Someone recently asked me if she can use avocado oil for low porosity hair.
I strongly believe that avocado oil is an unsung hero in the world of oils, and for good reason. But is it really effective for low porosity hair? More on that shortly.
If you have low porosity hair, your instinct is to run as far away as you can from rich oils.
They’re usually heavy and just sit on your hair, leaving greasy product build-up instead of moisturizing it.
Most heavy oils aren’t worth the effort to use on low porosity hair, even if they provide temporary shine and softness.
Holy grails like coconut oil? No, thank you!
It’s no secret that low porosity hair loves light oils, like argan or sweet almond oil.
But when you do find the right rich hair oil that makes your locks happy, it’s the ultimate gamechanger.
When you venture into heavier oils, you may be rewarded with that one special oil that actually seeps into your hair and is ultra-moisturizing.
Avocado oil is one such oil.
Could it be the oil that changes the game for you?
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What Is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is extracted from – you guessed it – avocados, which are made of up to 60% oil.
Its rich, fatty oil is pressed from the fruit’s pulp after peeling off the skin and removing the seed.
Heating it up is a common method to extract that light golden oil.
But cold-pressed, unrefined avocado oil is the highest standard since it retains all the vitamins and minerals without cooking it off in the heat.
Avocado oil, much like the fruit it was extracted from, is rich in healthy fats, omega fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Your hair can benefit from all of these nutrients to be stronger and more resilient.
Avocado oil also contains many monounsaturated fats and lipids that provide intense moisture to the hair.
They do this by locking in moisture, resulting in reduced breakage, as well as smooth and silky hair.
Antioxidants, vitamin E, and carotenoids also add a UV protection layer to prevent damage and brittleness from environmental stress.
Avocado oil is also an excellent source of vitamins A, B, D, and potassium.
These nutrients are really helpful for growing out thick, strong, luscious hair.
Benefits Of Using Avocado Oil On Hair
While it’s not as popular as the likes of coconut or Jamaican black castor oil in the beauty community, you can find avocado oil in many deeply-nourishing hair products, like hair masks and rich conditioners.
It provides a plethora of benefits for all hair types, from hydration to healthy hair growth.
Moisturizes The Hair
First off, avocado oil is rich and fatty, so it only makes sense that it moisturizes the hair deeply, making your tresses silky soft.
It can penetrate the hair and work its magic deep in the cuticle, thanks to its small, lightweight structure.
This lightweight structure is a characteristic of efficient penetrative hair oil.
The oleic acid and monosaturated fats in avocado oil also help it easily enter the hair shaft instead of just coating it and producing nasty build-up.
That means that, unlike thick, overbearing oils that tend to sit on top of the hair strand, avocado oil can hydrate the hair from the inside out.
It also works to seal in all the hydration from your entire hair care routine so your hair can retain it longer.
This leaves your locks soft and shiny all day.
Makes Hair Shiny
Avocado oil also promotes a radiant shine in your hair, owing to its fats and vitamins.
This brings more life and luminosity to your hair.
Strengthens The Hair
Because avocado oil is rich in hair-strengthening vitamins and minerals, it can strengthen and plump up your brittle strands too.
That means less breakage and split ends.
Coating your locks with a thin layer of nourishing avocado oil helps them become more flexible and resistant to tension and stretching.
When you do this regularly, you’ll notice less hair fall and breakage when you do things like take your hair out of a ponytail or detangling with a comb.
Protective Sealant
Avocado oil also works as a protective sealant in your hair.
Its vitamin E component helps shield and heal UV damage from sun exposure, so you can keep having fun in the sun while maintaining healthy hair.
Makes Detangling Easy
Lastly, it makes hair easier to detangle.
You need this oil when you feel like you have lots of fairy knots keeping your hair from being smooth and sleek.
Applying a bit of avocado oil to your ends can make it easier to finger-comb and sort out all the tangles.
Avocado Oil For Low Porosity Hair: Does It Work?
To answer this question, we first need a basic understanding of low porosity hair and what kind of care it needs to thrive.
What Is Low Porosity Hair?
Low porosity hair is characterized by hair cuticles that overlap and are so tightly closed that it has a hard time absorbing and retaining moisture.
It’s always best to avoid heavy products with this hair type.
This is because they can weigh your locks down since they don’t penetrate the hair properly.
It’s a double whammy for this hair type.
On the one hand, it’s difficult to moisturize, so you can get stuck with dry, frizzy hair.
On the other, it leads to product build-up on your hair strands because of the accumulation of oils and hair products that were denied entry into your stubborn hair shaft.
That’s why it’s always been known that the best oils for low porosity hair are those that are light and relatively thin so that the hair strands can absorb them easily.
Coconut and castor oil? Maybe for more porous hair instead.
Is Avocado Oil Good For Low Porosity Hair?
Avocado oil might be rich and super nourishing, but it’s one of just a few oils out there that have a molecular size small enough to enter the hair cuticle and moisturize from the inside out.
So yes, avocado oil is a terrific option for hydrating low porosity locks that need extra help with moisture absorption.
Because it has amazing penetrative properties, avocado oil can nourish your low porosity hair intensely without producing build-up or a hardened coating around your hair.
This is a gamechanger for low porosity tresses that are often incredibly challenging to moisturize.
While there’s no denying that avocado oil is rich because of its fatty acids and lipids, it’s not as heavy as the oils that are the bane of low porosity hair’s existence.
It’s definitely lighter than olive oil or shea butter, which can leave low porosity locks feeling waxy and greasy.
Because avocado oil is relatively light and extremely penetrative, it’s easy to work into your hair and scalp without it leaving build-up in its wake.
It is arguably the thickest oil that low porosity hair can get away with unscathed.
Ways To Incorporate Avocado Oil Into Your Hair Care Routine
Avocado oil is very versatile, so it’s easy to incorporate into your current routine.
You can use it as a pre-poo, a hair mask, a sealant after your usual styling process, and even as an occasional hot oil treatment at home!
Add It To Products
You can drench your hair in an avocado oil mask as a pre-shampoo or deep conditioner before hitting the shower for wash day.
And on days when you feel like your hair is parched, you can add a few drops of it into your shampoo and conditioner for that extra nourishment.
Use It As A Sealant
When you’re all done with your wash day routine, it would be a bright idea to seal all that hydration in with avocado oil as a finishing serum.
It works to keep in all the hydrating humectants you used in the shower and your styling process to ensure your hair retains it for longer.
Hot Oil Treatment
If you want a more luxurious way to use it at home, a hot oil treatment is a terrific option for low porosity hair.
It helps ensure that you’re getting the most out of the avocado oil, even if your hair usually has a challenging time sucking up moisture.
Warm up your avocado oil in the microwave for a minute or two before applying it to your hair and scalp.
The heat allows your stubborn, tightly shut hair cuticles to open up and absorb the moisture and fats from the rich oil.
Winter or the colder months in your city are a fantastic opportunity to try out avocado oil in your hair.
It’s a super moisturizing sealant that locks in hydration, so it’s perfect for those extra dry and frosty days.
Products In Your Hair
One important thing to consider when playing around with avocado oil in your routine is how much product is already going in your hair.
You want as little product as necessary to moisturize your low porosity locks sufficiently.
Since avocado is rich and fatty, make sure you use it when your routine comprises minimal products.
Try using it with just one other post-shower product (maybe a leave-in!) to avoid build-up in your hair.
Conclusion
It’s easy to judge whether a type of oil is appropriate for low porosity hair based on how heavy it is.
But when you dig a little deeper and study its chemical structure, you’ll realize your hair’s got a shot at loving some nourishing oils – like avocado oil.
It does so much for low porosity hair, thanks to its penetrative properties and nourishing fatty acids.
Its hair-strengthening abilities and the immense gloss and shine it gives your locks are also great benefits.
Avocado oil is a terrific way to feed your hair all the nutrients it needs to be strong and luscious without worrying about build-up and greasiness.
So if you’ve been wondering if you can use avocado oil for low porosity hair, the answer is yes!
If you have low porosity hair that needs elevating in the shine, bounce, and hydration departments, why not pick it up and give it a shot?
