Whether you’re an avid hair care enthusiast or someone who just randomly Googled what the best hair oils for growth and moisture are, you’ve likely heard that olive oil is one of the best oils to use on hair.
And you’re not wrong. Olive oil is a powerhouse ingredient that is excellent for moisturizing the hair to make it soft, supple, and oh-so-shiny.
But believe it or not, this oil that is so hyped up in the hair care world isn’t cut out for everyone.
Like all oils, it fits best for a certain type of hair.
For some, olive oil will do wonders for conditioning and strengthening their locks.
And for others, this much-loved oil can make their hair dull and lifeless.
It sounds pretty absurd, but it’s reality.
There’s a science behind whether or not olive oil will work nicely for you.
Knowing your hair porosity is the key to finding out whether olive oil is good for you.
In this post, we’ll answer a question that I’ve received a lot of late: Is olive oil good for low porosity hair?
Table of Contents
What Is Low Porosity Hair?
First, let’s get into hair porosity.
Your hair’s porosity level refers to its ability to absorb water and other types of moisture.
See, your hair cuticles are made up of little plates that look like roof shingles, and they’re all stacked in an overlapping way.
This is what keeps your cuticle sealed.
Virgin hair – or hair that hasn’t been manipulated with heat or chemicals – will keep those shingles in the cuticle untouched.
This is called low-porosity hair, or hair that isn’t porous.
Because the cuticles of this hair type are so tightly closed, it’s difficult for heavy products to be absorbed into them.
You’ll know that you have low-porosity hair if it takes a long time to get your locks completely drenched in the shower.
After the shower, it takes a long time to dry as well.
This is because your hair cuticles are so tightly packed that even something as runny as water has a hard time getting in and out of them.
High-porosity hair is the complete opposite.
When you heat-style or chemically process your hair at the salon, your cuticles get broken down, leaving gaps and spaces in between them.
This makes your hair more porous, so it has a hard time retaining water.
That leaves the hair dry and always thirsty.
Is Olive Oil Good For Low Porosity Hair?
Olive oil is a fan-favorite among those who love taking care of their hair -and for good reason!
It’s an oil that’s rich in fatty acids like linoleic and palmitic acids that are excellent for moisturizing the hair.
As a sealant, it also works to soften and smoothen the hair texture, all while adding that glossy shine.
It makes sense that everyone and their sister universally gravitate towards an oil like olive oil, no matter their hair type.
Its high fatty acid content and reputation for being a powerhouse hair oil are incredibly attractive and tempting for anyone to use.
But newsflash: Olive oil is certainly not made for everyone.
If you have high-porosity hair that’s incredibly thirsty and needs to be as deeply moisturized, olive oil will be a dream come true for you.
Olive oil is heavy and thick, so it’s perfect for sealing those gaps in high-porosity locks.
Other heavy oils like this include castor oil and coconut oil.
But sadly, olive oil is not really suitable for low-porosity hair.
Because olive oil is heavy, its molecules are huge.
They’re so large that they can’t seep into small, tight spaces – like those on the cuticles of low-porosity hair.
So, if you have low-porosity hair and try to apply olive oil to your locks, all it’s going to do is sit on the surface of your hair strand without properly getting absorbed into it.
That oil will then dry up and cause product build-up on your strands, making them look lifeless and incredibly greasy.
Olive oil also isn’t particularly pleasant-looking on those with fine hair.
Since the oil is quite heavy, it will do nothing but weigh down fine hair types, making the strands look flat.
What Oils Would Be Better For Low Porosity Hair?
But don’t despair!
Just because you can’t use olive oil on your low porosity hair, it doesn’t mean you’re done for.
There are loads of other hair oils that are perfect for your hair type – ones that will actually absorb into your hair and not just sit there creating build-up.
Oils that are a good match for low-porosity hair are lightweight and therefore have smaller molecules.
These molecules will be able to seep into those tight cuticles, moisturizing your hair from the inside out.
Here are four of the best oils for low-porosity hair:
Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil is rich in proteins and vitamins A and E to strengthen your hair and protect it from free radicals.
It also has stearic acid to moisturize the hair without weighing it down.
Jojoba Oil
This oil is well-known for having the same composition as human sebum.
Remember sebum is the oil our skin produces on its own.
It’s perfect for moisturizing fine hair since it works so much like the oil our body is already naturally used to.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is also known as “liquid gold” most likely becauseit brings intense moisture to the hair.
This light oil also boosts shine and smoothness, so it’s fantastic as a hair serum.
Sunflower Seed Oil
This oil contains antioxidants and vitamins that can fight free radical damage and scalp dryness.
It also adds light moisture to the hair.
Recommended Post: Top 10 Light Oils For Low Porosity Hair
Conclusion
Olive oil is an extremely heavy oil, so it’s not the best one to use if you have low porosity hair.
If you have low porosity hair, your strands already have trouble absorbing moisture as it is.
Your locks will never be able to drink up the large molecules of olive oil.
But while olive oil isn’t the best oil out there for low porosity hair like yours, it doesn’t mean all hope is lost when it comes to moisturizing your hair.
Look instead for lightweight oils that still have immense moisturizing prowess.
These include argan oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil – all good alternative for olive oil.
When you use the right type of oil on low-porosity hair, you’ll have tresses that look healthy.
So even if it’s tempting, stay away from olive oil and give your hair more lightweight oil options.
These lighter oils will allow your mane to reach its full, fabulous potential.