROSITY
The beneficial, damage-repairing molecules, which the oils are composed of, do not have the same size… and luckily they have not because hair structure also varies. Each of us has different hair type which can be easily defined thanks to hair porosity.
To clarify, hair porosity is determined by the degree at which hair cuticles are raised from the hair surface. The greater the gap between a cuticle and hair it rises from, the bigger hair porosity. There are three main criteria defining hair porosity. Following them, you can learn whether:
- your hair is low porosity (hair cuticles closely overlap each other, strands are smooth and relatively thick, unfortunately hair is hard to style)
- your hair is medium porosity (hair cuticles are slightly raised which influences hair’s look and its condition; strands are frizzy, they are neither heavy nor thick, their ends start splitting, hair is affected by static easily, it requires special care taken especially during the summer and the winter, toxins originated from the external environment can get inside hair structure and ruin its inner structure)
- your hair is high porosity (this means that hair is very weak, brittle, thin and dehydrated, quickly absorbs water and toxins from the environment, is breakable and frizzy)
HAIR POROSITY AND NATURAL OILS
Knowing your hair porosity is regarded as hugely important because it enables you to choose the right hair care that matches your strands perfectly. Naturally, hair porosity can be measured at a trichologist’s. Nevertheless, thanks to careful hair observation combined with descriptions of hair porosity can help to bring your strands under the right category.
HAIR POROSITY HOME TEST
If you still are not sure which porosity type is your hair, conduct a brilliant in its simplicity hair porosity test.
Take a clean hair that is free from any conditioners or other hair styling products and put it into a bowl of water. After 10 minutes, check what happened to the hair:
- The hair is floating on the surface – you have low porosity hair
- The hair is diving somewhere in the middle of the bowl – you have medium porosity hair
- The hair has fallen down and reached the bottom of the bowl – you have high porosity hair
HAIR POROSITY – IS IT CONNECTED WITH THE STATE OF HAIR HEALTH?
Definitely these two things are connected with each other.
The higher hair porosity, the more damaged and dehydrated hair is.
However, it does not mean that low porosity hair is totally healthy. Each hair type has its own problems to deal with. To demonstrate, women with high porosity hair put the greatest amount of effort to set their hair the way they want. High porosity hair needs to be constantly protected against damages, regularly moistened and nourished. However, it does not mean that low porosity hair does not require any care. Its main problem is lack of flexibility; this kind of hair is stiff and hard to style. Women with low porosity hair often suffer problems with their scalp – to excessive sebum production, which makes hair greasy and, at the same time, weakens hair bulbs and contributes to hair loss.
Indeed, knowing your hair porosity level is the key to choosing proper hair care and providing strands with the substances they need.
HOW TO MATCH OIL WITH HAIR POROSITY?
Hair oils can be paired with hair porosity type by checking the content of particular fatty acids that an oil contains. Each acid from omega group has different sizes of molecules that fit the gaps created by raised hair cuticles; and this is how they match hair porosity. Here is the scheme which will help you with matching an oil with the hair porosity:
LOW POROSITY HAIR
Choose oils that contain saturated fatty acids, the ones of small penetrating molecules. This kind of oils are mostly: coconut oil, babassu oil and palm oil.
MEDIUM POROSITY HAIR
Choose oils that contain mono-saturated fatty acids from omega-7 and omega-9. Their molecules are semi-penetrating. This kind of oils are mostly: argan oil, macadamia oil, almond oil, avocado oil and sesame oil.
HIGH POROSITY HAIR
Choose oils that contain poly-saturated fatty acids from omega-3 and omega-6 group. The molecules are big so they match the big gaps made by widely-open hair cuticles. This kind of oils are mostly: linseed oil, pumpkinseed oil, sunflower oil and corn oil.
Matching oil with hair porosity is a massive step that has to be taken in order to make your hair beautiful. The last, little step is choosing the most appropriate method of Oil Hair Treatment.
Oil can be applied to hair in various ways.
Bear in mind that the best effects are ALWAYS provided by applying oil not only to strands but also (mainly) to scalp. Only this method delivers deep regeneration to hair. Obviously, there are also oils that should not be used for conducting Oil Hair Treatment. These are mainly oils included into hair styling products. Such cosmetics do not rather improve hair structure for long.
WAYS OF APPLYING OIL HAIR TREATMENT
- OVERNIGHT – apply oil to dry or damp hair and scalp. However, if you do not have time for overnight treatment or if you simply do not like sleeping with your hair covered with oil – leave the oil for only an hour or two. It is all about the oil having enough time to mend your hair.
- FOR A QUARTER OF AN HOUR – use the oil right before shampooing – apply it to dry hair, and then rinse it off. You can also apply oil to damp strands instead of a regular hair mask.
- WITH A CONDITIONER – you can add a few drops of oil to your favourite hair conditioner to intensify the product’s action.
- AS A DRY HAIR SERUM, AFTER WASHING – this method mainly aims at taming and fast beautification of hair. It protects strands against high temperatures, takes care of hair ends and gifts them with stunning shine.